Maybe you’ve always assumed that you’d birth your baby lying on your back with your feet in stirrups. Rachel Green did it, so why wouldn’t you?!
Because it is actually not the most ideal position for physiological birth!
This is true for a number of reasons, but the two biggest are because it inhibits sacral mobility and increases length of pushing time. No one wants to push longer than they have to, am I right? So here are a few REAL LIFE birthing positions, as modeled by some of my wonderful clients.
All Fours
This seems to be one of the most common positions I see in physiologic births. It can feel very relieving, especially if you're experiencing back labor.
Benefits of All Fours in labor:
✨ Allows you to do pelvic tilts as needed.
✨ Allows your partner or Doula to offer massage, hip squeezes, light touch massage, etc.
✨ Gives your legs a break if you've been standing a lot.
✨ Can be done on the floor, in the bed, in the tub, in the shower, with a birth ball, or with a chair!
✨ Prevents uncomfortable pressure on your sacrum.
✨ You can birth your baby in this position!
Dancing
Hands down my favorite birthing position. There are SEVERAL benefits of dancing in pregnancy and in labor. Here are a few:
✨ Releases oxytocin and endorphins - the hormones that progress labor and minimize pain! This has been scientifically proven time and time again.
✨ Opens your pelvic ligaments and muscles.
✨ Encourages baby to move down.
✨ Distracts you from focusing on discomfort.
✨ Reduces technological and medical interventions.
✨ Reduces chance of emergency cesareans.
✨ Shortens overall labor time.
✨ Allows for bonding with baby and partner.
Lunges
Lunges are a labor POWER MOVE! They are an active position with many benefits including:
✨ Opening your pelvis by releasing pelvic muscles and ligaments.
✨ Encouraging baby to move down.
✨ Can help an OP (Occiput Posterior) or Asynclitic baby turn or descend.
✨ Can encourage labor to kick into gear.
✨ Creating connection and intimacy for birthing person and their partner.
Side Lying
Side lying is a wonderful resting position! It can be done with pillows or a peanut ball between the legs to help open the pelvis. Here are some benefits of side lying:
✨ REST! Not many positions in labor can accommodate rest, but this is one of them.
✨ Can be done with an epidural.
✨ Allows a trained birth worker to perform a side lying release, minimizing tension and pain.
✨ Using the peanut ball can create a nice asymmetric position in the pelvis, giving the baby the opportunity to turn or descend as needed.
✨ You can give birth in this position!
Supported Seat
This is a great resting position that can still work wonders in your labor. I'm a BIG fan of doing this on the toilet, but you can also do it on a birthing ball, a birth stool, or on a chair. Some benefits include:
✨ Opens your pelvis.
✨ Doing it on the toilet REALLY relaxes your pelvic floor.
✨ Allows for connection and bonding with your partner, which increases endorphins and minimizes pain.
✨ Gives your legs a chance to rest.
✨ The forward lean can reduce back pain.
✨ Gives space for a second support person to do light touch massage or other body work.
Leaning/Squat
I put these together because they often go hand-in-hand. Leaning is a very intuitive birthing position (it's a natural way to cope with discomfort), and when you add in some squats during the surge, you can get some really effective work done!
The leaning tends to happen in between surges to rest, then squats happen during the surge. You can also just lean through the surges, but if you feel up to squatting, there are MANY benefits!
Birthing Tub
This is definitely a fan favorite across the board. I call this a "position", but you can do most of the previous positions I posted IN THE TUB! So, what are the benefits of laboring/birthing in the tub?
✨ Warm water reduces pain.
✨ Increases relaxation and beneficial blood flow to the uterus and baby.
✨ Reduces the uncomfortable effects of gravity.
✨ Allows your tissues to be more supple, reducing the risk of tearing.
✨ Shortens overall labor time.
✨ Reduces risk of unnecessary interventions.
✨ Is a gentle way for baby to enter the world.
✨ Basically makes you a mermaid.