Freedom in Labor: The Essential Birthing Positions You Need to Know

Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy

My Essential Birth

Mama, Courses, Kids & Family, Pregnancy, Labor, Natural, Breastfeeding, Birth, Pregnant, Parenting, Class, Baby, Health & Fitness, Doula, Vbac, Education, Childbirth

4.4 • 696 Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, we’re talking all about one of my favorite topics—freedom of movement during labor! I’m diving into why it’s so important to listen to your body and move in ways that feel good as you work through contractions. From squatting to hands-and-knees to standing and swaying, we’ll explore how different positions can make a big difference in your comfort and your baby’s progress. Spoiler: lying on your back isn’t your only option—and it’s definitely not the best one for everyone. I’...

Transcript

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0:00.0	sometimes when we are in our birth environments that are a little more controlled by other people
0:04.7	or even our actions are controlled by the other people in those environments, it stops that beautiful,
0:11.3	natural, flowy process from happening. So above all, the thing I want you to take away from
0:17.0	this episode from the very beginning is that you need to have freedom of movement
0:21.6	throughout labor, that it is so much more than just putting it on the birth plan and checking
0:27.1	this off because I need to be able to, you know, I want, I need to be able to hands and knees
0:31.4	and on the toilet and this and that. However, somebody's going to look at that, what you really
0:35.1	need, what you're really doing is when you put freedom of movement, it's like, I need the ability to listen to my body and move appropriately.
0:46.4	Getting pregnant and giving birth are two of the most exciting things you can ever hope to experience in this life.
0:52.9	The moment you think you could be pregnant,
0:54.9	you're frantically searching for all the best information, which is why you're here today.
0:59.5	I'm Stephanie King and with my many years of experience as a professional childbirth educator,
1:04.8	doula and lover of all things, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, I'm here to make preparing for your
1:10.4	birth enjoyable, empowering, and postpartum, I'm here to make preparing for your birth enjoyable,
1:11.8	empowering, and totally easy. Each week, I'll cover different topics, interview professionals,
1:17.6	and get into the nitty-gritty birth stories from mamas just like you. And when you're ready for
1:22.9	more, you can join me in the My Essential Birth course at Myessentialbirth.com, where I take you step
1:28.7	by step through exactly how to prepare your mind, body, spirit, and partner for a birth you love.
1:35.0	So let's get started.
1:42.3	This week's reviewer of the week is Farah R, 1993, and she says, encouraging and empowering.
1:48.6	I listened to every episode of this podcast that was out when I had my first baby in 2022.
1:54.3	I'm now halfway through my second pregnancy and really struggling with all the pregnancy symptoms.
	...

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