Optimising labour time for expectant mums - Unique birthing positions, biomechanics and holistic care.
Birthing teams across our Women’s Hospital have joined together to learn more about ‘birthing biomechanics’ to further support expectant mums during labour. 
With the longest recorded labour being 75 days, and the average labour time of eight to 12 hours, midwives at our Women’s Hospital want to help women have the most positive and empowering experience, reducing the chance of delayed labour.
The pain of labour can be intense and to experience this for hours at a time can be extremely exhausting. This can result in women seeking pain relief or having to undergo a caesarean section which can be avoided. Using biomechanical techniques to aid birth can sometimes even speed up labour and make the experience more comfortable for women, reducing complications and the need for pain relief. This can include feeling a woman's belly, to identify the current position of the baby during birth, so that midwifes can tailor their advice to each woman.
Birthing biomechanics allows midwives to have a deeper holistic understanding into the physiology of birth so that they can assist and advise mothers during the challenging stages of labour. By optimising their knowledge of birthing positions, massage, comforting techniques, and understanding the maternal pelvis, midwives can facilitate optimal labour for expectant mums. By understanding the physiology and positioning of the baby during labour, midwifery colleagues can go onto reduce other complications such as breech births, emergency caesarean sections, heavy bleeding and exhaustion caused by prolonged labour.
Birthing positions are recommended by midwives during labour to increase comfort and allow the baby room to move towards the final stages.
Jayne Weller, our Home birth Midwife said: “One birthing position I can swear by is the forward-leaning inversion which looks like you’re doing a headstand but instead, using a chair, bed or sofa to support you. I used this position during my labour, and it helped my body move into established labour. We were also introduced to using a Rebozo, a South American shawl that can be used to aid women through the intrapartum period, providing support and comfort during labour and birth.
“The training has given us greater confidence in applying our knowledge. It was a fantastic day and so informative. Our inspiration to continue expanding upon our skills is all about providing quality, individualised, care to each new mum during their labour – each woman is different so having a more in-depth knowledge of the ways to resolve delayed labour has had a significant impact upon our mothers and babies. A biomechanical issue can often be spotted early on in labour as women may experience a pain that appears abnormal for this stage, or it might go on for longer than expected.”
The training sessions are being facilitated by Optimal Birth which is helping towards the enrichment of midwifery knowledge across our hospital.