02 February 2016 02 Feb 2016

Using the Valsalva technique during the second stage of labour

The Valsalva technique of directed pushing during the second stage of labour is a childbirth intervention that has long been common practice in Western culture (Petersen and Besuner, 1997; O'Connell et al, 2001; Cooke, 2010) This intervention is often highlighted as an example of how some health professionals continue to attempt to override the physiological elements of childbirth by using practices that are no longer evidence-based (Perez-Botella and Downe, 2006)