Birthing stool

A birthing stool is an aid during childbirth. The stool is a kind of chair without a backrest with an opening in the front and in the middle. During pushing, you can sit on the birthing stool as a laborer to give birth to your baby in a vertical position. The advantage here is that gravity “helps” a little to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal. Many women like to use it during expulsion, as vertical pushing feels more natural due to gravity than lying on your back in bed. You often feel a better urge to push because your baby's head exerts more pressure on your anus from the inside. It also reduces the chance of a cut or artificial delivery (such as a vacuum pump or caesarean section), as gravity accelerates expulsion.

Your partner can sit on a chair behind the bar stool behind you. This way you can lean back between contractions to regain strength for the next contraction. The midwife sits on the floor in front of the birthing stool to keep a close eye on the birth process. A birthing stool can shorten the duration of the expulsion. This is therefore less exhausting and beneficial for the overall condition of both mother and child.

Sometimes you can lose a little more blood after a birth on the birthing stool. You then have to get off the bar stool to lie down on the bed. It is therefore useful if the birthing stool is placed near the bed. Another disadvantage (but an advantage for some) is that the partner has to look over the shoulder of the woman giving birth, and therefore cannot see the actual birth very well. A mirror that you place on the floor in front of the birthing stool can offer a solution.

Especially if it is not your first delivery, the expulsion phase can go quickly. On a birthing stool you have less control over the speed at which the head is born. If this goes too fast, there is a greater chance of tears.

CONSULTATION

If you want to give birth on the birthing stool, indicate this in your birth plan and discuss this with your midwife. The on-duty midwife at PUUR carries a birthing stool as standard. A birthing stool is also available in the hospital to give birth on.

If you have to give birth at the gynecologist with a medical indication, then also discuss your preference for the birthing stool with them. If the situation allows it and the condition of you and your child is good, the possibilities can be looked at.