Birthing Positions

[MadameC]

OK, this may be a little early to think about this:) I live in France and the birth of my first baby here was very dissapointing as far as the whole system in the clinic (obligatory IV drip and constant monitoring, no choice but lying on your back for the birth, terrible with BF'ing help, forced to stay a minimum of 5 days, I could go on....) I think I was the first woman to CHOOSE to not have an epidural so they had no experience in helping me with the pain.
I have chosen a different doc and hospital for no 2 and am hearing nothing but amazing things about how it is there! The mid-wives are VERY pro BF'ing and they give you the choice of birthing positions and do everything as the mother chooses (apparently:))
I would love to hear other mothers experiences with birthing positions to help give me an idea of how I could do things differently.

[danav]

I don't think you can really plan the perfect birthing position - if you are able to move around, you just get into the position that feels right at the time!

With my first I started pushing on the toilet, then moved to the bed and ended up half-reclined leaning back on DH to push her out. Sitting on my tailbone was not the best position, but it worked for me and I only pushed for a half hour.

With me second, I got out of the jacuzzi tub when I started to feel a bit "pushy", and my instinct was to crawl up onto the bed and stay on all four's. I used the bed pillows and headboard to support my upper body. I was having tons of back pressure and leaning back in any way was NOT an option at the time! I would have stayed on all four's, I'm sure, but Noah ended up being surprise frank breech and the midwife had me lay on my side to try to slow things down while she called for an ambulance (they aren't supposed to catch breech babies at the birth center). A few minutes later when it turned out he was not going to wait, I couldn't move by that point (as he was halfway out!), so they all helped me roll to my back and push his head out. A terrible position, but it's the only one I could get into at the time. Had we known he was breech and I had had a midwife experienced in catching a breech baby, I'm sure I would have stayed on all four's or gotten into an upright position (supported squat or something) to help with that birth.

This time I imagine myself having a water birth, so I'll probably be squatting or leaning back a bit in the tub - we'll see! It sounds like your new midwives will probably be able to help suggest positions for you when the time comes if you need some help, too.

[5xmom]

Does the hospital have a squat bar? This goes at the end of the bed and can be very good for the pushing stage (who ever thought up pushing while laying flat :irked:?). Water is great too, but the hospital here won't let you do it if your water has broken. I have heard good things about a birthing ball too, but never tried it.

[EllasMama]

You might want to look for some childbirth books that have pictures and descriptions of different labor and birth positions. I think it's helpful to see the pictures b/c it makes an imprint on your brain. And then I recommend practicing them with your partner, esp. in the last couple of months, so you both are able to recall different options when you are in labor. Sometimes it helps just to have another person say "Why don't you try this?" Some books that I'm pretty sure have good pictures are Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin and Sheila Kitzinger's Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth.

I labored in most every position; sitting on the toilet leaning back against the tank was a favorite and also a lot of leaning on DH or the countertop, walking, etc. Near transition I was on all fours a lot. During pushing I was sitting semi-reclined in a big tub of water. I tried squatting but was too exhausted from the long labor and pushing to stay up.

Just following what your body wants to do and having a lot of positions that you've considered and practiced is a great approach, I think. I can't even imagine having to be flat on your back the whole time, that's awful! You're going to be so much more comfortable this time, being able to move. And of course as you know it's MUCH better for the baby and makes labor shorter, as well as more comfortable.

A bientot,

Carol

[boycrazy]

I love this book...
Active Birth by Janet Balaskas :thumb

[MadameC]

Thanks to you all for your kind advice! I am looking foreward to a different experience, I'll start by meeting the midwives there during their prep classes and see how things really work. I think its best to go in well informed but I can't really decide on a position in advance as I have no idea how things with unravel..........