Vacuum-assisted birth is a safe mode of birth in the presence of a skilled provider. Vacuum extraction can avoid prolonged second stage of labour, birth asphyxia in the presence of foetal distress or maternal pushing where contraindicated. Vacuum-assisted births – particularly those in midpelvic rotational births – have been increasingly traded for caesarean births, although the latter are generally associated with potentially a greater risk to women and (future) children. In this article, (contra)indications and the basics of vacuum technique are elaborated. A specific section is dedicated to vacuum extraction for rotational birth. If these techniques are known, trained and practiced by obstetric care givers, then vacuum extraction has tremendous potential to make childbirth safer.

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