Labour more difficult when lying in bed?

[happyspider]

I have read an article today on the Evening Startand saying that women having their babies lying in bed in hospitals have more difficulties during labour than women who are left to walk around. Apparently this is because the baby doesn't get the chance to be gently rocked and moved in the best position.
The article was blaming the hospitals in the UK for the rise in emergency C sections when all of these were not always necessary.
As my labour is approaching (ouch!) I wonder what second time mothers think...

I went through most of my labour on my knees leaning over the head board. My back hurt the whole time so this helped.

When I started to push they asked me to lie down on my back!! Which I did..... the labour had progressed really well until then. I had to push for 90 mins!! OUCH.

Jasper, lying on your left hand side is better than lying on your back. RHS isn't so good because of a large blood vessel that runs up that side of the body which can get compressed.

with no1 I gave birth propped up on my back holding on to my own knees - didn't like it one bit - for no2 I was lying on left side - much more comfortable. I think the reason that it was so much more comfortable was that I didn't have to brace myself to push, and could basically relax completely. I needed someone to support my upper leg (ie right leg). Also, lying on my side I didn't have to spread my legs apart so far, I think they were barely more than hip width apart.

Doesn't lying on your side allow your sacrum to flex out of the baby's way, whereas propped up positions put pressure on your sacrum so that it can't move, which makes it harder on the baby?

I also did most of my labour on all fours, on the bed, leaning forward against the bedhead. Seems quite a popular position for us all!! Having said that, once I had my epidural, had to be on my back on the bed as baby needed to be monitored. Was actually quite nice to get a rest and the remaining part of my labour and delivery went really well. Perhaps the time spent on all fours had got the babe into the right position.

I used a birthing chair like the one milch mentions further down the thread (the modern version is very nicely padded though!). It didn't have any arms, but I had support on both sides so that I could stay upright.

Thanks Suew. My midwife did indeed encourage me onto my left side when it became apparent I was not going to relinquish the bed.

pimpernel, what part do you sit on in a birthing chair? I mean, is there any pressure on your bumm or the smmall of your back?