Have a Positive Birth: Tip #3

Your body is meant to move in labor. Not be stuck in a bed.

Walking, moving into different positions, rhythmic movement such as swaying or lightly bouncing (like on a birth ball) are what helps progress labor.

Allowing your body to naturally respond to where it feels pressure, discomfort, or yes, even pain, is your body's way of communicating what it needs to help labor progress and to get baby out.

Staying immobile and non-responsive to your body's signals (a common issue with an epidural) can cause labor to slow down or even stall.

However, an epidural is not always a bad thing. Sometimes you need rest if your labor is long or overwhelming. Getting still and lessening some of your body's cues can help you get the much needed rest for the hard work to come. If you choose to have an epidural throughout your labor, there are positions you and your partner (and doula) can help you move into to help your body and baby.

A Lamaze childbirth class will teach you these movement techniques along with the ones to try if you are using an epidural.