Expecting Mothers Can Rehearse Childbirth With ‘Virtual Birthing Simulator’

British scientists are building software that would help doctors and midwives prepare beforehand for complicated births.

'Virtual Birthing Simulator' will collect information of the expecting mother's body and the position of the fetus. This will make it easier for the doctors to be prepared for any eventualities during the birth process.

"We are creating a forward engineered simulation of childbirth using 3D graphics to simulate the sequence of movements as a baby descends through the pelvis during labour. Users will be able to input key anatomical data - such as the size and shape of the mother's pelvis, and the baby's head and torso. By doing this you will be able to set different bespoke scenarios for both the mother and baby," lead researchers Dr Rudy Lapeer from UEA's school of Computing Sciences, said in a press release.

According to the researchers, the software, with the help of ultra-sound data will generate a geometric model of the baby's skull and body in 3D graphics. It will also re-create the graphical image of the mother's body and pelvis.

Further, the software programmers will also consider the mother's push during the labor. They will create a virtual midwife's hand that will interact with the baby's head, the researchers stated.

"Because this programme is patient-specific, doctors and midwives will be able to see how a birth may take place before it has happened on a case-by-case basis. For example, you would be able to see if a baby's shoulders will get stuck," said Dr Lapeer, who presented the research at the International Conference on E-Health and Bioengineering in Iasi, Romania.

"We hope that this could help to avoid complicated births altogether by guiding people in the medical profession to advise on caesarean sections where necessary," he explained.

The study was presented at the 4th IEEE International Conference on E-Health and Bioengineering on November 22.