Dynamic Positions in Birth: A Fresh Look at How Women's Bodies Work in Labour

The delivery room is designed around the obstetric bed, which was designed for the benefit of the obstetrician rather than the woman giving birth. Jowitt argues that unnatural positions make labor and birth more painful and difficult for modern women than it was for their ancestors. This updated edition expands Jowitt's new biomechanical model of how the uterus works, which has profound implications for giving mothers freedom of movement in labor and birth. It explores how rethinking positions for labor and birth could benefit mothers and their babies.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 224 pages
\n Publication date: 01 October 2020
\n Publisher: Pinter & Martin Ltd.
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Most women give birth in hospitals, institutions modeled around the needs of the people who work there. The delivery room is designed around the obstetric bed, which was designed for the benefit of the obstetrician rather than the woman giving birth. Despite research showing the benefits of upright positions in labor and birth, most women in the UK still give birth in the semi-reclined position, pushing their baby out against the forces of gravity. Jowitt argues that unnatural positions make labor and birth more painful and difficult for modern women than it was for their ancestors. How did we come to prioritize the needs of caregivers over those of the laboring woman? Is there anything that can be done?

Starting with a short history of birth furniture, Dynamic Positions in Birth goes on to explore the anatomy and physiology of labor from an evolutionary perspective. This updated edition expands Jowitt's new biomechanical model of how the uterus works, first published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2018, which has profound implications for giving mothers freedom of movement in labor and birth. It explores how rethinking positions for labor and birth could benefit mothers and their babies.

Equally important is the need to change attitudes toward birth so that women are encouraged to play a more active part in the birth of their babies instead of being subjected to clinical interventions designed to mitigate the adverse effects of laboring in a starkly unnatural environment. Jowitt argues that it is possible to give women laboring in hospitals a better chance of giving birth naturally. The book concludes by calling for a fresh look at the environment for birth. Delivery rooms can be made more user-friendly by introducing furniture designed.

\n Weight: 280g\n
Dimension: 135 x 215 x 21 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781780666907\n
Edition number: 2nd revised and updated edition\n