Women Advised to
Stay Mobile During Childbirth
Excerpt By Patricia Reaney, Reuter's Health

LONDON (Reuters Health) - Women shouldn't go through labor lying down, but should move around more to ease the labor and delivery process, a British charity advised on Tuesday.

The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) charity said 40% of pregnant women in Britain are not advised to sit, stand or squat during labor even though these positions could reduce pain and speed up the birth.

"It seems crazy that so many women are having longer, more painful and more difficult labors than they need to--just because they aren't aware of the benefits of being active during birth," said Belinda Phipps, the group's chief executive.

According to the charity, being upright during labor and birth reduces the length of the first stage of labor. It also decreases the need for epidural anesthesia and the chance of getting an infection in the womb.

Upright labor and birth is also associated with fewer assisted or cesarean births.

"Many women think that lying down is the usual way to give birth, but getting up and walking around is not only more comfortable, it can also shorten the length of labor," Phipps added.

When the woman is upright, the weight of the baby's head pushes on the cervix and speeds up labor. It also reduces the risk of distress in the baby because it improves blood flow, according to the charity.

The charity said that for thousands of years women have been upright or crouched during childbirth, but women in Western countries have been advised to give birth lying down.

Reference Source 89

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