Moving towards Motherhood
There are many ways women can choose to birth. How we choose to birth matters!
For women who want a vaginal delivery it’s important to know movement is an important part of both labor and delivery. After having the opportunity to witness births as a Doula, I believe knowing and preparing for movement while birthing is important. It helps step soon-to-be mothers prepare for birthing day. Maintaining health and fitness during pregnancy is the most important place to start, but let’s fast forward to birthing day or days as the case may be…
In the first stage of labor many women stay at home while they experience uterine contractions. These increase in terms of intensity, frequency, and duration as labor progresses. Rhythmic uterine contractions help the fetus to descend through the woman’s bony pelvis. Timing these contractions help women, their birth partners, and medical providers to know how labor is progressing. Unlike in the movies, most labors are lengthy processes that can range from several hours to days. Alternating between walking, showering, resting and moving between positions can help to distract the mind and reduce pain associated with labor.
Movement in Labor
Due to the limited amount of space available in the bony pelvis, the fetus most commonly descends in a predictable way. The medical community calls this “the cardinal movements of labor”. Remember your baby is experiencing movement with each contraction. It’s the two of you in this together!
Most commonly the fetus is positioned head first (cephalic), facing rearward towards the mothers back (occiput anterior), the body angled either to the left or right, neck flexed forward, chin tucked in, and arms folded across the chest. Depending on both the position (the way the fetus is facing) and the presentation (the part of the fetus that is leading the way through the birthing canal) labor and delivery can be more or less difficult.
The Role of Physical Therapy in Labor
Exploring different positions for labor and birthing is one way women can modulate pain and help to facilitate fetal descent. Upright positions allow gravity to assist in the descent. Changing positions can allow birthing women to widen the pelvis when and where it is needed (that extra little space really can help!). For some women, movements come very naturally. For others, we need to practice, practice, practice. Physical therapists can help pregnant women who are experiencing neuro-muscular or orthopedic pain. Together they can explore comfortable positioning, as well as practicing moving between them. This may help build confidence and lead to more positive birthing experiences.
Colchrane released a report in 2015 that looked at over 5,000 birthing experiences. They found that the first stage of labor may be approximately one hour and twenty minutes shorter for women who are able to assume upright positions and/or walk around.
Physical therapy might be right for you. If you are experiencing pregnancy related discomfort or pain check us out. It’s important to improve your ability to move comfortably to help you prepare for birthing. At Body Harmony our team of therapists are here to help you throughout your pregnancy and help prepare you for labor.
Written by: Gwen Harvey, PT
Edited by: Keely Faridi, PT
