RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: In most of Africa's birthing units, women are often forbidden to stand during labour and delivery. This study aimed to determine the effect of a freely vertical position (standing,sitting, crouching) compared with the traditional supine position on the course of delivery and on perinatal and maternal outcomes(including the satisfaction level of mothers).Methods: We compared a group of 490 women who chose to deliver in a freely vertical position with 490 women who delivered in a traditional position, at the Hopital de Ia mere et de l'enfant Lagune of Cotonou, from January 1, 2009, to December 31,2011. Variables studied include length of labour, type of delivery,frequency of episiotomy, fetal and neonatal well-being indices(fetal heart rate, Apgar score, resuscitation), and postnatal maternal outcomes (perineal tears, hemorrhagic complications),including maternal satisfaction. Descriptive analysis includes comparisons between those two groups.Results: Both groups had similar maternal (25 years old) and gestational (39 weeks) ages. The "Choice of position" group had a greater number of nulliparous women (53% vs. 40%,P < 0.001) and a higher educational level (high-school diploma and postgraduate training: 77.5% vs. 45.1 %; P < 0.001 ). The average length of the active phase was shortened by 20 minutes in women who freely chose their delivery position (P < 0.01 ).Moreover, these women experienced spontaneous delivery in higher numbers, with 10 times fewer assisted deliveries (0.4%vs. 4.3%; P < 0.01) and two times fewer episiotomy interventions(3.5% vs. 8.0%; P < 0.01) than their counterparts. When women freely choose their delivery position, there are close to three times fewer cases of fetal heart rate anomalies and meconium liquor (2.9% vs. 8.9%; P < 0.01 and 0.4% vs. 1.4%; P < 0.01 ).Perineal and cervical tears are rare and occur in similar numbers in both groups, and the same can be said of cases of postpartum hemorrhage. The number of satisfied mothers is higher in the"Choice of position" group (87.0% vs. 61.2%; P < 0.01 ).Conclusion: The choice of a freely vertical position seems to be an efficient and safe option during labour and delivery, and is more satisfying for mothers.
