When Olivia was about to give birth to her second child, she had explicitly said that it was not to be done with any kind of forced expulsion. Despite that, she was subjected to a procedure during childbirth called external pressure. It is a controversial form of forced expulsion of the child that should be used very restrictively due to the risk of injury.
– The midwife leans over me, puts her arm on my stomach and then puts her whole body weight on me. It hurts terribly. And besides, I knew what she was doing, says Oliva.
Both she and the child were injured, but she was given no explanation as to why the procedure was performed.
“There was no indication of external pressure. It is completely unclear why this intervention was used,” one can read in an investigation by the regions’ insurance company.
“Wakes me up at night”
The incident happened five years ago and now Olivia wants to have it legally tried.
– It’s a physical trauma that sits in the muscle memory and that occasionally still wakes me up at night, says Olivia.
Skåne University Hospital answers
In a written comment to TV4 Nyheterna, Skåne University Hospital writes that the principle of informed consent in care is important and that “health care must be designed in consultation with the patient as far as possible”. On the other hand, it declines to comment on Olivia’s lawsuit, citing that the case “must have its way”.
In the player above: “One must not be exposed to care without consent”– Olivia’s legal representative tells more about the case.