What are other ways of helping a baby come through the birth canal?
A vacuum extraction or forceps delivery may be recommended when progress in bringing the baby down during the pushing phase of labor has come to a halt, and the pushing phase of giving birth has gone on for a very long time. (Most first-time mothers take about 2 hours to birth the baby once they begin pushing, and women who have had a vaginal birth before take about an hour. When an epidural is in place, the time may be much longer than these norms.) Sometimes assisted vaginal birth is recommended when the baby is close to being born and an urgent problem develops or when the head needs to be shifted into a better position for birth.
