Non-clicky poll: What position did you give birth in?

kgunz11 · April 2011

Now that DH and I have really started talking earnestly about natural birth and I've started reading Bradley books and sharing ideas with him, he's "terrified" that I'm going to give birth to our daughter like I'm laying an egg (squatting). I've told him that at that particular time in the process, I'm pretty sure that I won't care what position I'm in (and won't really be worrying about his concerns), as long as the baby comes out and is healthy during the process.

I've also explained to him that there are MANY positions for birthing and just because you are in 1 particular position during some of the labor part does not mean that's the same position you will delivery in.

So, what position (or positions) did you actual delivery from? Any words of advice to talk my husband down from his 'egg laying' fear?

TIA!

Mrs.Handy · April 2011

The traditional position. Surprisingly this was the most comfortable.

I was laying on back with DH and our doula holding my legs.

AutumnBride929 · April 2011

With both of mine, I delivered on my hands and knees. That position works wonders for me. Smile

NewzieMom · April 2011

On my back. Like PP said it was comfortable for me. Also I didn't really have anytime to try anything else all. My first was born after a hand full of pushes, my second after about 3 or 4 contractions and my last was so quick they didn't even have time to break the bed down or call in the nurses...I was crowning as soon as I yet 10.

jteneback · April 2011

I was on my back as well, it was OK. I wanted to squat on the floor but they wouldn't let me because DD was a preemie and they wanted to be extra careful with the catch.

superned · April 2011

I was on my back with DH holding one leg and a nurse holding the other. While I thought it was most comfortable at the time, I ended up basically ripping my pelvis apart (diastasis symphysis pubis). I was in extreme pain for a couple of weeks and it took a couple of months to fully recover. You should push in the position that's most comfortable and effective for YOU and tell your DH to get over himself! : )

julyjennifer · April 2011

"Laying an egg"? I'm sorry, but that is just funny. How about birthing a baby?

That said, many people have a limited notion of what birth is like--I think before we started childbirth prep and taking a Bradley class, DH and I both had the image of the birthing woman laying on her back in a gown on a bed with a curtain up and someone down there managing the situation. I remember the point at which our awareness began to expand to include additional ideas about normal birthing. We watched some birth videos in our Bradley class and they had these women who were naked and birthing in various positions other than lying on their backs. DH asked me, slightly worriedly, if I was going to be giving birth totally naked like in the videos. I told him I had no idea...the ideas were kind of new to me too, but I'd just have to wait and see what felt right I guess.

So -- it's a process. Give your DH time to absorb new concepts of normal birth. Maybe you can watch some birth videos together that show examples of normal birth in various positions. I think just being exposed over time to images of normal birth helps. Explain how squatting opens up the pelvis X% more.

For me, I thought I'd like squatting, but I tried pushing in that position and didn't favor it. I pushed and birthed in a modified squat position using a birthing squat bar attached to the hospital bed. I was sitting on the bed behind the bar, with a foot propped on the base of each side of the bar, so my knees were far apart like in a squat. The nurses wrapped a sheet or something around the bar, which I held with my hands and pulled myself forward with during contractions. Between contractions I sat or layed back.

Here's a link that shows what a birthing squat bar looks like. The pictures don't illustrate the position I'm talking about, but the text includes a description.

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/activities/effective-birthing-positions

Temp76535187505890 · April 2011

On my side. My midwife said I gave birth like a cat.....I'm not sure what that means exactly but she said I pushed with my legs together right up until DD crowned. I was only in that position because I had just arrived at the hospital and was checked to be 7 cm, they couldn't find DD's heartbeat with the doppler so they asked me to lay down for some tracing. As soon as I laid down I felt the urge to push and out she came.

Maybe show your husband this website. It lists the pros and cons of different positions.

sschwege · April 2011

I tried pushing on my hands and knees and found that I was putting too much energy into pushing into my arms as opposed to my bottom. I did much better on my back. Next time around though I think I would like to try either squatting or a birthing chair.

ridesbuttons · April 2011

For the actual delivery, I was on my back with DS1 and slightly leaned over on my right hip for DS2.

For productive pushing with DS1 I was on my back, on my left side, on my right side and squatting (pushed for 2 hours).

DS2 came very quickly, I was on my back/right hip for the 3 pushes it took.

The only time I saw stirrups was when I was getting stitched up, and nobody ever held my legs.

BrideNamedMeg · April 2011

For DD I was on my back with DH and a nurse holding my legs - this was at the hospital. I pushed on all fours for awhile, but wasn't very comfortable.

With DS I was home and was comfortable pushing on my side, DH held my top leg. He was posterior so that might have had something to do with the position I was in. My midwife had me try squatting for a few pushes, but it took too much energy for me to stay in that position.

haleymay18 · April 2011

I was on my left side. I want to squat but my legs were simply too weak from the elongated labor.

pinksweetpea2 · April 2011

I was in the water floating on my back with my feet on the bottom of the aqua doula...I think I was holding onto the sides with my hands, but it is really a blur.

I tried other positions while pushing (3.5 hours) and this one was the least painful. It is funny because it is the closest to on my back as I could get in the water.

Klikina · April 2011

I was on the bed, sitting up, with DH holding one leg and my sis holding the other. (This is the same position that Rachel pushed in, in the episode on "Friends" when she and Ross have their baby.) I wish that I had either been squatting or on hands and knees. I think it would have been more effective (I pushed for 3 hours).

nosoup4u · April 2011

Why is he terrified of what position you'll give birth in? That's weird.

Frankly, if you're doing a hospital birth, chances are likely you'll be in a semi-sitting position. I was too tired to change positions when it came to pushing for both my sons, though my doula tried to get my to do side-lying with DS2. I was semi-sitting/reclined, chin-to-chest for him (DS1 ended in a c-section). hth

LindseyJW · April 2011

i was most comfortable in a reclined sitting position, but baby wasn't coming, so i squatted for my water birth. she came right out.

why is he "terrified" of a squatting birth?

is he afraid the baby could hit it's head on the floor and be injured? i had my hand there the entire time my baby's head was emerging, and as soon as it emerged, my MW had her hand below my hand. my baby was never in danger of hitting the floor.

is he afraid your legs might give out? you should be exercising during your pregnancy, working your legs: thighs, quads and buttocks. you'll have support who can help you maintain your position, so long as it is comfortable for you. many hospitals have birthing bars that you can hold onto while you are birthing.

or, did you put "terrified" in quotes to make light of his mild concern?

AJM796 · April 2011

I used the squat bar at the hospital and it was DH who actually suggested it when he saw that side-lying wasn't working for me. Squatting was awesome for me...tell your DH to embrace the squat Wink

flowerchild77 · April 2011

For my dd, in a sitting/lying position.

For my ds, I got his head out in a hands and knees squat and his body came out in a standing squat.

WHys your dh being so wierd about what position you give birth in? Squatting shortens the vagina dn widens your outlet by 30%. Its whatevers comfortable to feels right to YOU. Not what he thinks looks wierd or doesnt look wierd. Tell him to get a grip.

Wilwarin · April 2011

Mrs.Handy:
The traditional position. Surprisingly this was the most comfortable.

I was laying on back with DH and our doula holding my legs.

Same here, but we did every other one under the sun before that. It wasn't until I got on my back that the baby turned face down and I progressed enough to push him out.

gymdog81 · April 2011

I labored in a bunch of positions, but actually delivered on my back with my DH and Midwife holding my legs. I thought I would deliver with the squat bar, but I started to get really exhausted, and laying on my back gave me enough rest to put the energy into pushing rather than holding myself in another position.

amanicen · April 2011

Mrs.Handy:
The traditional position. Surprisingly this was the most comfortable.

I was laying on back with DH and our doula holding my legs.

This, surprisingly enough. I thought for sure I'd be on hands & knees or using the squat bar, but it felt so much better on my back. I pushed for 1/2 hour and the whole time my doula & nurse had my legs. Toward the end my MW had me grab my legs as well and curl forward so my body was in more of a 'C' shape.

mmks · April 2011

ArmyQM:
On my side. My midwife said I gave birth like a cat.....I'm not sure what that means exactly but she said I pushed with my legs together right up until DD crowned. I was only in that position because I had just arrived at the hospital and was checked to be 7 cm, they couldn't find DD's heartbeat with the doppler so they asked me to lay down for some tracing. As soon as I laid down I felt the urge to push and out she came.
Maybe show your husband this website. It lists the pros and cons of different positions.

Great website! Thanks for sharing!

fall-love · April 2011

I thought I would want to use the squat bar, but it all happened so fast that when it came time to push, the most comfortable position was on the hospital bed, propped up pretty high, on my left side. Two pushes and he was out. ;-)

wnk1029 · April 2011

Kneeling while leaning forward on the edge of the birthing pool.

FyshWyfe · April 2011

I birthed in the traditional position as well. It wasn't what I wanted- actually hurt more getting onto my back- but DD's heart rate dropped when I tried to push from squatting. Once I got on my back, though, there was no moving me again. I was getting her the hell out of there!

Temp34783000004059 · April 2011

I was on my knees with my upper body leaning into the side of the birth pool, holding my husband's hand most of the time. At the very end, I flipped over so I was sitting upright on my butt, then slid my butt out a little for the final pushes to get his body out.

Mrs.Leah.Maria · April 2011

Mrs.Handy:
The traditional position. Surprisingly this was the most comfortable.

This.

cros8380 · April 2011

julyjennifer:

"Laying an egg"? I'm sorry, but that is just funny. How about birthing a baby?

That said, many people have a limited notion of what birth is like--I think before we started childbirth prep and taking a Bradley class, DH and I both had the image of the birthing woman laying on her back in a gown on a bed with a curtain up and someone down there managing the situation. I remember the point at which our awareness began to expand to include additional ideas about normal birthing. We watched some birth videos in our Bradley class and they had these women who were naked and birthing in various positions other than lying on their backs. DH asked me, slightly worriedly, if I was going to be giving birth totally naked like in the videos. I told him I had no idea...the ideas were kind of new to me too, but I'd just have to wait and see what felt right I guess.

So -- it's a process. Give your DH time to absorb new concepts of normal birth. Maybe you can watch some birth videos together that show examples of normal birth in various positions. I think just being exposed over time to images of normal birth helps. Explain how squatting opens up the pelvis X% more.

For me, I thought I'd like squatting, but I tried pushing in that position and didn't favor it. I pushed and birthed in a modified squat position using a birthing squat bar attached to the hospital bed. I was sitting on the bed behind the bar, with a foot propped on the base of each side of the bar, so my knees were far apart like in a squat. The nurses wrapped a sheet or something around the bar, which I held with my hands and pulled myself forward with during contractions. Between contractions I sat or layed back.

Here's a link that shows what a birthing squat bar looks like. The pictures don't illustrate the position I'm talking about, but the text includes a description.

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/activities/effective-birthing-positions

DH and I went through some of the same thoughts mentioned here. You will find that when you are in labor, your body will KNOW what is comfortable. I too thought I would like pushing in a squatting position, but I tried ONE contraction like that and knew it was not for me. I wound up delivering on my back. At first DH was holding one leg and I was holding the other, but eventually the MW had me hold both of my own legs. It felt right and I only pushed for 20 minutes.

aerotigergirl · April 2011

I'm a FTM, so I don't have an answer to your original question, but I did want to say that I can sort of understand why your husband would be confused regarding birth and the various positions women may choose to birth in. Until we took our Bradley classes, the only birth I'd ever been exposed to is the kind they show you on TV (which I now know isn't very realistic). In our Bradley class (maybe this is standard for all Bradley classes, but I don't know) we watched a different video of a birth at the end of every class. This exposure to what real birth was like helped me understand that it might look a little different than what I'd seen on TV.

If you're interested in getting a little more exposure to real birth scenes, and you're not seeing videos in your Bradley class, I'd recommend a couple of documentaries: Orgasmic Birth (this one has birth scenes with several different women and would be great for just trying to re-train your DH's brain to see birth as something different than what is typically presented on TLC) and Pregnant in America (this one focuses on one couple and their quest to have a home birth, and also goes into some interesting philosophical points with the healthcare industry). Both of these documentaries are focused on births in places outside of hospitals. It's my understanding that films of births in hospital settings are more difficult to come by due to the limited amount of filming that is allowed in hospital settings.

flyer23 · April 2011

DD - mostly pushed on my hands and knees, but switched to lying on my left side for delivery.

DS - semi-reclining. (I was sitting in the jacuzzi tub.) I leaned forward as I pushed with each contraction.

Tell your husband that the person pushing the large object through the small hole gets to choose what position to do it in.

cherhop1 · April 2011

I had to ask my husband to refresh my memory because I was moving around a lot and not sure of my position when DS came out. I was in a birthing tub the whole time laboring mostly on my hands and knees. In between contractions I reclined back leaning into the side of tub but mostly upright. I was in this position when I delivered DS.

Hmm advice for DH? Sorry I can't think of anything!

CTri17 · April 2011

haha her head was born with me in a squat, then we went to hands/knees then to hands/knees/runners position, then to traditional because her shoulders were stuck

Germanwife2b · April 2011

Well considering the pushing phase for my labor lasted 4 hours, I "delivered" him in many positions. I pushed squatting in my bed leaning against the back, on the toilet, on my side, on all fours, sitting at my kitchen table, walking up and down the stairs and did eventually turn on my back with a slight tilt when the head was actually crowning and delivered.

You will most likely be in all kinds of positions to get the baby out. It takes these positions to get the baby around and under corners :-)

MrsWindyCity · April 2011

Mrs.Handy:
The traditional position. Surprisingly this was the most comfortable.
I was laying on back with DH and our doula holding my legs.

This exactly. If you would have asked me before labor if I thought I would be in this position, I would have said no way. But it totally worked, was comfortable for me, and quick.

Kathzoo · April 2011

On my knees leaning forward in the tub. Like a PP, my midwife had me squat and lean way forward to keep her head from hitting the bottom of the tub.

Blackvelvet · April 2011

on my back almost on my left side with my husband holding my right leg up

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