“Is squatting an optimal position during delivery?”
My answer, in short, is no.
butt tucks under
But people have been squatting for birth since the beginning of time. What has changed? What am I noticing with squatting in clients that would lead me to recommend other positions during delivery? What do I know about body mechanics and birthing that has led me here?
To sum it all up in one succinct sentence....We do not squat correctly!
feet turn and hips turn out
Essentially we butt tuck. This is where the butt bones and tailbone tuck under, the lumbar spine curves and the pelvic muscles shorten. This is due to many variables, one big one being that functionally we never use a squat. We don’t socialize, eat, cook, clean or eliminate in a squat. What we don’t use, we lose (or in reality, never had)
Also, we tend to turn our feet outward, externally rotate our hips and come up onto the balls of our feet. This is likely due to poor ankle and hip mobility and if we accommodate like this, it becomes a much more comfortable deep squat.
Why does squat form matter for birth outcomes?
What do these compensations have in common? THEY ALL NARROW THE PELVIC OUTLET, which is important because this is where baby exits! This position might be advisable in the early stages of labor when we want to increase the pelvic inlet space but not advisable when we want to open the pelvic outlet space for delivery.
In short, the incidence for perineal tearing in this position during delivery is higher.
I would love to hear your experiences with squatting for delivery, please let me know. The more we discuss, debate and learn from each other, the better for the people we support!!
Note: Not every person has poor squat form and with guidance, squat form can improve. See my attempt to compensate and improve squat form below however, even with compensation, my butt tuck and pelvic outlet orientation is not drastically improved. I truly don’t believe there is a ‘perfect’ way to squat. However, we can’t NOT squat regularly and then expect it to magically work well during L&D based on the above biomechanical considerations.
All women’s bodies are unique. If you would like to know more about how the above relates to your specific condition, email me here. Please also follow us on Instagram or join our private Facebook Group for a ton of free support on common women’s health concerns.
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