New study challenges advice for giving birth

THE idea that lying down while giving birth is a bad thing has been challenged by researchers.

Women are often told to stay active in labour or adopt upright positions to prevent slowing down delivery, ease pain and reduce the chance of needing intervention such as forceps.

But a new study has found that women are actually more likely to have a natural birth without any intervention if they lay on their side rather than staying upright.

The length of labour was also slightly shorter when women were lying down and they were no more likely to need a ventouse or forceps delivery, Cesarean section or to suffer tearing.

The study, the largest to date on the issue, examined 3,093 first-time mothers having a low-dose epidural.

At present, UK guidelines say women having an epidural should stay upright in the second stage of labour to reduce the chance they will need ventouse or forceps.

But the new study questions this and its experts also plan to replicate the clinical trial in women not having an epidural.

They said the current evidence suggesting lying down is bad was of poor quality.

Professor Peter Brocklehurst, from the University of Birmingham, who worked on the study, said: “If you look at the evidence saying upright is best, then yes, it should be questioned.”

But Prof Brocklehurst warned women not to lay flat on their backs. He said this was known to cause distress to the baby and should not be recommended.