Appliance for use in supporting a woman during the first stage of labour
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Solution Overview
Problem
Women in labor face challenges such as prolonged labor, pain, tiredness, and difficulty in physically supporting themselves during the first stage, making it hard to remain upright and mobilize, which complicates the fetal descent through the pelvic bones.
Innovation Solution
A supportive appliance with a seat, horizontal ledge, and retractable footrests that allows a woman to sit comfortably with her pelvis in an open, upright position, reducing the Angle of Inclination and enhancing 'Fetal Axis Pressure' for easier fetal descent, featuring a seat portion, a ledge at shoulder height, and swiveling castor wheels for mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a woman remains upright and mobilizes during the first stage of labour, then fetal descent through the pelvic bones is facilitated, but the woman experiences physical exhaustion and difficulty in supporting herself due to pain and tiredness
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance serves as an intermediary support structure between the woman and the ground. It provides a stable seating platform with backrest and footrest that enables the woman to maintain an upright position without expending physical energy, thereby facilitating fetal descent while eliminating the need for self-support during contractions
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance is designed to be self-supporting through its rigid frame structure, eliminating the need for human intervention or additional support. The structure inherently maintains the woman in the optimal upright position throughout labour without requiring adjustment or active participation from the woman
2Loss of time
If the woman remains mobile and upright during labour, then the labor process is accelerated, but the woman experiences increased pain and tiredness
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance's backrest and seat structure provide counter-support to the woman's body weight during contractions. This mechanical support counteracts the forces that would otherwise cause pain and exhaustion, allowing her to remain upright and mobile throughout the labour process without experiencing increased discomfort
3Ease of operation
If traditional birthing positions are used, then the woman can rest, but the Angle of Inclination of the pelvis is increased making fetal descent more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance is designed with specific geometric parameters - the seat angle and backrest inclination are carefully configured to reduce the Angle of Inclination of the pelvic brim to between 20-30 degrees. This parameter optimization simultaneously achieves both comfort for the woman and optimal conditions for fetal descent through the pelvis
Data Source
AI summary
An appliance for use in supporting a woman during the first stage of labor including: a seat portion; a generally horizontal ledge portion is located at a height which is higher than the seat portion and extends across the width of the seat portion; a footrest is located at either side of the ledge portion; and wherein the footrests are located beneath the ledge portion.