Neonatal and maternal outcome of small‐for‐gestational‐age neonates delivered by vacuum‐assisted delivery

Objective To evaluate the association between neonatal weight centile and neonatal and maternal morbidity following vacuum‐assisted delivery (VAD) among term nulliparous women. Methods A retrospective cohort study of all nulliparous women who delivered at term by VAD between 2011 and 2019. Deliveries were allocated into two groups and compared: (1) delivery of an small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) neonate, and (2) delivery of an appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age (AGA) neonate. Results Overall, 3116 women were included in the study; 2878 (92.4%) were AGA and 163 (5.2%) were SGA and comprised the study groups. Neonatal and maternal adverse outcomes did not vary between groups. Rates of composite neonatal adverse outcome for SGA and AGA neonates were 26 (16.0%) versus 462 (16.1%), respectively (P = 0.972). Duration of the second stage of labor and rate of prolonged second stage were significantly lower among the SGA group compared with the AGA group (P