Ankle-Support Childbirth Aid for Stable Squatting Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prolonged childbirth due to inadequate support and incorrect birthing positions, leading to increased risk of maternal and fetal complications, pain, and the need for cesarean sections, as most women find it difficult to maintain the squatting position required for efficient delivery.
Innovation Solution
A childbirth aid with ankle-supporting blocks and a base panel that maintains the body center of gravity aligned with the feet' fulcrum, incorporating a safety mirror or anti-collision elastic net for enhanced stability and visibility during squatting, allowing for a more upright birthing position that expands the pelvic inlet and outlet, reducing physical exertion and labor duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pregnant women give birth in squatting position, then delivery process is accelerated and pelvic outlet is expanded, but body equilibrium becomes unstable and difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The childbirth aid device serves as an intermediary between the pregnant woman's body and the ground. The base panel with ankle-supporting blocks provides a stable platform that mediates the squatting position, allowing the woman to maintain equilibrium while benefiting from the expanded pelvic outlet and accelerated delivery process.
Solution Approach 2:
The device creates an idealized version of the squatting position by providing pre-configured ankle support at the correct height and angle. This copied or replicated optimal posture eliminates the difficulty of maintaining balance while preserving the physiological benefits of squatting during childbirth.
2Productivity
If pregnant women maintain upright squatting position, then pelvic inlet and outlet are expanded, but leg muscle load increases and causes discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The ankle-supporting blocks provide counterweight support to the woman's ankles, offsetting the load that would otherwise be borne entirely by the leg muscles. This mechanical support system counteracts the harmful effect of muscle fatigue while maintaining the beneficial upright squatting position for expanded pelvic dimensions.
3Duration of action of moving object
If body center of gravity is not aligned with feet fulcrum, then squatting position cannot be maintained, but delivery process is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary action by pre-positioning the ankle-supporting blocks at the optimal height and location before the woman assumes the squatting position. This preliminary setup ensures that when the woman places her ankles on the blocks, her center of gravity is automatically aligned with the feet fulcrum, making position maintenance easy and prolonging the ability to sustain the beneficial squatting posture throughout delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
A childbirth aid includes a base panel, two ankle-supporting blocks bilaterally located at a top wall of the base panel for supporting the ankles of a pregnant woman to keep the body center of gravity of the pregnant woman in line with the fulcrum of the mechanism of each foot of the pregnant woman, each ankle-supporting block having a planar top surface and an inclined surface downwardly extended from the planar top surface to the top wall of the base panel, and a gap defined between the two ankle-supporting blocks for the mounting of a safety mirror or anti-collision elastic net selectively in a detachable manner.