It is well-known that upright posture during birth reduces pressure on the major blood vessels, allowing for better oxygen supply to the baby. It also allows the mother to be more mobile, helps to manage her pain better, and makes more room in the pelvis. Positions such as squat, supported squat-dangle, squatting while pulling on a rope, and going on your hands-and-knees, not only allows for gravity to assist during birth, but also according to many studies may increase the pelvic diameters by as much as 33%.
Images of birth in many old midwifery texts, as well as birth art from older civilizations show women giving birth in upright postures. Now, a University of Texas at Arlington Graduate student has helped unearth a rare find – what could be the earliest depictions of women in Western Art! Such depictions have been common in many of the ancient civilizations, but as he says .. “the image is unique because in the classical world we don’t see a lot of birthing scenes” …. Read on...