TPM ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT

FUNDAL PRESSURE (Kristeller Manoeuvre)

‘There is an unspoken, unacknowledged routine practice haunting delivery rooms across the world. One that leaves women feeling like failures, ignored and abused’. 1/5

@indiemidwife

‘Fundal pressure, far from any demonstrable good, is doing harm, not only with the potential physical side effects, but with the long-lasting psychological impact of a painful and unnecessary intervention performed often without permission’. 2/5

‘Colombia. Brazil. The US. India. Germany. Spain. Mexico. Russia. Bosnia. Iran. Kenya. Italy. France. Sweden. Uganda.
The list of countries is seemingly endless. South Africa. The Philippines. Latvia. Indonesia. Tanzania. Ghana’. 3/5

‘Every few hours a new story of obstetric violence and trauma, all related to one, almost global, unnecessary childbirth intervention: fundal pressure. The anger and sadness from women who have experienced it is palpable, still affecting them many years after it happened’. 4/5

‘The extent of this has largely been unrecognised, (except one paper) but when Norwegian birth photographer Eva Rose travelled to document birth in Ethiopia, and posted two images of midwives performing fundal pressure, messages started pouring in’. https://www.all4maternity.com/global-perspectives-maternity-care-and-practices-in-ethiopia/ 5/5