The Importance of Upright Positions In Labour and Birth.

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you all about a wonderful piece of birthing equipment called Comfortable Upright Birth Support - CUB. There are many reasons why I think every hospital should have one of these, why every birthing woman should have access to one.

Throughout history and around the world, women have used both upright and gravity- neutral positions to push their babies out. Objects like posts, rebozos and ropes have been used to gain better leverage, women have also used birth supports or stools.

If you have ever used a birth stool or seen one, you would have noticed that they are either made of wood or rigid plastic – they can be hard and uncomfortable for the mother to use and can’t be used for extended periods of time.

The CUB can be used as a comfortable support not only throughout labour and birth of the baby but can also be used during pregnancy to help encourage baby to adopt an ideal position for birth.

It’s innovative and versatile design means that it can be comfortably used to lean over-supporting an ‘all fours’ position, lean against in a kneeling position, relax and rest against when necessary or to sit on. Most women will instinctively find their own position during labour and birth.

Upright doesn’t mean standing only, and whilst this is a great position to labour and give birth in, it is not the only upright position. Other positions include sitting upright (as shown above), kneeling on all fours or squatting using a Comfortable Upright Birth (CUB) support, being held and supported by your birth partner and lying on your side.

The CUB allows mothers to adopt and maintain positions that are not only the most comfortable but physically the most helpful for them and their baby during labour, making giving birth easier, faster and most importantly, safer!

Comfortable Upright Birth support - CUB, can be used for various pregnacy, labour and birth positions.

Upright positions during birth (sitting, kneeling, squatting, and all fours) have been the topic of much research in recent years, and the results of the research are dramatically in favour, these are the advantages of upright positions:

• Being upright during labour and birth can increase the available space within your pelvis by 28-30% giving more room for baby to be born
• Your contractions are more effective. Some preliminary studies have shown that an upright position in labour is as effective as an Oxytocin (Pitocin) infusion in stimulating contractions
• Your baby is 54% less likely to become distressed during labour and birth if you are in an upright position
• The length of the first stage of labour, between 3-10 centimetres can be significantly less when you remain upright, active and mobile
• Upright positions reduce the duration of the second stage (pushing stage) of labour
• Being upright has been shown to result in a 23% reduction in medically assisted deliveries- more space, less distress and a shorter labour results in fewer necessary interventions
• A 21% reduction in rates of episiotomy (a cut made to the area between your vagina and  anus) in women who give birth in an upright position
• A 29% reduction in emergency caesarean sections
• Mothers have a reduced need for epidural pain relief when they are upright

The positions you use during your labour and the birth can have a huge impact on you, your baby and your labour. With lots of research supporting the benefits of upright positions, you can make your labour shorter, make giving birth easier whilst reducing the risks of complications during the birth.

You can also Find out more about CUB and the benefits via www.cub-support.com or their Facebook page www.facebook.com/CUBsupport

CUB also has section dedicated to evidence, research and information on upright positions, this can be found on the site www.cub-support.com/resources/ which I highly recommend taking a look at and learning more about.

I Dream Of CUB

When I first became a birth educator, I came across a wonderful product called CUB – Comfortable Upright Birth Support. As soon as I saw a CUB, I wanted one! I needed one I wanted one for my classes and for my doula clients to use, truth is I REALLY REALLY WANTED  them to have a one at their birth.

I have been happily dreaming and pining over one for a while – yes that right, I’ve dreamt about a CUB 😊, these dreams have been glorious. I’ve had dreams of using a CUB with clients, of having them feel the comfort and ease of using one. I have dreams of showing my birth education students how along with the knowledge and skills they learn in class, that they can also use upright right positions and the CUB to shorten labour, reduce interventions and help get baby into an optimal position, whilst helping to open up their pelvis to help their baby descend.

Yep – this is one dreamy tool that I’ve wanted to have for birth classes and for doula clients.

As a Birth Educator I teach the value of labouring and birthing in an upright position. It is also one of the key Healthy Birth Practices I teach in my Lamaze classes – Healthy Birth Practice #5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body’s urges to push. Studies show that birthing in upright positions can shorten labour and decrease pain, as well as increase pelvic diameter and reduce the need for interventions. (Care Practice #5: Spontaneous Pushing)

As a doula I see the importance of birthing in an upright position and of using gravity neutral positions during birth, I see how positions can change and affect the length of labour and the comfort of birth as well as the position of the baby.

The fact that The CUB (Comfortable Upright Birth) support is a comfortable, versatile birthing support designed to help mothers adopt and maintain positions that are physically the most helpful for them and their babies during labor and birth, is a must for use at births. The CUB is designed with the mother in mind and birthing needs, being able to use the CUB throughout labor as a comfortable support, either to sit on, rest on or lean over as well as to give birth to her baby on – the fact that the mother can birth on a CUB and not have to move again really shows how the design has be thoughtfully thought of with the mothers needs in minds (let’s face it, it’s never fair to move a mother who is in a comfortable position for birth)

For me I know it’s going to be an invaluable tool for me and doula clients to use. I want to help mothers to adopt and maintain positions that are not only the most comfortable but physically the most helpful for them and their baby during labour, helping them give birth easier, faster and most importantly, safer! I’m looking forward to sharing CUB with my future clients and having them see and feel the benefits of upright positioning and using a CUB that is designed for this purpose and comfort.

Find out more about CUB and the benefits via www.cub-support.com or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CUBsupport

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1948091/pdf/JPE160035.pdf