Women were never meant to give birth on their backs
17 hours ago
- #childbirth history
- #maternal health
- #active birth
- Historically, women gave birth in upright positions (e.g., kneeling, squatting) for thousands of years globally, which aids birth by enlarging the pelvis and using gravity.
- The shift to lying-down births in the last 300-400 years is attributed to French figures: physician François Mauriceau, who saw pregnancy as an illness and prioritized male convenience, and possibly King Louis XIV, who preferred the view.
- Upright positions offer benefits: reduced labor time, lower C-section and epidural rates, less maternal pain, fewer interventions (e.g., forceps), and better baby oxygenation, as supported by scientific reviews.
- Modern institutionalization has limited options like home births, but active birth movements promote upright, mobile labor, with birth centers providing equipment for freedom of movement.
- Guidelines (e.g., from Nice) discourage supine positions in labor, emphasizing informed choice and education to counter misrepresentations in media and improve birthing experiences.