Effect of Maneevej Sitting Position Technique on Labour Pain Level, Duration Time of Delivery and Blood Loss in Normal Labour

Abstract

Postpartum haemorrhage is a leading cause of maternal mortality. Maneevej technique is one of the disciplines of alternative medicine that used the maneuver of Maneevej sitting position technique during the time of labour. The objective of this study was to compare pain level mean, duration time of labor, the mean of blood loss in labor and postpartum hemorrhage between normal labour with normal rest versus Maneevej sitting position technique. It was conducted as a multicenter study with quasi-experimental design. The samples consisted of 620 normal late pregnant women receiving delivery services at 5 hospitals in Phetchabun province: Phetchabun, Lomsak, Lomkaew, Srithep and Bungsampun. The samples were divided into 2 groups, 310 each. The control group was managed by having a normal rest and the experimental group was resting with Maneevej sitting position. The research tools included pain scale, body balance, Maneevej sitting position manual, and data record form. Data were analyzed by percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, Chi-square and logistic regression. Significance level was set at 0.05. It was found that the Maneevej sitting position technique group had lower labour pain and had less time duration of delivery than the normal rest group up to 3.1 hours, 2.5 minutes and 0.8 minutes in the stage 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p<0.05). Importantly, the Maneevej sitting position technique group indicated significantly less blood loss than the control, up to 71.4 ml (p<0.05). A one minute increase in the third stage of labour increased the chance of hemorrhage after delivery 1 time. A one gram increase in birth weight of newborn also increased the chance of hemorrhage after delivery 1 time. Thus, Maneevej sitting position technique reduced the chance of postpartum hemorrhage by 68.5%. In conclusion, applying the Maneevej sitting position technique in normal delivery could reduce labour pain, enhance the cervix dilatation, reduce the duration time of labour and, consequently, reduce the amount of blood loss and the rate of postpartum hemorrhage. Therefore, the use of Maneevej sitting position technique should be advocated for normal labours in all health care facilities.