No matter how you'd like to deliver your baby — at a hospital, at a birthing center, or at home, with or without pain medication — you'll want labor to go as smoothly and quickly as possible. A peanut ball may help.
A relatively new addition to labor and delivery rooms, a peanut ball can help speed up labor and lower the odds of a C-section, according to some research.[1]
Thinking about using one during your delivery? Here’s what you need to know.
What is a peanut ball?
As the name suggests, a peanut ball is a type of inflatable birthing ball shaped like a peanut. While it’s used during labor and delivery like the traditional, rounded birthing ball and can be found in many hospitals and birthing centers, unlike the round ball, the peanut ball is pinched in the middle and used for different reasons.
How is a peanut ball used for labor?
A peanut ball can support a laboring mom's legs, widening the pelvis and potentially helping the baby down the birth canal.
Unlike a traditional rounded birthing ball — which you lean on or sit on during labor to ease the pain from contractions — a peanut ball is typically used while a laboring mom is lying down, which can be good for women who’ve had an epidural or otherwise need to stay in bed.
Though your hospital or birthing center could have a supply of these birthing balls on hand, you may want to bring in your own so you're sure to have one handy when you need it. Don’t want to tote a big ball around with you? Try partially inflating the peanut ball at home and filling it up the rest of the way at the hospital.
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Peanut ball labor positions
A peanut ball is used to open up the pelvis and help your baby descend through the birth canal. A doula or birth professional can show you the various ways you can use one before you go into labor, or help you get into one of the following positions in the delivery room:[2]
Side-lying between knees
Lie on your side on the bed with your legs slightly bent and place the center of the peanut ball between your knees so the legs are externally rotated. This is most appropriate for the first stage of labor, or whenever the baby is higher in the pelvis.
Side-lying between ankles
Lie on your side on the bed with your legs slightly bent and place the center of the peanut ball between your ankles so the knees and upper legs are internally rotated. This is most appropriate for the second (i.e. pushing) stage of labor, or whenever the baby is lower in the pelvis.
Side-lying hug
Lie on your side on the bed and place the peanut ball between your thighs. Next, wrap your hands around the top half of the peanut ball and hug it toward your chest, as if you were doing a squat.
Semi-sitting lunge
Starting from a semi-reclined position, lean back onto a pillow and extend one leg over the top of the peanut ball. The other leg should be bent slightly out at your side rather than straight out in front of you.
Sitting
Place a large peanut ball on the floor and sit on it, with one foot on either side. As you rock on the ball, you can also hold onto the edge of the bed for more support.
Kneeling
Start on all fours, with your hands and knees on the bed. Next, lift one of your knees and place the peanut ball underneath it, so that one hip is slightly elevated. You can rock back and forth or simply rest in this position.
Side-lying with legs bent
Lie on your side on the bed, and place the peanut ball between your knees, making sure your feet aren’t touching. Then, bend your knees back until your legs form a 90-degree angle with your torso. This is particularly helpful during early labor, when baby is higher in the pelvis.
Can a peanut ball shorten labor?
More research is needed, but one small study found that using a peanut ball significantly shortened the amount of time spent in labor. This may be because using a peanut ball can help open the pelvis, which could speed up baby’s arrival during the pushing stage.
Some research has also found that using a peanut ball may increase your odds of having a vaginal birth. One study, for example, found that women who used a peanut ball after receiving an epidural were less likely to have a C-section than those who didn’t use one.
Are there any risks associated with using a peanut ball?
For the most part, using a peanut ball during labor is safe — though you may want to have your birth partner or doula close by if you’re trying some of the more complicated positions like kneeling or sitting.
If you have symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) — a condition in which the ligaments of the pelvic bone start to relax, causing stiffness or pain — you may want to steer clear of using a peanut ball between the knees during labor, since external rotation might worsen the symptoms.
You should also make sure you’re using the correct-sized peanut ball. If you’re using one that’s too small or too large, you may injure yourself trying to maneuver into position.
If you’re buying your own ball, check the height recommendations from the manufacturer. They typically come in four sizes: 40 centimeters, 50 centimeters, 60 centimeters and 70 centimeters. Many laboring moms can use the 50-centimeter peanut ball, intended for people between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 6 inches.
Keep in mind that using a peanut ball should feel comfortable (or as comfortable as possible when you’re in labor). If you’re having back, hip, joint or leg pain, talk to your practitioner to see whether you need to readjust it or stop using it all together. Remember, too, that a peanut ball is just one of many labor tools at your disposal that may help bring your baby into the world faster and (at least a little) easier.
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