Birth stool--so how *do* you sit on this thing?

[AllyRae]

I just got my birthing stool from birthwithsol.com and it's huge! I'm only 5' tall, so maybe that's the problem--I can't sit on this thing without either spreading my legs into the splits or sitting with my tailbone on the chair--probably not what's supposed to happen. So, does anyone have any pictures of how I'm *actually* supposed to be sitting on this thing? Am I supposed to be doing the splits? LOL!!

[morninglark]

Now, my memory is pretty hazy, but when I birthed on the birthing stool my legs were spread very wide. As they would be if you were squatting, on your back, etc. I think my tailbone was also sitting on the back. DH was behind me supporting my back. I am also 5 ft. I don't know if they come in different sizes.

[AllyRae]

LOL, splits it is then! LOL! (I knew those years of cheerleading and dance would come in handy... :LOL ) Of course, my 21 month old just tried to show me how to sit on it--it was rather amusing to see this little 33" kid try to sit on it! :LOL

[momto l&a]

I tried out 2 differant sizes and they where the most uncomfortable things IMO. Always wondered if woman really used them.

But then again even sitting on a toilet hurts me, my tail bone and just the postion of my hips.

[LoveChild421]

I remember the one my midwife brought being incredibly uncomfortable...but it worked!

[anonymommy]

I think they're horrible. I was totally on my tailbone and my midwife didn't give a shit about my objections to it. I think they're physiologically awful & almost 2 years after that damn birth stool rape, I still can't sit on the toilet because of all the damage forced pushing while being physically restrained on that torture device with my baby way up high did. Swear to you I want to bash those things to pieces. Maybe if you are spontaneously pushing with your body and it's time to birth, it might be acceptable, but I can't imagine such a thing being desireable. If you want that, why not use the toilet? I think you should have some weight on your feet -- possible, except when you're being physically restrained being pulled upright and backwards with a midwife between your legs. What an instrument of control by others. If you are birthing and your body tells you to use it, go for it. But if your body says no, people better let you off.

[AllyRae]

Oh wow...I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience with the stool. That sounds awful...

I didn't really get it to birth on (with my first, I had a 3rd degree tear and then an episiotomy on top of it--I still have a ton of scar tissue. Birthing on it seems risky). However, his head didn't descend at all, so I'm going to just be sitting on it during labor (and before) if I feel the need to just open the pelvis more than I can sitting on my birth ball (which I do all day) or squatting (which I do when I'm playing with ds). My monitrice isn't comfortable with me actually pushing on it--she said it's just the last resort if we have another baby who does not come down....

[Breathless Wonder]

I found this picture:
http://www.birthwithsol.com/birthstool1.html

if this is how you are supposed to use it, then the midwives that attended my birth had me using it all wrong.

I'm with those above that *HATED* *LOATHED* and *DESPISED* the birth stool. It was incredibly uncomfortable, as was the sitting on the toilet that the midwives demanded.

[WinterBaby]

I used a birth stool of this style - deBy birth stool and I'll certainly say a toilet seat would have been more comfortable, should my bathroom have been so accommodating, hehe. It bit sharply into my legs. It wasn't really so much for.. sitting on I guess. A narrow rim and low on the padding sorta discourages lounging long, heh. But - that kept a lot of weight on my feet and I certainly wasn't on my tailbone. I noticed this less as things went along. I actually used it much like those pictures with the birth sol chair during many contractions come to think of it. There certainly were more comfortable places to be maybe, but after 30 hours it was too extraneously tiring to stay standing, squat or even keep getting up and down - and I think baby girl was needing some verticleness to help her position. That all said, I'm really glad I had that birth stool - I think it worked great for me and I'm wondering how the heck to have one available for my next birth.

*edited to add that I checked my birth pictures, but none I've online even approach decent My legs were spread about as the woman's in the link above are though most often, but sometimes falling apart wider.

[Mackenzie]

Mine did not look like either one of those. it had a back and was leaned back just a little bit. I the one my midwife had. But yes, your legs do have to be open wide. How else will the little bugger squirm out?

[MamaTaraX]

I didn't see any pictures of anyone sitting on the stool in the first link (birth with sol). THe 2nd (ebayone) has better in-use pics. My MW has one, now sure exactly what kind. I don't think I'll use itunlessit's differnent than either of the ones people have linked. I'll try to explain this, though I probably won't do well: I've been squatting for a long time. Should I use a birth stool, what I would want is something that would help me to achieve a very deep squat. My mattresses siton the floor, the wood of the bed around it,making a slight ledge (just enough to get a toddler-sized foot on to hoist self onto bed...mytoddler doesthis) Anyway, if I sit on the wood, just my tailbone is there and I'm in a very deep squat. It's perfect, my back is supported by the bed but a person could replace that. That's what I'd want a birth stool to help me do.

edit: tried to find a good picture of the deep squat that I'mtrying to describe...where you're perineum is basically on the ground, couldn't find any. Well,I found some, but they're on a porn site unfortunately and I don'tthink I can link those. Found pictures of guinea pigs giving birth too.

Namaste, Tara
mama to Doodle (6), Butterfly (2), and Rythm (due at home 1/06)

[LoveChild421]

the one my midwife had was like the one Winterbaby posted- the bars cut into my legs, it definately was a "last resort" after almost an hour of pushing and almost no progress I got on the birth stool and 20 minutes later I had ds! I definately wouldn't plan to birth on one unless other positions didn't work and I felt too tired to squat.