Choosing a Labor Position

How to Practice

You'll need to listen to your body as your labor progresses. As you change positions, your baby will find the best way to fit through the birth canal.

If you practice squatting during pregnancy, it will be easier during labor. If you try squatting down right now, you can probably feel where your upper leg bones, the femora, are attached to your pelvic bones. When you squat, the leg bones act like levers to widen your pelvic outlet by 20 to 30 percent. In the privacy of your own home, assume each one of the other positions. Which position seems to be most comfortable? Next time you watch TV, try squatting and see how long you can last!

Sources: The World Health Organization (www.who.int); Curtin University, School of Nursing

All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.