The use of the swiss ball in labor: producing knowledge through the Instagram

Abstract

In Brazilian society, in recent years, women's social movements and government initiatives have increased natural childbirth in public and private institutions. In this context, obstetric nursing care technologies are implemented to promote pain relief for women during labor, including the Swiss ball. However, in professional experience, it is clear that the population is unaware of its use, benefits and possibilities, considering that the Swiss ball is only presented when women are in labor. Thus, the objective was to exchange knowledge to clarify the use of the Swiss ball by women in labor. It is based that activities carried out on the internet presuppose: knowledge about the other; reciprocal and sporadic collaboration; solidarity sharing of activities and resources and trust association, through an agreement to share objectives. Therefore, the method chosen was a digital communication channel, Instagram, @universodaobstetricia, created on April 14, 2020, shared with 2,025 female internet users who voluntarily interacted with the creator in: forums, conversation circles, polls, quizzes and educational posts. Among the results obtained: 149 women know that the Swiss ball is recommended by Rede Cegonha, but 119 do not know this fact; 75 women learned about the use of the Swiss ball through social media, while 33 women only found out about its use on the day of birth. However, 119 women expressed that they were not aware that the Swiss ball is recommended as a “good practice” of care in obstetric care. It is concluded that the exchange of knowledge is an essential tool for the conscious choice of shared care during labor and that it is necessary for health professionals to develop creative, innovative and bold pedagogical initiatives to strengthen the interface between communication, science and society.