Movement in Labor
Movement and changing positions during the labor process more important than most expecting moms realize. Not only can your movement help shorten the length of your labor by helping your baby move down, but it can also help with pain management. One study showed that women who used birth balls significantly reduced pain in active labor.
During birth, your baby’s job is to rotate as they come down through the pelvis, and into the birth canal. Baby has to rotate so that they can fit through the shape of the pelvis. To help baby move, you make space where they are at. That means moving your hips, legs, waist, etc, in order to shift your pelvis so that you give baby a little extra wiggle room where they are currently.
When baby is entering the pelvis, high up in the bones (Like in this picture above from the Spinning Babies website), you have to give them room there. This may look like swaying side to side on a birth ball or slow dancing with your partner.
Once your baby descends past your pelvic inlet, your baby gets to your mid-pelvis (shown in the picture above). To create space for your baby here, try more asymmetric movements such as lunges or stairs. This is where curb walking may be helpful!
When your baby gets through the mid pelvis, they reach the pelvic outlet. The outlet of the pelvis is longer front to back, whereas the inlet to the pelvis is longer side to side. This is where baby’s rotation comes in to play. Baby has to rotate, slowly, as they squeeze through the pelvis, so that their head can fit through the outlet (shown in above picture). To create space and help baby navigate the pelvic outlet, you can try positioning yourself with your knees together and feet apart. You can also lean on a birth ball or lie in bed with something between your lower legs.
When mom is not moving, baby may struggle to move as well. But when mom is moving, and therefore the bones, muscles, and ligaments that affect the space where baby are moving, then baby may move down much better. Something as simple as gentle swaying gives baby a slight movement, something to help coax them in the right direction.
Have you seen on TV or movies where someone is crawling through a vent duct? Once they’re in there, it can be really hard to keep moving. This is what plays in my head when I think of not having movement in labor. Your baby is just sitting in the duct. When you shift your weight, and when you work with gravity as well, your giving baby a little help to navigate down, through, and out to see you!
A mother’s movement in labor is linked to higher birth satisfaction. It is also linked to higher likelihood to having a vaginal delivery, and because it helps with pain management, it may reduce your chance of wanting an epidural! It’s such a simple measure to take for an important result like being more satisfied with your birth experience, and it can be used no matter where you are or what kind of birth you’re planning!
RESOURCES:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4235058/#jpe.1058-1243.23.4.188.s03
Spinning Babies Website
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/positions-during-labor-and-their-effects-on-pain-relief/