Anybody tried all fours position in labour?

[Discopanda]

Hi everyone, DD2 is due at the start of April and my midwife reckons she'll be bigger than DD1 who was 9lbs 4 and very long. I would rather have a more active birth this time round and have read that hands and knees is a good position for women expecting larger babies. Has anyone tried it and would it be possible with a canula in? (Group B strep, I have to have antibiotics during labour) Thanks in advance

I gave birth in this position with a canula in on the delivery suite. Hospital were great. DH had to follow me round the room with the drip stand and i was a bit out of it on diamorphine while in labour, but sobered up for the pushing stage and was adamant that i was going on to all fours. A bit of detangling was required whilst i got into position but i am pleased i did - no tears or instruments needed so i would do.it that way again. Good luck!

Hands and knees is a great position. Felt in control. It made my contractions stronger (more efficient?). Midwife kept wanting me to lie on my back for checks, but it hurt more so I just said no thanks (unless baby is in distress).

I see no reason why a cannula should stop you moving around. As for all fours, I did all sorts of positions while in labour with my son. Pushed him out while squatting. Gravity is your friend and a heavier baby will assist, if you are upright.
It is slightly pointless to try and choose your laboring position before in labour though. I intended to have my son in the birth pool but the actuality of it was,

I felt better on dri land so that is where I had him.
Try things out, find the position that you feel comfiest in at the time. Get off the bed, sit on a ball, lie on the floor, ask for a birthing stool!

I laboured in this position and quite liked it - dd was 9lb 4 and 57cm

Me too! It was all a bit quick with ds2 and I found myself in that position, no pain relief, was great

Wish I had done it like that with ds1

When I was in labour for a long time I was in a squatting position, and when a contraction hit I sort of fell forwards into the all fours position to ride it out. Not sure why but it was the only position I was comfortable in. The midwife got me to try other things like standing up and lying on my side but I hated them.

Later in my labour various complications happened and I ended up needing a cannula because I needed syntocinon and fluids and admit that I found having the drip and monitors which I also needed restrictive. They said I had to stay on the bed though which was part of it, I ended up needing forceps but this was because of the position my son was in. Find out if you will be able to be mobile, I think it makes a big difference.

Delivered DD in this position, she was out with about 5 pushes. No tears or grazes. Tried it again with DS and it just didn't feel right, felt like I was going to push out the contents of my torso through my arse whenever I pushed so I ended up delivering him sort of on my back/side with one leg in the air, vair ladylike 2 small grazes with him.

I delivered on all fours in water. Third degree tear.

I delivered two of mine in a kind of upright version, kneeling on the bed hands on the top of the headrest, when they asked me to get on the bed it didn't occur to me to do it any other way/

It's apparently one of the best positions to birth in.

I mentioned it to my friend when she was pregnant, when it came for her to give birth she struggled on her back but apparently remembered what I'd said and said it worked really well and felt much better for her.

I've heard of midwives trying to get you to lie on your back because it's easier for them to examine you. Doesn't matter what's easier for them, get in the position that feels best for you. A bit of gravity works wonders too.

That really makes me mad NewJumper :(

I delivered ds1 squatting
Ds2 kneeling.
Bad tears with both :(
Very differing birth weights too.

Yes. Worked really well for me

This is an interesting read

Instrumental births (ventouse (31%), forceps (28%)), and caesarean sections (38%) were more likely to be associated with semi-recumbent positions during labour and normal births were associated with the use of upright labour positions

So lying down giving birth is more closely linked with instrumental births than other types. Yet this is the position lots and lots of women birth in

The associations between semi-recumbent positions in labour and operative deliveries (instrumental and CS) suggest that strategies such as using mobilisation and upright positions would be positive interventions

www.rcm.org.uk/sites/default/files/Birth%20position%20Report%20FINAL%20Aug2011.pdf

I spent almost entire labour on knees leaning over birth ball and pushed DD out whilst on all fours. I had dry skin on knees for months from the pressure! No other injuries though.

I've laboured/delivered three out of four babies on all fours. I delivered my first on my back to make monitoring easier - never again! It is perfectly possible to monitor you on all fours or even sitting on a birth ball. If a midwife can't cope with your choice of position then you need to change the midwife, not your position!

Do be careful about squatting/standing/kneeling up with a large baby. Some women find it fine, others tear terribly. You could also consider lying on your left side with your right leg supported. I've never tried it but I'm told it's good for big babies especially if you are too tired to do anything other than lay down. Listen to your body. You'll find out what suits you.

If you end up with an epidural, it may or may not be possible to get onto all fours depending on how wobbly your legs get - with my first birth, despite really bad SPD and an epidural, the MW and MrNC and other birth partner managed to get me onto all fours where I stayed for about 6 hours comfortably.
In my second labour, my knees were much more like jelly and with only MrNC and a tiny MW with an injured shoulder, we never managed to get me turned over.

Many hours pre-epidural on all fours on a sort of triangular beanbag were nice, too.

Gave birth in this position. It also made my labour very very quick

I was with my DIL when she tried to give birth in this position but it just didn't work for her.

I only managed this with DD who was born in a pool. With DSs, both dry land births, my legs collapsed with each contraction so it was impossible.

I stayed in this position for my entire labour and gave birth this way too. The mw asked me to lay down so she could examine me at one point and the pain was unbearable so I refused to move from my hands and knees after that. I did tear but that was unavoidable as dd had both hands on her head but it felt good to be working with gravity.

Oh and the cannula- the antibiotics they give you for group B strep in labour only take about 30 minutes to run through, then they will disconnect the line so you can move around as much as you like, so unless you have a very fast labour it shouldn't be a problem.

I was in this position for a while and also kneeling for a while, but no experience of pushing like that, I had hoped to deliver like that, but I needed monitoring because there'd been meconium in my waters, and the heartrate monitor didn't work very well in this position. Anyway DS got distressed and emergency buzzers were pulled and I ended up having forceps delivery, but for the time I was in that position I found it really comfortable.

Ds2 at 9lb was delivered on all fours but that was more a 'crawl on the bed before baby drops on the floor' moment.