Why Do Women Give Birth on Their Backs? Is King Louis XIV to Blame for the Supine Position?
Most women deliver their babies while lying on their backs. Some reports claimed that women ended up in a supine position during delivery due to King Louis XIV.
Why Do Women Give Birth on Their Backs?
Instead of reclining on your back, there are several benefits to giving birth while squatting, kneeling, or going on your hands and knees. X-rays have demonstrated that squatting or being on your hands and knees causes the pelvic outlet to widen, which speeds up labor. The majority of women in the US give birth while lying on their backs, despite the fact that this position prolongs labor and decreases contractions, per IFLScience.
There are rumors that in the 17th century, a perverse monarch from France allegedly loved watching while his wife gave birth. Scholars claimed in one study that King Louis XIV enjoyed watching the delivery for "perverted" motives.
Professor Lauren Dundes wrote in the American Journal of Public Health that the king was sometimes given credit for it because he enjoyed watching the birth and got frustrated when it occurred on a birth stool as it obscured the view. He reportedly suggested the supine position.
Dundes noted that King Louis XIV ordered the change, which may have contributed to why women deliver on their backs. However, how he ended up with the policy remains unclear.
The masses may have been influenced by the royalty's advocacy for the particular birthing position. However, the monarch wasn't really to blame for it.
The change in position, which had started to slowly acquire favor in France from the late 1500s, was attributed to the renowned 17th-century French physician François Mauriceau. Reclining bed delivery was both comfortable for the ladies and accessible for the midwives and surgeons.
Meanwhile, according to BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, women give birth in the supine position because nurse-midwives have instructed them to do so. This position reportedly gives them the freedom to continuously monitor the progress of labor and support delivery most effectively. Also, it is the most well-known and commonly used birthing position.
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Best Birthing Position
While giving laboring people options, various birthing positions can also make them feel more in control of the experience, which can lead to better results like reduced discomfort. Saleemah McNeil, a birth doula and reproductive psychotherapist, believes that one should be in charge of their labor experience, Parents reported.
She encourages her clients to explore various birthing positions like standing, hands and knees, squatting and side-lying. According to McNeil, she wanted her clients to find what works best for them.
Per Lancaster General Health, squatting is a fantastic position for giving birth because it increases the pelvic opening and allows gravity to assist the process. When squatting during labor, keep your feet flat on the ground and parallel to one another.
As you push, get support from your spouse, the medical staff, a doula, or a birthing bar. As you rest in between contractions, taking breaks in a non-squatting position might be beneficial.
Kimberly Eversly gave birth to her two babies on her back and her third standing. According to her, in the last one, she felt so relaxed because she received massages and it was the easiest labor. She added that it was the first time she didn't scream while giving birth.
For her fourth pregnancy, Eversly opted for the hands and knees position because she was feeling like a pro and for her, it was "the best experience." She remembered how her baby just came out, and her labor was less than an hour.
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