Positioning is a big thing I focus on during prenatal meetings with clients, because it’s so important to the outcome of their birth experience. The four basic positions you can take during labor are lying down, sitting down, squatting, or standing – with several variations of each position, of course. Now if you’ve watched any movies or TV shows that depict birth in the last few decades, chances are you’re most familiar with lying or reclined positions. And really, most OBs will instruct a birther to get into a reclined position at least for the pushing phase, simply because that’s the easiest way for the doctor to catch the baby. And if you’re comfortable with that position, great! But it’s important to know that you have options, and that lying down might not be the most productive one.
Sitting, squatting, kneeling, standing are all beneficial for labor and pushing. I like to practice several of these positions with clients ahead of time, and then continue to make suggestions about position during birth. Recently, I was at a birth where the benefits of upright position were more obvious than I’ve ever seen them. The birther had already had an incredibly long labor, but was still determined to birth her baby without an epidural. She had been in many positions over the hours, and as it came time to push, we found that if she lay down on the bed, her contractions slowed to 6-7 minutes apart. On the other hand, if she stood and leaned on the bed, contractions were about 2 minutes apart and much more productive. We were able to use this difference to our advantage – when she got tired, she simply lay down, knowing that she would get a little break in the frequency and intensity of contractions, and when she was ready to make more progress, she stood back up.
So, what are some of the other benefits of laboring and pushing in an upright position? This list is certainly not exhaustive, but gives you a good idea of why you may want to be well-versed in the options you have for labor positions.
Benefits of Upright Birthing Positions
- Assistance from gravity – babies need to move down!
- Opens up pelvis and hips, allowing baby more room to rotate to an optimal position
- Can help alleviate pain from back labor
- Baby less likely to experience distress
- Lower episiotomy rates reported in upright birthers
- Shorter, more productive contractions, which can lead to a shorter labor
As always, if you have any questions on any of this, feel free to reach out to me!