Upright delivery, less pain for the mother
A large amount of archaeological data proves that vertical delivery is an ancient traditional delivery method. Relief in the palace of the Egyptian Pharaoh depicts Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, kneeling on the ground, surrounded by 5 women, one of whom is delivering a baby. Among the ancient Babylonian relics excavated by archaeologists, it was verified that a special childbirth chair has a history of 2,000 years.
Sleeping childbirth only appeared in the past two hundred years. This fashion is said to have originated during the reign of King Louis XIV of France. One day, Louis XIV suddenly wanted to see how his mistress gave birth. To give the king a better view, the mother was placed on the bed. Perhaps the king was pleased, and Louis XIV then ordered that only women who were lying down to give birth could be delivered. Vaginal birth became popular, but this passive method of birth only benefited curious onlookers and lazy doctors, who could only use forceps to extract the baby or perform a painless delivery.
Nina Kuznetsova, director of the obstetrics department of the Fourth Maternity and Gynecology Hospital in Moscow, was the first person in Russia to use vertical delivery. She recalled: During the delivery, I had to kneel in front of my mother for three hours. Sometimes I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion. Since then, I have delivered hundreds of women who had delivered upright. Some women who gave birth in a lying position for the first time and asked for an upright position for the second time said it was much easier.
Why is it so much easier to give birth upright?
Experts believe that women in an upright position produce more endorphins, natural painkillers and anti-shock substances, and therefore have faster labor. The labor pain time can be shortened by half, from the usual 6-10 hours to 3-4 hours. After delivery, mothers can breastfeed their babies without taking any prolactin medication.
Additionally, since the baby is head-down in the mother\’s womb, the pull of Earth\’s gravity can lessen the pain of childbirth. The likelihood of performing a laparotomy and using forceps is correspondingly reduced. Babies born naturally suffer less hardship and are more adaptable to the outside world. They are significantly better than children of the same age in learning to speak, walk, and physical development.
Data shows that in Sweden, the United States, Germany and Japan, an average of 60% of mothers choose vertical delivery. A report recently released by the United States on a survey of women giving birth in 76 countries showed that only 14 countries gave birth in a side-lying or supine position, while the remaining countries gave birth in a squatting position or standing on bed rails. Mode of delivery.