If you imagine a pregnant mother giving birth to her baby, you probably conjure up an image of a woman lying on her back in a hospital bed with her legs raised. This image is painted for us by many different forms of media, especially television.
But this has not always been the standard birth position for a woman!
History:
King Louis XIV liked to watch his mistresses give birth on their backs.
King Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, had many children. He had a particular obsession with watching his mistresses give birth. He enjoyed watching the process from start to finish and was disappointed when his view was obstructed, as women at the time gave birth in a different position. They were supported on their hands, facing away from the mother.
Women who have given birth this way have said that the process was much easier, and logically this is because the pelvic bones open more easily in that position, making the birth process faster and certainly less painful.
King Louis, on the other hand, made the birthing position we know today the standard for his mistresses, and many women in France began to follow suit.
In 1750, a German doctor wanted to put an end to this madness.
A German doctor began to question this popular method of birth and published his work in entitled "An Ode to the Pains of Childbirth."
It began to be questioned whether lying down was as necessary for women's health as previously thought. Some even recommended that women walk during labor so as not to restrict blood flow - a radical idea at the time!
Around the 1900s, breech birth became the norm.
The hospital became the norm for birth. The move to hospitals was encouraged by doctors who viewed birth as a medical event, not a natural one. The supine position was thought to be easier on the doctor's hands and made it easier for them to monitor contractions and the fetal heart rate.
But it also increased the risk of what we now know as breech or transverse fetal presentation (meaning the baby's head is pointed sideways instead of straight down).
Doctors said that women were more comfortable if they lay down. Since the lying down position was actually not the most effective, doctors performed early medical interventions, which were often painful and without scientific basis.
They placed women in a wooden chair during labor to increase pressure on the uterus, causing mothers to faint or have cramps. They also gave them large doses of opium and sedatives that made it difficult to cope with the pain.
Forceps and other instruments were often used to extract babies, sometimes unnecessarily. Some doctors used this technique so much that they sometimes removed entire organs instead of the baby.
Due to rampant pseudoscience and poor medical practices at the time, the supine position became the standard for women giving birth.
The past influences today's birth rates
Today, the supine position is still the standard. However, many moms are breaking this “rule.” Some moms choose to give birth standing up, sitting down, or even on their hands and feet, as their bodies dictate! Beyond that, the hospital isn’t the only option for giving birth to your baby. Many moms are opting for home births, water births, or other nontraditional (but comfortable) birthing environments.
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Source: Stork Helpers
