Different labor position: it's effect on labor progress and outcome

Abstract

Background: Maternal body positions have a significant influence on the course of labor. Laboring women who adopt a more upright position for labor experience decreased pain, fewer fetal heart rate abnormalities, a shorter second stage; fewer assisted births, episiotomies and perineal tears. Aim: to study the effect of different labor positions (squatting, lithotomy and semi recumbent positions) up on labor progress and outcome during the second and third stage of labor. Study design: Intervention study. Setting & Sample: It was conducted in at labor unit in Ain Shams Maternity University hospital and El Nabawy El Mohandes public hospital. A total of 386 laboring women were recruited at purposive sample included (72 women adopted squatting, 190 adopted lithotomy and 124 adopted semi recumbent position) Tools used for data collection consisted of laboring women basic data , labor progress and outcome assessment , women satisfaction likert scale and nurse satisfaction likert scale. Results: Duration of second and third stage of labor among women adopted squatting and semi-recumbent position were highly significantly shorter than those women adopted lithotomy position, as well as women adopted squatting position have less using of augmentation, increased urge to push, less worse pain, episiotomy and instrument-assisted birth rate. There were highly significant differences between groups regarding to Apgar score at 1st and 5th minute as well as neonatal complications less among squatting position. Conclusion The delivering in a squatting position is associated with beneficial effects for women and their neonate. Recommendation: Training program for care givers (health team) about the benefit and how to use the different anatomical position during labor.