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EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIRTH BALLS ON BIRTH COMFORT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
Sponsor: Kars Harakani State Hospital
Summary
This randomized controlled trial compared the effects of three types of birth balls (round, peanut, and donut) used during the first stage of labor on labor comfort in primiparous women, relative to routine intrapartum care alone. Two hundred ten women were randomly assigned to one of four groups (control, round ball, peanut ball, or donut ball) using a lottery method. Participants in the intervention groups performed a 30-minute supervised exercise routine on their assigned ball during the latent and active phases of labor, in addition to routine care. Labor comfort was measured at the end of the active phase using the Birth Comfort Scale. The study tested the hypothesis that birth ball use increases labor comfort compared with routine care, and explored whether comfort differs by ball type, including the donut ball, which had not previously been evaluated in published research.
Key Details
Gender
FEMALE
Age Range
18 Years - 45 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
210
Start Date
2023-09-22
Completion Date
2026-08-25
Last Updated
2026-09-30
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Round Birth Ball Exercise
A 30-minute supervised exercise session (hip rotations, forward-backward and side-to-side rocking, and gentle bouncing combined with breathing exercises) performed while seated on a round exercise ball (55, 65, or 75 cm diameter, selected according to participant height) during the latent and active phases of the first stage of labor, in addition to routine intrapartum care.
Peanut Birth Ball Exercise
A 30-minute supervised exercise session (forward-backward and side-to-side rocking, forward-leaning, and gentle bouncing combined with breathing exercises) performed while seated on a peanut-shaped ball (40, 50, 60, or 70 cm depending on height/position) during the latent and active phases of the first stage of labor, in addition to routine intrapartum care.
Donut Birth Ball Exercise
A 30-minute supervised exercise session (forward-backward and side-to-side rocking, forward-leaning, and gentle bouncing combined with breathing exercises) performed while seated on a donut-shaped ball (45×65 cm) during the latent and active phases of the first stage of labor, in addition to routine intrapartum care.
Locations (1)
Kars Harakani State Hospital
Kars, Merkez, Turkey (Türkiye)