There are SO many different labor positions that you can try during your birth! The cool part about labor is that you tend to intuitively move in a way that OPENS your pelvis and helps your baby wiggle and rock through your pelvis WITHOUT even thinking about it!
But, it can be helpful to know some laboring positions to try if you feel stuck or unsure on how to create MORE space in your pelvis for your baby!
Rotate Baby In Your Pelvis
If baby is engaged into the pelvis, we can focus on opening the midpelvis, or the bony portion of the pelvis that baby is rotating through during birth.
The midpelvis opens more with:
- Asymmetrical movement to open the midpelvis diagonally
- External rotation of one femur (open hip position) creates more space in the upper midpelvis for baby to BEGIN their rotation into the pelvis
- Anterior pelvic tilt makes external rotation EASIER to find to open the upper midpelvis
- Internal rotation of one femur (closed hip position) creates more space in the lower midpelvis for baby to FINISH their rotation out of the pelvis to get under the pubic bone
- Posterior pelvic tilt makes internal rotation EASIER to find to open the lower midpelvis
The goal at the midpelvis is for baby to ROTATE from LOT to OA so that they can then extend under the pubic bone for birth!
One of our favorite movements to do to open the midpelvis is lunges!
The Half Lunge Position: Open the Midpelvis
The midpelvis is opened more with asymmetrical or one-sided movements, such as lunges! The midpelvis has two levels, the upper and lower, that each open with opposite movement patterns BUT rocking back and forth between the two levels can help baby rock and wiggle through the pelvis!
In the half lunge position:
- Either lean into your partner from a standing position or lean against a birth ball for a floor-based position
- Rock back and forth from a closed to open hip position; think to drive the knee forward for an open hip, and drive the knee backward for a closed hip position
- Alternating between the legs as you need; maybe try 10-20 minutes on one side, or alternating each contraction! Explore the movement.
The half lunge position is a great labor position to open the midpelvis to support rotation, BUT we need to:
- Alleviate pelvic girdle pain that may make unilateral movements painful or inaccessible
- Ensure that we have the movement capability to find external AND internal rotation on one side (this is where prenatal fitness programming can be helpful)
- Releasing tension in the pelvic floor to make it easier for baby to rotate
Prepare for Half Lunges in Labor
For the half lunge labor position, we need to be able to achieve:
- External rotation of the femur: open hip position
- For external rotation, we need the adductors and hamstrings to release + the lats and glutes to pull the pelvis into external rotation
- Internal rotation of the femur: closed hip position
- For internal rotation, we need the lats and glutes to release + the adductors and hamstrings to pull the pelvis into internal rotation
The biggest limiting factor for opening the midpelvis will include:
- Pelvic girdle pain making one-legged movements painful or inaccessible
- You CAN find relief from pelvic girdle pain! You do NOT need to be in a pain as a part of being pregnant.
- Finding internal rotation to open the lower midpelvis.
- Prenatal postural tendencies tend to be more externally rotated and extended, so finding internal rotation and a posterior pelvic tilt can be more challenging!
Exercises to Prep for Birth
1. Cossack Lunges
Cossack lunges emphasize one-sided external rotation and stretch the opposite leg’s inner thigh (adductor) to make it easier to find external rotation. We can incorporate cossack lunges into our prenatal workouts to prepare to open the upper midpelvis!
Movement tips:
- As you lower in the cossack lunge, shift the weight towards one side as you hinge the hips backward
- Inhale to lower
- As you stand back up, shift the weight back into both feet to stand upright
- Exhale as you stand up to lift UP in the pelvic floor
- Then switch sides
- Option to hold weight to make it more challenging!
- Need it to be easier? Hold onto rings or a sturdy structure to provide some support!
Watch the demo video for an example on HOW to do this movement!
2. Reverse Lunge with Internal Rotation
Next, we can emphasize moving from EXTERNAL to INTERNAL rotation and back! The midpelvis is about being able to SHIFT between both movements to rock and wiggle baby through the pelvis!
Internal rotation tends to be a neglected movement pattern in most fitness programs, and its importance is generally overlooked in prenatal fitness programs (but not in ours).
If we cannot find internal rotation, we tend to have more issues with:
- Pelvic girdle pain
- The pelvis needs to shift position to stabilize as we walk and move. If we cannot find internal rotation, it can make stabilization in the pelvic girdle joints more challenging
- Labor stalls
- The lower midpelvis needs to open more for baby to FINISH their rotation under the pubic bone.
- If we cannot find internal rotation, we may experience more late labor stalls!
Watch the video below for more on how to incorporate internal rotation to prepare for birth!
We can use lunges to emphasize the shift from internal to external rotation!
Movement tips:
- At the bottom of the movement, find internal rotation!
- Think belly to thigh; rotate the pelvis to the femur
- You should feel more of a stretch in the glute and hamstring at the bottom
- Keep the knee stacked over the ankle
- Keep weight in thee big toe side of the foot
- As you stand up or extend in the legs, rotate the pelvis to face forward
- Exhale as you stand up!
- Option to add bands or weights to make it more challenging!
- Need it easier? Decrease overall movement!
- Instead of walking lunges, try reverse or split stance!
- Still issues? Try a squat with uneven loading!
If you want more of a breakdown of WHAT to do throughout your prenatal workouts, check out our prenatal fitness programs! We offer it in two formats:
- 40-Week Prenatal Strength in the Teambuildr App (traditional delivery format)
- Prenatal On-Demand with full-length workout videos that you follow along as you workout
3. Staggered Stance RDL with Row
We can continue to emphasize a shift from internal to external rotation with the staggered stance RDL with row!
This movement is more hinge focused (as opposed to the lunge which is more like the squat), so it works the hamstrings more (aka what helps us find internal rotation)!
Adding in the row helps to find more external rotation at the top (aka helps us shift from internal to external) and the reach at the bottom lengthens the lats (makes it easier to find internal rotation)!
Movement tips:
- At the bottom of the movement:
- Reach forward with the opposite arm to stretch the lats
- Feel more of a stretch in the glutes and hamstring as you bring the belly to thigh
- Keep the knee stacked over the ankle
- Weight in the big toe side of the foot
- At the top of the movement:
- Row the band back as you extend in the hips
- Exhale to stand up and row
Watch the breakdown video to learn more about HOW to do this exercise.
4. 90/90 Hip Mobility
And finally, we can focus on mobility!
Please note that there is A LOT we can do mobility-wise to support movement in the midpelvis!
We include a lot of mobility exercises in our prenatal fitness programs and pelvic floor prep for birth program!
Movement tips:
- Start in a 90/90 position, with one leg externally rotated and the other leg internally rotated behind you
- Find even weight distribution between both hips
- Then rock between both legs; shifting towards the forward leg and the back leg.
Watch the breakdown video to learn more about HOW to do this hip mobility exercise!
We incorporate lots of thoracic and pelvic mobility in our prenatal fitness programs and pelvic floor prep for birth course so you can move your pelvis more easily as you prepare for birth.
Open the Pelvis to Help Baby Rotate
Movement is key for labor progress! We can create space in each pelvic level based on the type of labor position we find. We do NOT want to maintain a static position our entire labor, but rather change positions every 20-30 minutes!
Explore labor positions during pregnancy to FEEL which positions allow you to release and relax the most; which ones are most comfortable for you; and which ones feel the BEST for you! It is important that we can easily find positions to create space in our pelvic levels for an easier labor and faster birth!