The relationship of ambulation in labor to operative delivery

An abbreviated version of the Nurse-Midwifery Clinical Data Set was used to gather data on all women (n = 3,049) who began intrapartum care with a nurse-midwife in three sites. Demographic information, intrapartum care, and outcomes were recorded. The association of ambulation in labor with operative delivery was examined in a low-risk sample (n = 1,678) of women who did not receive care measures (epidural anesthesia, oxytocin induction or augmentation) that preclude mobility in labor. Women who ambulated for a significant amount of time during labor (compared with those who did not ambulate) had half the rate of operative delivery (2.7% vs. 5.5%).