1. In the last month of pregnancy pregnant women find it easier than a chair or couch to get up and down from.
2. It encourages pelvic mobility.
3. It allows the mother the freedom to rock her pelvis, change her position and shift her weight for comfort.
4. It encourages fetal descent as the mother remains sitting in an upright posture taking advantage of gravity
5. Sitting on the ball helps keep the fetus well aligned in the pelvis.
6. The ball encourages pelvic relaxation by conforming to the mother's body similar to a water mattress as it provides perineal support without undue pressure.
7. Sitting on warm compresses on the ball will maximize perineal relaxation.
8. Sitting on the ball encourages rhythmic movement as the mother sways or rocks back and forth while sitting on the ball.
9. Sitting on the ball while leaning over the bed gives the mother the pelvic mobility that she is unable to have while sitting on a chair.
10. Less strain on the hands and arms when mother is in the hands and knees position.
11. Eliminates hard external pressure of a chair, bed or rocker when sitting.
12. May speedup labor.
13. Can be used as a support while squatting so that the ball presses on the fundus to encourage fetal descent. Squatting helps widen pelvic outlet to its maximum.
14. Its use is beneficial with techniques for "failure to progress".
15. Ball use is also helpful for strengthening lower back for those with chronic back pain.

Ball use can also strengthen abdominal muscles used in second stage.

Use in Back Labor or Persistent Posterior Fetal Position

1. Having the mother lean over the ball while on her hands and knees gives her good pelvic mobility as well as uses gravity to encourage the largest and heaviest part of the baby's body to rotate.
2. Kneeling and leaning over the ball assists in rotation of the baby to the anterior.
3. As the mother's weight is totally supported by the birth ball, she is able to stay in the critical hands and knees position for an extended length of time. Normally the mother is only able to maintain this position for a short interval as it causes carpal tunnel syndrome by putting excess strain on her wrists and hands and is tiring as she must support her entire body weight.
4. The use of the ball has saved more than a few mothers from a cesarean section for failure to progress.
5. It is easier for someone to do counter pressure for the mother for her back pain while in the hands and knees position over the ball.