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Activity and Position Change in Labor

A new review of studies finds that women who are active, moving and changing position during labor are less likely to need a cesarean section.  They also were found to have shorter labors by an average of one hour, and were slightly less likely to need an epidural.  The review from the Cochrane Collaboration, which looked at 21 studies with a total of 3,706 women, reinforces what midwives have long encouraged - it's better to be out of bed!  This review also found that lying down in labor was no safer than standing or sitting.  This reinforces the idea that women should be allowed to move around freely during labor without any increased risk of fetal distress. 

Lawrence, Lewis, Hofmeyr, Dowswell, Styles. Maternal positions and mobility during first stage labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 2, 2009.