Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient
Published on: November 30, 2022
#5: Non-Supine (e.g., Upright or Side-Lying) Positions for Birth
Ruth Keen1, Joyce Difranco, Debby Amis
1L eah A lbers is professor at the University of New Mexico, College of Nursing, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the American Academy of Nursing.
Abstract:
In this position paper-one of six care practice papers published by Lamaze International and reprinted here with permission-the benefit of non-supine positions for birth is discussed and presented as an evidence-based practice that helps promote, protect, and support normal birth. The paper is written for childbearing women and their families. Upright and gravity-neutral positions facilitate rotation and descent of the baby and result in reduced duration of second stage, a reduction in episiotomies, and fewer abnormal fetal heart rate patterns. The accompanying commentary-written by a leading proponent of maternity care-supports these benefits. Lamaze International recommends that laboring women not push until they feel an urge to do so, and that they choose positions for birth that are most comfortable for them.
Related Concept Videos
Anatomical Positions
The body is upright, facing forward, and standing erect.
The feet are parallel and flat on the floor.
The arms are hanging by the...
Directional Terms
Fetal Circulation
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...
Abdominal Regions and Quadrants
The simpler quadrants approach, which is more commonly used in medicine, subdivides the cavity with one horizontal and one vertical line that intersects at the patient's umbilicus (navel). The four quadrants...
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Muscles of the Pelvic Floor and Perineum
Perineal Layer
The perineum is a diamond-shaped area below the pelvic diaphragm, divided into an anterior urogenital triangle that contains the external genitals and a posterior anal triangle housing the anus. The urogenital...

