Five Reasons Not to Birth on Your Back
Excerpt from The Birth Book written by William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N.:
- It will hurt mother.
- It can harm baby.
- Labor slows.
- Episiotomy or tears are more likely.
- It makes no sense.
Being upright for birth not only gives baby an easier angle for delivery, but it also widens the passage. When you’re up and out of bed your pelvic joints, loosened by the hormones of pregnancy, are free to move and accommodate the little passenger with the large head and broad shoulders. While sitting or lying down, these bones aren’t as free to move, and your pelvic outlet narrows. In additions, vertical birth allows more natural stretching of the birth-canal tissues and is kinder to the perineum, making episiotomy unnecessary and tears less likely.
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~ by cmb0414 on May 4, 2010.
Posted in Informed Consent
Tags: Baby, Birth, Episiotomy, Hormones, Informed Consent, Labor, Mother, Pelvic Joints, Perineal Tears, Perineum, Required Reading, Upright Position, Vertical Birth, Why Parents Need Labor Support
