The toilet may not be the first place you think of when it comes to places to hang out during labour and birth. But it is actually a great place!
It’s the perfect place to be for labour to progress. The toilet is a supported squat position and is a upright birth position. There are heaps of benefits to hanging out in the smallest room of the house (or hospital) for labour.
During labour our bodies will naturally try to make room for baby. This may have you running (ok…..more of a shuffle) towards the toilet as you may experience episodes of diarrhoea or needing to empty your bowels.
It also a good idea to ask to be reminded to wee during labour as a full bladder can leave a little less room for baby to descend. So ultimately… more room in your bowels leaves more room for baby. If your waters have broken and you’re leaking constantly then sitting on the loo makes practical sense too.
Sitting on the toilet naturally helps you relax your pelvic floor muscles. Relaxed muscles are a must for labor progression to occur. If you find yourself having trouble keeping your pelvic floor relaxed, sit on the toilet for a few contractions and let the magic happen. The toilet is called dilation station for a reason!
Sitting backwards on the toilet and leaning on plenty of pillows will help you to rest in this position for a while. This position also allows your partner/doula access to your backside so they can provide comfort measures, such as pelvic or sacral pressure or even a shoulder massage.
Can bring on more helpful contractions, especially if labor has stalled. The ability to empty your bladder/bowels freely when needed, to help make room for baby.
