Can anyone shed some light?

Question

I am just watching a programme called Maternity Ward on Living2 and I was just wondering why do American women lie on their backs during labour?
Isnt it best to move around and have an active labour? I was told that if you lie on your back then its more painful and there is more chance of something going wrong or your labour stopping and that if you move around a lot during labour then it speeds things up and if you give birth in a more upright position or on your hands and knees then it is less painful and easier to give birth as you are not going against gravity.
So my question is, why do american women lie on their backs during labour like the old days instead of having an active labour which has been proven to be better?
Can anyone shed some light please?

Answer 1

In college I took a womens studies class that addressed this issue. The professor told us that when labor became a medical issue and women began to see doctors (as opposed to midwives) during pregnancy/labor then the medical profession began to treat it like a disease or problem. So patients were forced to lay in bed hooked up to IV's and whatever else where the doctors could monitor and control the labor instead of letting things take their natural course. In addition, during the pushing stages, women are up in a bed on a table where the doctor can sit on a stool and have and easy view to watch labor progress and they don't have to compromise their own position to deliver the baby...instead the mother is compromised being forced on her back. Thats about all I really remember from the class but I guess alot of it makes sense. I've chosen a midwife for my pregnancy and feel that she can do a better job of letting labor take its course to deliver the baby rather than treating the process as another medical intervention.

Answer 2

Shabbily-written but pretty accurate Wikipedia bit on that

"Lithotomy position and childbirth
As a birth position, it has been popular in the past with obstetricians as it allows a good view of the birth process. However, the position is not conducive to a smooth labor as it constricts the birth canal, puts pressure on the coccyx, prevents the fetal ejection reflex from occurring, and does not allow the mother to move during the process, therefore increasing pain in labor. During labor, the position appears to cause compression of the main maternal arteries including the vena cava, thereby reducing the flow of blood to the infant. Restricted bloodflow frequently results in higher rates of morbidity and mortality for both fetus and mother. [[1]]

Additionally, since the lithotomy position essentially "fights gravity" leading to a less active birthing process. Passive birthing, which often requires more invasive medical interventions, is associated with increased trauma to both infant and mother, may lead to serious birth complications. [[2]]

In Western countries the use of the lithotomy position for active labour has seen a decline in recent years. One notable exeception, however, is the United States, where the lithotomy position remains common practice despite solid scientific support [[3]]. Many attribute the use of the lithotomy position, named after surgical procedure to remove kidney stones and bladder stones, to a centuries-long trend towards the medicalization of birth. [[4]]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithotomy_position

Why? Well, it's possible that they*'re a little stupid...


* Before rushing for the thumbs-down, ask yourself if this refers to women, or their doctors.

Answer 3

Maybe they were tired. Being in labour can be very exhausting you know.
Or maybe the pain was to great for them, not all ladies can have drugs due to other health problems

I layed on my back the whole time I was in labour with my second daughter, for the whole 14 hours. I think next time I will try to get up and move around as I now have a perament back problem and have to see a pshyo

Answer 4

NO matter what position you are in the pain is all the same. You may think that by changing positions the pain will go away but that's not the case. First time mom and I laid on my back the entire time and my labor went fast. 5am-7:55am. Labor is different for everyone! When you have an IV or are attached to machines it's not that easy to just get up and move, plus when you're in labor you are bleeding.

Answer 5

Not "all" american women lay on their back during labor. It is the most widely used method however.
I have the option at my hospital of have a traditional delivery, a water birth or sitting.
I will however be having my child in the traditional method of lying down.
I definitely will not be squatting on hands and knees like a caveman when I deliver.

Answer 6

you are correct....lying on your back is horribly painful but alot of hospitals are not comfortable with women freely roaming and moving and don't what feels right...it prevents them from being able to monitor the women as easily, 80% of women receive pitocin to either start or speed up contractions through an iv and a hospital wants you to say in bed after that....also since all you see on TV is women lying on their backs u think that's what ur supposed to do (sad) lying on your back can cause the baby to become positioned improperly and is OMG extremely painful and i feel is a big reason over 80% of women have epidurals... birthing on your side or squating make a huge difference and helps alot i know from experience .... i really can't tell you why hospitals have not caught on to these simple techniques yet... or why they fear an active labor but not pumping a women full of potentally harmful drugs....

Answer 7

In my case the hospital had a fit when I got up and rocked in the chair. I am not sure but it is a great question.

Answer 8

I completely agree with you. But I'm American and that's the way out hospitals and insurance will have us deliver our babies...completely against gravity and nature.

Answer 9

why do you have to make it sound like american women are not as smart as where ever you are from? first of all we do as the doctors instruct. i walked around i used a ball. i used the sitting position but i did what the doctors said. you need to stop your assumption that we all do things the same way. we do what works.

Answer 10

b/c most american women get epidurals, and w/ that, you cant move around... youre stuck in the bed when you have an epi.