9 pushing positions with an epidural so you don’t have to stay flat on your back + video
9 Different Pushing Positions To Use When Pushing During Labor & Delivery
If you are planning on getting an epidural during our labor & delivery, you need to know these 9 pushing positions with an epidural so that you can have your baby while NOT being on your back. And when I say you need these positions, I mean you need these positions BEFORE you need them. You need them now!
(Be sure to check out this blog post on planning to get an epidural)
The positions you can do is going to depend on you, your strength, your epidural, how numb you are, and how much help you have to get into these positions. So not everyone will be able to do all of them, but read on and you may find one that WILL work for you during labor and delivery!
Epidurals Don’t Mean You Have To Be Flat On Your Back While You’re Pushing
Let’s start simple and work our way up!
1. Sit “Criss Cross Applesauce”. You will need help after you’ve had an epidural to sit up during this position, but you CAN sit up!
2. Sit up high in your bed with one leg tucked under, switch to the other. You can totally sit like this with an epidural. (The cute Doodle is optional in all of these!)
3. If sitting up high hurts your tailbone, get a pillow, put it under your butt, and sit semi-tilted.
4. You can raise the bed up and drop the foot of it (your nurse can help you) so it’s like a chair – or a throne. In this position you’re tilted so you’re not directly on your tailbone. (Your tailbone is in your tushy.)
5. Try leaning over the back of the bed. In this position, your knees are on the bed and you raise the back of the bed up.
6. In the Captain Morgan position, you just put one foot up. Arrrgh!
(You can see any of these demonstrated in this TikTok video!)
7. Semi-sitting with a Peanut Ball is just one leg swung over the peanut ball like this:
8. Placing the Peanut Ball between your ankles is one of my favorites!
This position is so amazing because when the knees are close together and the ankles are separated, the bottom of the pelvis opens. That’s the pelvic outlet, and that’s where the baby’s head is inside the pelvis during the pushing stage. This position gives more space right where the baby needs it, so they can navigate through the pelvis and be born easier!
9. Laying on your side is a super-simple pushing position. And yes, you can do it with an epidural and yes, you should try it!
Worried you won’t remember these positions during your labor and delivery? Grab my Flip-Book so you will have all this information at your fingertips!
Do you want to see these positions in action? Click on my TikTok video 👇
Want to learn more? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Taking Control of Your Childbirth. It’s is a great way to learn what to expect! 👇 👇 👇
Learn what to expect in labor and how to make the right choices for you in this online class. This class will change how you approach your birth experience.
