Birth Positions

You can use several different feeding positions when you need to give birth. Several of them are good to practice before the birth or read up on, so you are prepared as well as possible, both mentally and physically. It can also be an excellent idea to combine it with birth preparation, where you will, in all probability, learn something about birth positions and how to handle them best. 

Lying birth positions 

The lying birth position is, in all probability, the one you associate with birth, as it is the one that is used during most Danish births and is also what is shown in series or films. 

It is a convenient birth position, making it easier for the midwife and the doctor to follow the birth. It is also easier to relax between contractions as you lie down. 

There are three ways you can be in a lying birth position: 

• Lying on your side 

• Lying flat on your back 

• Half sitting against an upright bed rail with your legs bent 

The disadvantage of lying birth positions is that it is more natural to use good positions during birth, as you here utilize gravity, but can also, to a greater extent, expand the pelvis, which makes it easier to give birth. 

Upright birth positions

Although the upright birth positions are typically not shown on TV, there are several natural advantages compared to the horizontal feeding positions. First, gravity is an advantage. Something completely different is that hormones are released when the baby presses on the cervix with an upright birth position, which speeds up the birth.

The upright positions are good to use when the contractions have increased and you have started to open up. Before this happens, it is good to rest yourself in some comfortable positions to gather strength for the last part of the birth. 

There are three upright positions: 

• Squatting 

• Standing 

• Kneeling 

Of all the upright positions, the squatting position is the most natural. The pelvis can be opened as much as possible by squatting, which provides the most optimal conditions for the child when it goes out. However, it is essential to train the position before, as otherwise, it can be very hard. 

However, switching between the different feeding positions can be comfortable along the way, as there may be periods when one position feels more comfortable than the others. It can also give you greater control by switching between the different positions when it feels natural for you. 

Waterbirth 

It is also possible to give birth in water as something completely third. Here you will, in all probability, use a sitting or kneeling feeding position. Several pregnant women take advantage of the opportunity, as it can feel pain-relieving to be in hot water. 

A water birth also has the advantage that the water softens the middle flesh and thus gives a lesser risk of rupture. 

The body decides 

It is good to practice the different feeding positions you think you would like to use. However, once the birth is underway, you may have to put all the preparations aside because the body would rather have something else. The body decides during labor, and it becomes most comfortable if you follow its instincts.