COMPARISON OF BIRTH BALL EXERCISES AND THE LEFT LATERAL POSITION ON CERVICAL DILATION RATE AND THE DURATION OF THE ACTIVE PHASE OF THE FIRST STAGE OF LABOR

Abstract

Prolonged labor remains a contributor to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Safe and accessible nonpharmacological interventions are needed to facilitate labor progression. Birth ball (gymball) exercises and the left lateral position are two nonpharmacological approaches used in physiological childbirth care; however, direct comparisons of their associations with cervical dilation rate and the duration of the active phase of the first stage of labor remain limited. This study aimed to compare birth ball exercises with the left lateral position in terms of cervical dilation rate and active phase duration. A quantitative, quasi-experimental study with a two-group pretest-posttest design was conducted among 60 women in the active phase of the first stage of labor at the delivery unit of Grobogan Community Health Center. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and allocated to a comparison group (n = 30) or an intervention group (n = 30). Data were analyzed using t-tests and multiple linear regression. The findings indicated faster cervical dilation and a shorter first stage of labor in the birth ball exercise group than in the left lateral position group (t = 4.696). Multivariable analyses showed that birth ball exercise remained significantly associated with a higher cervical dilation rate and a shorter active-phase duration. In this single-center quasi-experimental study, women in the birth ball exercise group exhibited faster cervical dilation and a shorter active phase of the first stage of labor than those in the left lateral position group during physiological childbirth care.