OBJECTIVES: To characterize the use of the Swiss ball for the care of laboring women in obstetric care services linked to the Unified Health System in São Paulo, and to identify the characteristics of its use in assisting laboring women by nurse-midwives. METHODS: A descriptive study based on structured interviews with 35 nurses who were providing assistance to laboring women. RESULTS: We found that 100% of Normal Birthing Centers and 40.9% of obstetric centers owned the Swiss ball. The indications for the use of Swiss ball were: promoting fetal descent (32.4%), relaxation (19.7%), progression of labor (17.1%), exercise of the perineum (14.5%), pain relief (11.8%), psychological benefits and maternal movement. Nearly all of the institutions visited (96.8%) had no protocol for its use. CONCLUSION: The study found that nurses ascribe benefits to using the Swiss ball during labor. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate its effects and support the development of guidelines for its use.
Obstetrical nursing; Exercise therapy; Natural childbirth
