3 resting positions for labour (and why you need them)

As you’re starting to prepare for labour & birth, you might have heard about the benefits of an ‘active birth’. That to make your labour as effective as possible, you should be as active as possible during labour, using gravity and movement to help your baby engage and progress down. And that is true... to a certain extent.

Because what it doesn't mean that you HAVE TO be active ALL THE TIME. Listening to your body's intuition and your need for REST is equally important.

That's because:

• Labours can be long journeys (especially the first time around)  for which you need to preserve energy to help you go the distance

• Finding rest between surges helps you avoid accumulating tension, and so stay as comfortable as you can (as well as preserve energy)

• And importantly, resting positions can still work with gravity and create optimum space for your baby to engage/rotate through the pelvis, i.e. work in your favour with minimum effort!

So here are my 3 favourite positions that you can use to find rest - for a short or long while - during the first stage of labour.

These are equally fabulous to adopt in late pregnancy to encourage your baby to move or stay into an optimal position (more on this in this other blog post!), or simply to enjoy a much-needed rest, of course!

1 - Ladder pose

Stand a short distance from a wall (or closed door, or fixed shelves), feet at least hip-width apart, toes turned out.
Fold your forearms on the wall and rest your forehead on your arms, helping you feel unobserved and centred.
Let the wall take as much of your weight as possible. You can let your hips sway side to side, or find stillness. A partner can hold your ankles or swoop their hands down your shoulders and back.

2 - Supported child’s pose

From a kneeling position, take the knees as apart as you need to make space for your bump. Rest your chest and arms/head against your birthing ball. This can also be a chair, the edge of the sofa, bed or birthing pool, or your partner’s lap. Like the above, this position still works with gravity, is forward leaning and opens the top of the pelvis, which is optimum during the first stage of labour. This is also a very comfortable position to release lower back pain in pregnancy!

In hot weather / if feeling hot, you can place a cool towel over your neck, or a little ice pack wrapped in a cloth between the ball and your chest.

3 - Side lying

If labour turns out to be long and you feel the need to be off your legs or sleep, side lying is a much better option than lying on your back (to be avoided if you at all can!). Lie down on the side your baby is lying (use Belly mapping from Spinning Babies or ask your midwife) and prop your knees open, bringing feet together, to create an optimal opening in the pelvis.
If you don’t have a peanut ball like on the picture (a lot of birthing units have them), you can use cushions instead. This is also a great way to rest during early labour, when surges aren’t regular yet, and throughout pregnancy (when lying on the sofa, for example!).

If you’d like to explore more yoga-based labour and birth positions supported by pelvis biomechanics and birth physiology, why not join me for my next birth preparation online workshop?

The workshop is also available as a private session for you and a birth partner, entirely bespoke to your needs, either in-person in your home (London/Surrey only) or online. Just get in touch if you would like to learn more.