Abstract:
A novel method of second stage labor assistance at least includes: providing a flexible cord member at least having at a first end, a first securing article, and at least having at a second end, a second securing article; coupling the first securing article to at least one upper extremity of an expectant mother; coupling the second securing article to at least one upper extremity of a person assisting (“assistant”) the expectant mother with child birth, the assistant at least serving as an anchor; and the expectant mother pulling on the flexible cord member away from the assistant to supplement the contractions of the expectant mother&#39;s abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, and at least partially inducing the movement of a baby down the birthing canal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/543,519 entitled “Birthing Grip/Second Stage Labor,” and filed on Feb. 11, 2004. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention generally relates to aids for assisting the delivery of babies during child labor, and specifically relates to non-invasive aides for assisting the delivery of babies during second stage child labor.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0003]     During second stage labor, an expectant mother&#39;s contractions ideally pass a baby down the birth canal for delivery. Often, however, an expectant mother&#39;s efforts alone are not enough to complete natural childbirth. The causes of the aforementioned inability are numerous, including, inter alia, fatigue of the expectant mother, desensitization as a side effect of anesthesia.  
         [0004]     Prior art approaches to assisting second stage labor include having the expectant mother grasp her legs while pushing with the abdominal muscles. Alternatively, the expectant mother may grasp handles, squat bars, or other accouterments attached to the expectant mother&#39;s bed or chair. These methods, however, are sometimes awkward, inconvenient, uncomfortable, and do not always provide an adequate resistance to sufficiently supplement contractions. Further, these methods sometimes interfere with intravenous tubes and other hospital apparatuses.  
         [0005]     Failure of the prior art methods often necessitates the use of invasive procedures such as forceps delivery and vacuum extractions. These invasive procedures and others have increased risks associated for known, harmful effects to both the baby and expectant mother, including abrasions, edema, bruising and other trauma. Failure of these invasive procedures has also been associated with an increased need to perform cesarean sections.  
         [0006]     What is needed are better non-invasive, inexpensive methods and apparatuses for assisting an expectant mother during the second stage of labor that enhance the contractions of her abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, and that are both simple to use, and highly portable.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available liner supports. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a method of second stage labor assistance at least including: providing a flexible cord member at least having at a first end, a first securing article, and at least having at a second end, a second securing article; coupling the first securing article to at least one upper extremity of an expectant mother; coupling the second securing article to at least one upper extremity of a person assisting (“assistant”) the expectant mother with child birth, the assistant at least serving as an anchor; and the expectant mother pulling on the flexible cord member away from the assistant to supplement the contractions of the expectant mother&#39;s abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, and at least partially inducing the movement of a baby down the birthing canal.  
         [0008]     The present invention has been developed to further provide a method of second stage labor assistance at least including: providing a flexible cord member at least having at a first end, a first securing article, and at least having at a second end, a second securing article; coupling the first securing article to a first lower extremity of an expectant mother; coupling the second securing article to a second lower extremity of the expectant mother; coupling at least one upper extremity of the expectant mother to the center region of the flexible cord member; and the expectant mother moving the first and second lower extremities in opposition to the at least one upper extremity to supplement the contractions of the expectant mother&#39;s abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, and at least partially inducing the movement of a baby down the birthing canal.  
         [0009]     The present invention has been developed to also provide an apparatus for second stage labor assistance at least including: a flexible cord member; a first securing article coupled to a first end of the flexible cord member and adapted to be coupled to at least one upper extremity of an expectant mother; and a second securing article coupled to a second end of the flexible cord member and adapted to be coupled to at least one upper extremity of a person assisting (“assistant”) the expectant mother with child birth, the assistant at least serving as an anchor; wherein the flexible cord member is further adapted to be pulled by the expectant mother away from the assistant to supplement the contractions of the expectant mother&#39;s abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, and at least partially induce the movement of a baby down the birthing canal.  
         [0010]     Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.  
         [0011]     Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.  
         [0012]     These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates the general second stage labor assistance scheme and apparatus of the present invention, Whereby an expectant mother and an a human assistant work cooperatively;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present-inventive labor assistance scheme, whereby an expectant mother works alone;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates in detail, a first embodiment of the present-inventive labor assistance apparatus;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  illustrates in detail, a second embodiment of the present-inventive labor assistance apparatus;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  illustrates in detail, a third embodiment of the present-inventive labor assistance apparatus, having adjustable length mechanisms;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  illustrates in detail, a first version of the adjustable length mechanisms of  FIG. 5 ; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  illustrates in detail, a second version of the adjustable length mechanisms of  FIG. 5 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.  
         [0022]     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  shows a scheme  100  for aiding labor during the second stage (pushing stage) of the birthing process. An expectant mother  110 , while shown on a bed  170  with an inclined rest  172 , may be seated on (or lie on) other furniture as a matter of operational choice. While reclining in a half upright (“Semi-Fowlers”) position, the expectant mother  110  grasps one end  132  of a labor assist apparatus  130  in preparation for labor assistance. An assistant  150  grasps the other end  142  of the labor assist apparatus  130 , and serves as an anchor.  
         [0024]     During contractions, the expectant mother  110  pulls the labor assist apparatus with either one hand or two hands ( 115  and  116 ) toward her and away from the assistant. In the preferred embodiment, her elbows are held in an up and outward position during the pull. The assistant can remain stationary, or optionally pull away from the expectant mother to increase the effective resistance.  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  details one embodiment of the present-inventive labor assist apparatus  130 . The apparatus is primarily constructed of a flexible chord member  131 , which can be a rope or other non-rigid material capable of carrying typical tension loads expected to be encountered during the tug-of-war like operation of the apparatus. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that many materials may be used successfully for the flexible chord member, given the teachings of this letters patent.  
         [0026]     Each end ( 132 ,  142 ) of the labor assist apparatus  130  has a loop member ( 134  and  144 ) which secures a bar member ( 136  and  146 ) to the flexible cord member  131 . Each bar member also contains padding ( 138  and  148 ) which provides a comfortable grip during pulling operations. The padding may be of numerous materials, including foam, to name just one of the many possibilities. In addition to the padding covering the bar members, optional padding  140  also covers the center region of the flexible cord member, so that the apparatus may be comfortably grasped there by an expectant mother using the apparatus without an assistant, as will be discussed infra.  
         [0027]     Another embodiment of the present-inventive labor assist apparatus is shown in  FIG. 4 . The apparatus  430  is similar to the apparatus  130 , except that the bar members  136  and  146  have been removed so that the loop members are continuous. Hence, the  FIG. 4  elements with reference numerals  431 ,  432 ,  434 ,  438 ,  440 ,  442 ,  444 , and  448  are analogous to the  FIG. 3  elements with reference numerals  131 ,  132 ,  134 ,  138 ,  140 ,  142 ,  144 , and  148 , respectively.  
         [0028]     Returning to  FIG. 1 , when the expectant mother  110  pulls, her abdominal and pelvic floor contractions (symbolically shown as reference numeral  112 ) are supplemented to ease the movement of a baby down the birthing canal.  
         [0029]     As an alternate approach illustrated in  FIG. 2  (and symbolically numbered  200 ), an expecting mother can operate the labor assist apparatus alone by securing the ends  132  and  142  to her lower extremities  114  and  115 , and then pulling from the center region of the flexible cord member  131 . More effective contraction assistance is achieved by her simultaneously pushing her legs away from her while she pulls with her hands.  
         [0030]     A practical labor assist apparatus will accommodate expectant mothers of different heights, wingspans, etc., as well as be able to adjust to the available dimensions of the birthing area. As such, an alternate version of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 5-7 . The general apparatus  530  primarily consists of a flexible cord member  531 , which forms two loops  534  and  544  at its ends. As with previous versions of the invention, the apparatus  530  also contains padding  540  in the middle region to provide a soft grip when an expectant mother uses the apparatus by tying the ends to her lower extremities.  
         [0031]     Two size adjustment mechanisms  533  and  543  may contain, for example, sleeves for fixedly receiving looped ends of the flexible cord member and locking tabs (not shown), or other locking mechanisms for fixing the cord member in place and the respective size of the end loops. In the version  630  (see  FIG. 6 ) of the apparatus, the size adjustment mechanism  533  is anchored to an end of the flexible cord member, while the rest of the cord member is allowed to move through, for example, a sleeve in the mechanism while it is in the unlocked state. The effective length of the apparatus  630  can be reduced by moving the adjustment mechanism  533  toward the middle of the cord member, and then locking the adjustment mechanism  533  to form a larger loop  534 . The effective length of the apparatus  630  is increased by moving the mechanism  533  away from the middle of the cord member and then locking it to form a smaller loop  544 .  
         [0032]     Rather than anchor the size adjustment mechanism  533  to an end of the flexible cord member  531 , an alternative version  730  of the apparatus (see  FIG. 7 ) may anchor the mechanism closer to the middle of the cord member, although any position is acceptable for the adjustment mechanism. The end of the cord member is free to be moved through a sleeve, for example, when the adjustment mechanism  533  is in the unlocked state to adjust the size of the associated end loop, and thereby adjust the effective length of the apparatus. When the effective length of the apparatus is as desired, the mechanism is locked, thus fixedly retaining the portions of the flexible cord  531 .  
         [0033]     It is also possible to adjust the effective length of the birthing apparatus using the size adjustment mechanisms ( 533  and  543 ) on both ends or just one end of the apparatus  530 ,  630  and  730 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other versions of the loop size adjustment (and hence effective length adjustment of the apparatus) are possible given the above teachings, without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0034]     It is understood that the above-described preferred embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.  
         [0035]     It is expected that there could be numerous variations of the design of this invention.  
         [0036]     Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the device may be constructed of a variety of materials.  
         [0037]     Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims.