Movement has many benefits for the laboring mother. Changing positions can help alleviate discomfort and pain during labor. It allows the laboring mother to find a position that feels most comfortable and helps her cope with the intensity of contractions. Movement and different positions can help with the progression of labor, as it can encourage the baby to move down onto the cervix and into the birth canal to stimulate contractions. Changing positions throughout labor can help the baby navigate the birth canal and can increase the likelihood of a vaginal birth. Moving positions can help the mother feel more in control of her body and the birthing process, which can lead to increased feelings of empowerment and confidence.
Mothers instinctively move, sway, squat, and change position to help baby navigate. What does this actually look like at the birth center? It means very little time is spent in bed, unless resting positions are needed to help prevent too much exhaustion. Here are some of our favorite moves for labor.
WALKING:
Walking in early labor, up and down stairs, or “curb walking” can be helpful in getting contractions to become more regular and increase in intensity. The gentle bounce of mother’s body can help baby get into a better position for labor and birth. Walking outside can bring a much-needed breath of fresh air or a change of scenery, especially during a long labor. Many times, labor happens during the night and the quiet, late-night or misty, early morning walks are rejuvenating.
STANDING/SWAYING:
Standing and gently swaying side-to-side can help ease the pain and pressure of contractions while encouraging the baby to descend. Swaying can help a laboring mother relax the muscles in the hips and pelvis. Being held and supported by a partner can increase oxytocin (a.k.a. the love AND labor hormone), promotes partner bonding, and helps to have a more efficient birth.
UTILIZING THE BIRTH BALL:
Sitting on a “birth” ball is one of the most popular positions for our laboring mothers. Many of them have found relief from hip and back pain by using exercise balls during pregnancy and sitting on the ball in labor is comforting and familiar. Swaying side-to-side, in circles, or rotating the hips in “figure-eights” can help baby navigate the pelvis. Sitting on the birth ball maintains the upright position but allows mother to rest her legs. Gentle bouncing can be a welcome distraction from the surges of contractions, too.
FORWARD-LEANING POSITIONS:
Leaning forward on a surface, such as a bed, chair or counter, can help take pressure off the lower back and provide a sense of stability. Leaning into the labor sling helps with back pressure and allows for support and movement during contractions. Leaning forward during contractions allows for a support person or doula to provide massage, counter-pressure, or hip squeezes.
HANDS & KNEES:
Hands and knees position or kneeling can help relieve back pain and can encourage the baby to rotate into an optimal position for birth using gravity to assist. Similar to leaning, this position is very helpful for moving a posterior baby. This position is most comfortably done on the bed. Yoga mats can help provide comfort for the hands and knees while in this position on the floor and folded bath towels can help while mother is in the water. In this position, a “rebozo” can be used to gently “sift” baby into a more favorable position or take the weight off mother’s back for a short time. This position can also be an excellent position for pushing.
SQUATTING:
Squatting can help widen the pelvic outlet and make more room for the baby to move down. This position can be free-standing or supported on a birth stool or labor sling.
BIRTH STOOL & TOILET:
Sitting on a birth stool or toilet can help take pressure off the lower back and can provide a sense of grounding. Often referred to as “the labor station,” the toilet is an excellent, quiet, place of “natural release”. (Mothers have been relaxing and “releasing” there since childhood.) Sitting backward on the toilet and using a pillow can help mothers find a little rest between contractions. Yoga blocks or a squatty potty can also help to achieve a more squatting position on the toilet, too.
SIDE-LYING POSITIONS:
Lying on the side is a great position for tired mothers to catch short naps between contractions. Although it sounds impossible to sleep in labor, mothers who have been awake for a long time can fall asleep and start snoring within a few seconds of her contraction ending.
Using a peanut ball in this position helps to keep the pelvis open and, along with mother resting and relaxing, it is a favorable combination to help a posterior baby to rotate and allow baby to move through the pelvis. The midwives will help the mother alternate sides, about every 30 minutes, to encourage baby to move.
A side-lying position can help alleviate back pain and reduce pressure or swelling on the cervix. Side-lying in a comfortable bed with pillows to prop up the heavy, laboring belly, can help restore mother’s energy, alleviate the premature urge to push, and allow mother’s body to “labor baby down”… all of which can shorten the pushing phase of labor! Side-lying can also be an excellent position for pushing!
WATER IMMERSION:
Sitting or leaning in a warm bath (or shower, if still at home) can help relax the body and ease pain. The labor tub is sometimes referred to as an “aqua-doula”, the relief of getting in warm water can lessen the intensity of contractions. As labor progresses towards transition, many mothers find relief in the water. Getting in a warm bath can help ease sore, tired muscles and make the pregnant belly weightless. The labor tub can cause contractions to space out and decrease in intensity for a short time, which might be beneficial for a very exhausted mother. Many labor positions can be modified and done in the tub, too. If labor is progressing well, mother and baby are doing well, and the mother can effectively push while in the tub, baby can also be born in the water!
Midwives at the birth center use a doppler for intermittent monitoring of baby’s heart rate throughout labor. Movement, eating, and drinking are not just “allowed” but highly ENCOURAGED!!
If this sounds like the birth experience you would prefer, call 210-725-0428 to schedule your birth center tour and meeting with a midwife.