what position did you give birth in?

[Timeoutofmind]

I gave birth on all fours, and I stood up and walked around for most of my labour. I just felt that the pain was 100 times worse when I sat or laid down, and it just felt natural to deliver on all fours.

Just wondering if I am a minority, as all those on OBEM seem to be on their backs, and in bed throughout the labour, and friends in RL all seem to have been on their backs..

DC1 on my back as per my MW instructions. Lots of monitoring and them barking orders at me. Hated it and didn't feel in control at all and it hurt like buggery. Although it was only a 31/2 hour labour it was horrible as my wishes were not taken into account at all starting from the point when they told me I couldn't be in labour and not to be silly.

DC2 and 3 I was mobile and walking around and gave birth standing/squatting, using the bed as support. I had the same MW for both those births and she was fantastic. DC2 was 1&1/2 hours and DC3 was 1/2 hour and he was back to back.

In labour for more than 48 hrs. Most of this active. Exausted towards the end. Couldn't stand up any more. Baby transverse lie. On back, legs supported. Pushed and pushed, couldn't get her out. Needed help. Tear, rip, bleeding, bleeding, bleeding. Blood transfusion, colostomy bag, lots of stiches.

Thank god I was in a hospital surrounded by great MW's.

Said the same about OBEM to DH last week! I was all fours, head in a bean bag I'd stayed active pretty much throughout but had a long latent phase so when the time came i was on my back and exhausted after 48 hours no sleep. The MW encouraged me to go onto all fours and i resisted at first, but it happened pretty quickly once i took her advice. It definitely helped me.

I was kneeling with DD until she was ready to actually come out.
Then the staff told me I had to lie on my back with my feet in stirrups and they wouldn't consider letting me be in any other position.
I was not happy about it.

DS was also born with me on my back, but he was breech and I didn't really have much choice.

DS1 - deep squat, resting against a giant bean bag cushion thing
DS2 - standing up, hanging onto DH shoulders with midwife pulling off my trousers - we only just made to the delivery suite but not to the bed

Vertical 'felt' right both times, I do recall also during my NCT class the instructor showing us a pelvic area model (just the skeleton, hip bones etc) and threading a fabric doll through - it certainly seemed clear that the upright position gave a more direct passage for birth.

Kept for ages on observation ward with a static monitor which drove me nuts! In delivery room, kneeling up leaning on the bedhead, until knees started to give way, when I turned round and sort of slumped - bit like being in a drunken heap.

Wanted to be in a natural position for DD1, was on my back on the bed and even in stirrups. Not my choice, tied to move but kept being told to get on the bed. A bot out of it too. Determined not to do that for DD2 but had muconium in my waters so had to be monitored, horrible midwife kept saying 'we have to monitor this baby' every time I tried to move about a bit. Not being able to move was awful. Made to feel selfish for wanting to manage my own pain. .

The position I expressly didn't want- on my back with my feet in stirrups! I was pushing for 2.5 hours (DS was back to back), the midwife was great and we tried every position bar swinging from the light fittings, but this was the only one that worked for me.

With DD (third birth) I gave birth standing up, 2 mins after arriving in the delivery room, the midwife having just thrown a pillow on the floor between my legs in panic when she realised how quickly it was about to happen :)

DS1 was a emergency section, and DS2 was back to back. I was desperate to get off the bed and off my back during labour, but the midwife insisted on continuous monitoring, and only when she finally took a break did I convince her stand-in to let me turn and kneel and lean over the back of the bed in the delivery room. I pushed there for over 2 hours, but was exhausted by 10 hours of labour and he was not budging. Ended up delivering on my back, aided by Keillands forceps and a theatre full of people. All turned out okay - but not a fan of lying on my back on the bed!

Flat on my back for all 3 of them.

I attended a pregnancy yoga class before DC1 was born and the teacher went on and on about the importance of choosing a position in which gravity would help you - but that was the only position that felt right for me.

On all fours in the end. Did lots of walking, squatting. I was in a new midwife led centre and they had loads of weird and wonderful stools and things to try out... I tried them all and found that all fours was most comfortable.

I couldn't of lay down if I wanted to, the pain was horrific when I tried.

First time, on my back, after epidural, unable to feel a thing but pushing for all I was worth to avoid the ventouse that was being wielded in the direction of my foof. It worked somehow.

Second time, kneeling by my own bad, on the floor, at home, which I have to admit wasn't terribly comfortable but was the best I could manage at the time!

Going to try all fours next time I think...sounds good.

Saying that, I guess I was technically upright from the knees upwards and it wasn't the position that was uncomfortable, more the agonising pain so maybe it was a pretty good position to be in.

Don't know how I ended up there at all. It was all a bit quick, first ctx to delivery was 3 hours 38 minutes. LOVELY not to have an epidural though, well, in certain ways!

Dd1 was delivered on my knees hanging over the top of the bed. I would not move from that position, so the midwife worked around me.

Dd2's labour had problems at the beginning which meant that I needed an epidural (only narrowly missed emergency CS). She was delivered on my back by ventouse, not as nice a birth at all, but in the past now.

Semi recumbant and then lithotomy both times. Had two lots of twins and both my second born twins were breech.

If there's ever a next time I'd love not to have an epidural and move around more.