Standing, walking, or sitting during the first stage of labor has been shown to shorten this stage. (Photos.com)
We spent a little time talking about her plans for the birth. The aim is to give birth at home, and my friend also remarked that her desire is to stay as upright as possible during labor. While it is customary in the U.K. for women to go through labor lying down, my friend believes that standing and squatting are far more natural and appropriate positions during the birthing process.
This conversation was still fresh in my mind when earlier this week I came across a report on a review of maternal position during labor. One of the outcomes assessed was the length of the first two stages of labor. Stage one is said to start when the cervix is 3 centimeters dilated, and ends once it is fully dilated. Stage two starts at this point and ends with the birth of the baby. Typically, the first stage of labor lasts about eight hours in women giving birth to their first child, but lasts about half this length in subsequent labors.
The review in question was conducted by scientists from the Cochrane collaboration (an international group of scientists specializing in systematic reviews of health-related interventions) and was published recently. [1]
The review of 21 studies found that being upright during labor appeared to reduce the duration of the first stage of labor by about an hour. Maternal position did not seem to affect the length of the second stage of labor. Neither did it appear to influence the mode of delivery or other outcomes related to the well-being of the mother or her baby. However, in addition to appearing to reduce the length of the first stage of labor, being upright was also associated with a 17 percent reduced risk of having epidural analgesia.
The authors of the review concluded: “There is evidence that walking and upright positions in the first stage of labor reduce the length of labor and do not seem to be associated with increased intervention or negative effects on mothers’ and babies’ well-being. Women should be encouraged to take up whatever position they find most comfortable in the first stage of labor.”
Reference:
1. Lawrence A, Lewis L, Hofmeyr GJ, Dowswell T, Styles C. Maternal positions and mobility during first stage labor. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 2
Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and health writer with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine. His Web site is drbriffa.com
