What position did you use?

NYGirl02 · June 2014

Just for fun, I'm wondering what gals here ended up liking best as far as positions for pushing and delivering. Was it what you thought you would like best, or something totally different? Did you have a lot of freedom in choosing your position, or was that an uphill battle with hospital staff?

CLLDLL · June 2014

I labored on my hands and knees most of the time. I had terrible back labor because LO was OP, and that was what felt best. Baby turned right before pushing. My DR. was willing to let me push on my hands and knees, but actually once he turned, it felt okay to push more on my back.

I thought I'd prefer hands and knees or a birthing stool.

marriedinaugust · June 2014

My LO was OP as well. Sitting on a ball and hands and knees hurt like hell so I labored standing/leaning on a table and sitting on the toilet. That was about 4 hours. Then I did 2 hours of pushing while squatting while the nurse helped turn LO. Then I leaned back , my midwife opopped my water and he was out 2 pushes later.

jenn43 · June 2014

I thought I would like squatting, and I did. Working with gravity really helped- I only pushed for about 30 minutes. Our hospital had squat bars on the bed, so you could sit back between contractions.

aylafsu88 · June 2014

I wanted to deliver squatting. However, after 11 hours of labor I was tired and did not have the energy to squat. Instead I delivered in the side lying position. I labored in the tub on hands and knees and then went to the bed as my hospital did not allow water births. I flopped down on the bed in the side position and the on call OB from the practice came in. He did not say anything and sat at the edge of the bed. LO had a nuchal hand so he massaged and used warm compresses while sitting there. He also chatted with my H.

JessaPrimate · June 2014

I mostly labored on my knees leaning on a birthing ball. Then I did the same thing on the back of the hospital bed (the nurses thought my knees must be hurting but they weren't). I pushed with the squat bar and then delivered on my back which was nbd for me.

ArmyQM · June 2014

I labored almost exclusively on my knees, sitting back on my feet. This was at home and when I arrived at the birth center I didn't have time to do any laboring. I was asked to lay down to get some tracings which I only allowed if I could lay on my side. Immediately upon laying down I felt the urge to push. So I birthed my daughter laying on my side after two pushes.

mb314 · June 2014

I labored on my hands and knees, in a tub. It was what felt right. The tub was awesome. Before getting to the hospital, I labored in the shower, leaning over and supporting myself on the shower wall. I had a very supportive hospital staff, so I had the freedom to choose. I just chose not to do much other than be on my hands and knees.

For pushing, my hospital made me leave the tub, and do a cervical check before pushing (even thought I totally secretly pushed for a while to avoid that - I mean - it's hard NOT to push). I had to get on my back for the cervical check, and once on my back I didn't want to move. So I pushed on my back in the bed - the bed back was pushed up so I was a little more upright. It was my choice. I remember thinking -this isn't the best way to do this, but honestly, I had no desire to move. And I only pushed for 20 minutes so it worked for me.

barista411 · June 2014

I labored with both standing and swaying in the shower. With my first I pushed laying on my back and it was awful and I ended up with lots of tearing and other complications. With my second I pushed laying on my right side and it was so much better. I felt much more comfortable and in control and it showed in my end results. I had just a small "skid mark" which didn't require any stitches.

vvvvvfee · June 2014

my labor was super fast, so i was only at the hospital for about 2 hours before DS was born. i was on my hands and knees during contractions for a while, but then i got tired and laid down on my back. for pushing, i was still on my back, but they raised the back of the bed to a 45 degree angle so i was partially sitting up. if i had been thinking more clearly, i would have gone for a different position, like side-lying or on my hands and knees. i had a 2nd degree tear and wonder if my positioning contributed to it. i don't think the dr/nurses cared what position i was in.

lavendergiraffes · June 2014

I labored on my hands and knees or standing leaning over the bed for most of the time (minus sitting on the toilet a few times). I thought I'd want to push like that but it wasn't working. I pushed standing and squatting, using the squat bar on the bed and laying on my side holding my legs up. That's where I was when she was born. I was in the hospital with a MW and she (along with my doula) was the one who suggested other positions cause I felt pretty much stuck on my hands and knees and didn't know what else to do.

LilTiger15 · June 2014

I thought I would like squatting or on my hands and knees, but that never happened. My baby turned posterior when we arrived at the hospital and we couldn't get him to turn. I had no desire to push, even after being at 10 cm for 5 hours and trying multiple positions. Many positions caused his heart rate to go even lower than it already was. I ended up birthing him in the bed--in a sitting position, with my butt near the edge of the bed and with my feet in the stirrups. Thank God for the birthing bar. That helped immensely, so I could bear down on something to try and push him out. He was literally stuck on my pelvis. They said he had shoulder dystocia and his arm was across his chest when he came out. Luckily, his shoulders were fine, no broken bones.

vintagejjane · June 2014

For pushing, squatting was the best. Laboring, I did every position possible.

rooftop · June 2014

I labored on hands and knees and on a birth ball a lot. I pushed side lying in the tub with my leg up on my hubby's shoulder, not what I expected but it felt right to me at the time. I was never told how to push, I just did what felt good. I hated the squat bar, birthing stool and toilet. They didn't provide enough perineal support and gave me really bad hemis

springbeduk2 · June 2014

Pushed on hands and knees with a birth ball up on the bed to lean on and take pressure off wrists. Then side lying. Those were on my own - what seemed to feel right. Id been having back labor though LO wasn't OP so I liked positions where DH could reach my back to put pressure especially early in pushing. The midwives had told me beforehand that they usually have people change positiond every 20 minutes or so. I think I went somewhat longer. Then near the end - maybe starting when I felt stuck or maybe when LO started having decels - I forget - the midwife had me lie on my back with people holding up my legs. I think back of bed was raised . I was really surprised she wanted that position but it worked out though curling/crunching up as much as they wanted me to was hard. She said at the end when the baby is well into the birth canal that position is actually good.

I was in a post-partum room not a delivery room so there wasn't a squat bar available or even stirrups. And I don't think the bed adjusted as much as she wanted it to.

MommyAtty · June 2014

I labored both times on my side. Pushed sitting up with someone holding my legs. Both times I pushed less than 10 minutes.

QOTR · June 2014

I labored a lot on my side. I was nauseated and it felt best to just be able to lie there in between to rest. I tried a few pushes on my side but my Dr. said she didn't think they were productive pushes. I moved to an on my back position, with my legs pushing against the sides of the squat bar, while pulling against a sheet tied to the top of the squat bar (kind of like trying to pull your self up while water skiing) and finished delivery that way.

yvanehtnioj · June 2014

I labored in all the positions. The only ones that helped were leaning over something (like a table) and on my side. I had back labor. I pushed on my side, which I think helped me avoid anything worse than a 1st degree tear.

thunderbadgers · June 2014

I spent a while bouncing and rolling around on the ball while the BF destroyed my lower back with a messager (per my instructions). I also sat on the edge of the couch in my room and shook my right leg frantically through contractions which I'm sure looked ridiculous but helped. It makes me lol to think about. Then I spent about an hour in the shower while waiting for the birthing tub to be free, then back to the leg shaking which was about the time I started pleading for an epidural. Happily, the tub was sanitized just in time. My midwife kept insisting I get on my hands and knees which was the WORST. I also had all these big plans to push while squatting, though those promptly ended after I shuffled to the bed from the tub and laid down. Unfortunately, I tore like a freaking beast. To be fair, nobody told me that DS was almost 10 pounds.

I thought I would like the tub a whole lot more than I did. It helped during the seconds I wasn't having contractions, but I still ended up getting petechia from pulling on the side of the tub for dear life.

ncbelle · June 2014

I've had freedom to choose in all 3 births.

1st (midwife attended; hospital) - I actually ended up pushing on my back even though that's not what I'd planned to do - not quite sure why as that's not how I'd labored! Pushed 15 minutes (8 lb 6 oz baby with a HUGE head) - 2 stitches.

2nd (midwife attended; birth center) - First push was in the tub kinda sitting - head out but shoulders got stuck. Got out of tub to hands and knees - one more push and she was out (10 pounds; no tearing).

3rd (midwife attended; hospital) - Used the squat bar on the bed for the last part of labor/pushing - pushed like 2 minutes (9 lbs 12 oz; no tearing). And super key to making this work was that my DH would sit behind me when I had a contraction so I was both squatting on the bar but also being supported from behind so I could put my strength into the contraction vs. just holding the squat. I did lots of squats in pregnancy and have strong legs but I won't lie - I'm still sore from squatting 4 days later! Totally worth it though as it was a quick birth!

deux · July 2014

I was at home, labored and pushed almost exclusively on my hands and knees.

catsinawindow · July 2014

During labor, I moved around a lot and found it most comfortable to either get onto hands and knees or lean over something (if I was standing). I later found out that DD was posterior (and was delivered posterior as well) so that might have been why I found those positions most comfortable, even though I didn't have any back labor.

For pushing, I started out on hands and knees, but the pressure on my perineum was very intense this way, even between contractions. In between contractions, I switched to side lying and it felt so much better so I stayed in side lying for the rest of pushing. The next contraction my water broke and she was born a few minutes later (7 minutes pushing total) so obviously that position worked well for me. I only had one small tear that didn't require stitches.

I had thought I would push either in a squat or hands and knees because they are supposed to be best for opening the pelvis, but for me, side lying was the best and my body knew it.

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