Comfort Measure for Labor and Delivery (Part 2): Labor Positions. By Jillian Freeland, Gadsden, Alabama Doula
Laying in bed is not the most comfortable position when you are trying to labor naturally. Your precious baby is being pressed further down into your pelvis with each and every contraction; your spine and tailbone happen to be part of the highway they are traveling on, so you want to create ample room.
If you choose to receive an epidural, you may no longer feel the discomfort from your baby descending, but you may still find that lying directly on your back is uncomfortable – a slight tilt to you side along with a peanut ball or pillows to prop your legs open will make your position much more comfortable. There are a few main positions that can benefit a laboring mom and within those main positions there are many variations to help. My first suggestion would be to... 1. Move Ok so this isn’t a position, but it is super helpful! Wiggle, dance, sway… move your body around. This will help your body stay loose and relaxed. 2. Stand Use gravity to your best advantage! Getting off your back can be instrumental to feeling comfortable in labor. 3. Hands and Knees Hang over a birth ball, or rest on some pillows - this position will allow you some rest from standing. It can relieve pressure off of your back.
Photography provided by Birth Boot Camp
4. Sit Sit on a birthing stool, sit on a toilet, adjust the hospital bed to become a chair. This naturally puts your body in an upright position - using gravity - and opens your pelvis. 5. Side Lying This is great for getting some rest when you are tired. Use this position with a peanut ball or some pillows between your legs and it will keep your pelvis nice and open for baby to move down. 6. Squat Squatting can open the pelvis up to 30% wider. 
Take an AMAZING COMFORT MEASURES class ONLINE!!!! Or take a LIVE class with Alabama Births in Gadsden, Alabama!
Have you considered hiring a doula to help you navigate this amazing journey? I would love to meet with you for a free consultation regarding how a doula can benefit your birth goals!
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AuthorMy name is Jillian and I am a Doula, Childbirth Educator, Placenta Encapsulator living in the Wilmington, North Carolina. I believe in women and that they deserve support throughout their pregnancy and births no matter what method of birth they desire. I myself am a mother to 4 girls, pregnant with a 5th (that is a boy); each of their births were vastly different. Archives
September 2021
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