Movement
birth is a dance between you, your body and your baby
You have every right to move during birth.
Move
Birth is often portrayed dramatically on television—women rushing to hospitals in a panic with water streaming down their legs - cut to two minutes later and they’re lying flat on their backs, faces contorted in pain, screaming they can’t do this, as the birth attendants all yell, “push”!
It’s no wonder that people are scared to give birth! It looks excruciating! While, there are a number of things wrong with this picture, what if I told you that working against your body’s natural physiology could be a contributing factor to this pain? The reality is that the baby needs to move downward during birth, so why are we often encouraged to lie flat on our backs?
The Subtle Influence of Environment
The design of most hospital rooms subtly encourages women to adopt a prone position. With hospital beds front and centre, even if there is no explicit suggestion to lie down, the environment suggests that this is the "right" position for labour.
This raises an important question: why does the position of a birthing person matter?
First, it comes down to the Logic of Movement.
First and foremost, consider the direction a baby must take to be born. The path to delivery isn't a straight shot; it's a dynamic journey requiring the baby to twist and maneuver through varying circumferences of hard and soft tissues. This process is best facilitated when there isn’t significant resistance from tissues along the way. Lying on your back can create those very blocks, hindering the natural progression of labour. Research indicates that giving birth in a supine (lying down) position can also be more painful.
More from the evidence: A recent study from the Canadian Hospitals Maternity Policies and Practices Survey (CHMPPS) indicates that most Canadian hospitals (71%) permit women to select their own birthing positions. Nevertheless, data from the Maternity Experiences Survey, which shows what women are actually experiencing when they give birth in hospital, we see that almost half (48%) of women who had a vaginal birth did so in a flat-lying position, and 36% used stirrups during the delivery. (source)
Then, we have the Physiology of the Birthing Body.
Lying on your back can restrict movement in the sacrum and tailbone, hindering the body’s ability to flex and open up for the baby’s head. You see, throughout pregnancy the body is pumped full of hormones which aid in relaxing the soft tissues in and around the pelvis to promote flexibility and expansion for not just the growth of the baby but to open the path the baby has to go to birth. The inlet and outlet of the pelvis are also not easily measurable. These are important factors when considering misconceptions around Cephalopelvic Disproportion (CPD), the diagnosis of a baby’s head being too big for the birthing person’s pelvis. True CPD is rare, yet many pregnant individuals receive this misdiagnosis leading up to birth or during resting labours. Baby’s head and the birthing body are designed to facilitate birth in various anatomical and physiological ways.
And finally, there’s the Baby’s Journey.
The anatomy of a baby's head plays a critical role in birth as well. Babies are born with heads made up of flexible plates that can move and change shape as they navigate through the pelvis and vagina. Interestingly, their head molds to the circumference of the surroundings and can change based on the position they enter the birth path. For instance, when a baby is in a posterior position, it might present a larger head circumference. If a birthing person is lying on their back, gravity can also pull the baby into a less favourable position, complicating the birth. It's essential to understand that mobility in the pelvis and the angle of the baby can significantly influence the birthing process.
The good news is that there are various exercises and techniques to enhance pelvic mobility before and during labour (check out www.spinningbabies.com/ for some examples). Increasing this mobility can create more space, allowing for a successful vaginal birth, even with a larger baby.
A simple acronym to help you in choosing your optimal birthing position is UFO, Upright, Forward, and Open*.
Upright: By being upright, you can utilize gravity to assist in the birthing process.
Forward: Leaning forward guides the baby through the pelvis
Open: An open and unrestricted pelvic outlet allows for the necessary movement of the tailbone and sacrum during delivery.
*original source unknown
But the most important thing is, you gotta find what works for you and your baby!
And sometimes, this means lying on your back. You certainly don’t have to stand for the entirety of your labour and what feels right in the moment for you should always take precedence over any other opinion! Semi-reclined positions—propped up with pillows—or side-lying positions, where your legs rest against a peanut ball, can also be beneficial if you need to rest. The key is to remember that it’s about finding positions that help the baby move down and through the birth path and to trust your instincts wherever they lead you. Birth is a dynamic process, like a dance between you and your baby, what works in one moment may not be what works in another. Feel free to move and see where it takes you.
So, why is the bed there?
Despite all the evidence, why are hospital beds still the predominant furniture in birthing rooms? Historically, this trend arose from the preferences of attending physicians alongside an increase in medical interventions during birth. A stationary pelvis at an eye level is easier to monitor and manage during examinations and interventions. This trend prioritizes convenience for the care provider over the comfort of the birthing person.
However, the National Guidelines for Care During Labour and Birth from the Public Health Agency of Canada emphasize that birthing individuals should have the freedom to move and push in their preferred positions—not merely those preferred by the care providers.
What should you take from this?
Understanding the importance of movement during labour can empower birthing individuals to make informed choices about their bodies and their birthing experiences. It's crucial to challenge the traditional norms that might not align with the natural physiology of birth. After all, your birthing experience should be about trusting your body and finding the positions that work best for you and your baby.
movement is not just a right; it's a vital part of the journey to bringing new life into the world.
In my program, I show you 20 positions for you to use throughout different phases of labour and birth, along with visualizations and self-hypnosis to help prepare the stage of the mind and physical exercises to strengthen the body to facilitate easier movement. Through the 5-week process, you’ll gain a deeper connection to your baby and your body, so following instincts during birth becomes easier.