Today is the last day of the World Week of Respected Childbirth, and I wanted to share with you a campaign that I consider of great interest for pregnant women.
It has been promoted a few months ago by El Parto es Nuestro (EPEN), and aims to expose the serious risks that the Kristeller maneuver has for the mother and the baby during childbirth. What is the Kristeller maneuver? is about the pressure exerted at the bottom of the uterus with the fists or forearm, coinciding with a contraction and the mother's bid. It is a technique that is frequently practiced in Spanish hospitals, despite being banned in countries such as Germany and Great Britain, and that it is listed as “not recommended” by the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Under the motto Stop Kristeller: a matter of gravity The campaign aims to raise awareness in society in general, and in particular future mothers and health workers, of major injuries that this maneuver can cause. Injuries to the pregnant woman, such as hemorrhages, uterine rupture or rib fracture and injuries to the baby, such as hypoxia, various fractures, internal organ injuries and Erb's palsy.
Even today the Kristeller maneuver is frequently used in Spanish hospitals in order to accelerate the phase of labor delivery. This is already reason enough to alarm us, as WHO classifies it among those that should be used with caution because there is no evidence to confirm its usefulness.
Kristeller's maneuver is known as 'invisible maneuver', because very rarely he realizes his practice in medical records. However, according to data from the Ministry of Health and after surveying hundreds of women, it was concluded that at least 26% of births this maneuver is used.
From the beginning of the campaign, information leaflets are being distributed and letters are sent to hospitals throughout the country. You have much more extended information on the EPEN website, which also includes a sample letter to present complaints and claims in the event that you have practiced this maneuver.
Campaign Site | Stop Kristeller, a matter of gravity More information | EPEN Blog In Peques and More | 'The birth and the economy' as the motto of the World Week of Respected Childbirth
