Although fetal monitoring may confine you to bed, lying on your back for delivery can have many disadvantages: - you have to work harder pushing the baby uphill; - pain may be greater in this position than in a vertical one; - the tissues of the birth canal may be slow to open and be stimulated by the descending baby, thus possibly prolonging labour; - there is a greater need for an episiotomy; - there may be an increased chance of a forceps delivery; - it inhibits spontaneous delivery of the placenta; - there is a greater possibility of lower back strain. Slow Deliveries What is considered to be ...

If it looks as if the baby will be born at home without medical assistance, you should telephone the hospital or the midwife if you haven't done so already. If you haven't got a telephone, on no account should you leave the mother alone. However anxious and overwhelmed you are, you must stay calm and reassure her - she needs to feel confident and relaxed. Encourage her to take up any positions in which she feels most comfortable and to eat and drink if she feels like it. Speak quietly and keep any onlookers at bay. Between contractions Turn up the heating in ...