7 Labor Positions and Movement Techniques to Help Support Birth
- The Haven Team
- Jun 30
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 10
Labor doesn’t have to happen in one position. During birth, many mothers move, rest, lean, sway, squat, or change positions as their body and baby work together. Different labor positions may support comfort, help the mother feel more grounded, and give baby space to rotate and move down through the pelvis.
At Haven, our midwives support mothers with movement, comfort measures, and position changes throughout labor when it’s safe and appropriate. The goal isn’t to memorize a perfect sequence before birth. The goal is to understand your options, listen to your body, and have a care team that can guide you through what may feel helpful in the moment.
In the video below, Haven’s team demonstrates several labor positions and movement techniques that may help support comfort, rest, baby’s position, and labor progress.
Why Labor Positions Matter
Labor is dynamic. A position that feels helpful early in labor may not feel right later. Some positions help a mother rest between contractions. Others allow her to move her hips, use gravity, create asymmetry in the pelvis, or feel more supported during intense moments.
Changing positions during labor may help with:
comfort during contractions
pressure relief
baby’s rotation and descent
rest and energy conservation
pelvic movement
confidence and participation during birth
There’s no single “best” labor position for every mother. Some mothers feel best upright and moving. Others need rest in a side-lying position. Many use a combination of hands and knees, lunges, birth ball movements, squatting, side-lying, and other supported positions as labor changes. Lets explore a few of our favorites!
1. Hands and Knees
Hands and knees is a helpful labor position that allows the mother’s belly to hang forward while creating space for baby to rotate and move down through the pelvis. It can be especially useful when a mother wants to shift pressure, move her hips, or get off her back during labor.
This position can be done on a bed, mat, or padded surface. From there, the mother can gently rock forward and back, move her hips in circles, or rest between contractions.
One challenge with hands and knees is that the wrists, arms, or shoulders may get tired. To make the position more comfortable, the mother can support her upper body by leaning over stacked pillows, resting on a birth ball, leaning onto the side of a bed, placing her forearms down instead of her hands, or using pillows under her knees.
These modifications allow the mother to stay forward-leaning without using as much energy. Hands and knees can be a simple but powerful position because it gives the body options, allows gentle movement, and can help the mother feel more active and supported.
2. Walking With Lunges
Walking with lunges is a movement technique that may help support labor progress. Rather than taking small, even steps, the mother takes larger, intentional steps that gently shift the pelvis and create more movement through the hips.
This can be helpful because labor is not only about contractions. Baby is also working to move down through the pelvis. Movements that create space, rhythm, and asymmetry may help the body work with that process.
Walking with lunges can be done slowly and with support. The mother may hold onto her partner, a midwife, a wall, a bed, or another stable surface as she steps forward. The goal isn’t to push hard or strain. The goal is to create gentle movement and help the body stay loose and responsive.
Even a few slow, supported lunges can be enough to change how the body feels during labor.
3. Birth Ball Movements
A birth ball can be a helpful tool because it allows the mother to stay upright while still having support beneath her body. Instead of holding a still position, she can move gently with contractions, rest between them, and use rhythm to help her body stay loose.
Birth ball movements may include:
gentle bouncing
hip circles
rocking side to side
leaning forward over the ball
resting the upper body on the ball from hands and knees
sitting upright while supported by a partner or doula
A mother doesn’t need to do anything complicated for a birth ball to be useful. Simple, steady movements are often enough. She may sit on the ball with both feet flat on the floor and gently move her hips in circles. She may rock forward and back during contractions or lean onto a bed or partner for extra support.
A birth ball can be especially helpful when a mother wants to stay upright without standing, move her hips during contractions, lean forward, or feel more grounded and supported.
4. Side-Lying With a Peanut Ball
Side-lying with a peanut ball can be helpful when a mother is tired and needs rest, but still wants to support movement and space in the pelvis. This position allows her to lie on her side while the peanut ball supports the upper leg, helping the hips and pelvis stay more open and relaxed.
This can be especially useful during a long labor or when the mother needs to conserve energy. Not every helpful labor position has to be active or upright. Sometimes rest is exactly what the body needs.
In this position, the peanut ball is placed between the legs to support the top leg and reduce strain on the hips. Pillows may also be used behind the back, under the belly, or under the head so the mother can relax more fully.
Side-lying with a peanut ball is a good reminder that labor support is not always about doing more. Sometimes the most supportive choice is helping the mother rest while still giving her body and baby room to work.
5. Flying Cowgirl Position
Flying cowgirl is a side-lying labor position that creates asymmetry in the pelvis while still allowing the mother to rest. In this position, the mother lies on her side, brings the top leg slightly back behind her, and leans her body forward. This creates a different angle through the hips and pelvis as baby continues to descend.
This position may be helpful when a mother needs something more specific than basic side-lying, but does not have the energy for standing, lunging, or squatting. It gives the body a way to create movement and space while staying supported.
The goal is to find a supported position that helps the mother feel grounded while giving baby space to continue moving through the pelvis.
6. Squatting and Asymmetric Squatting
Squatting can be a helpful labor position because it allows the mother to stay upright while bringing her body low. For some mothers, this position can feel powerful because it uses gravity, creates space through the hips, and supports baby’s movement down through the pelvis.
Squatting does not have to mean holding a deep squat for a long time. In labor, squatting can be modified so the mother feels supported instead of strained. She may squat while holding onto a partner, leaning against a bed, using a birth stool, moving into a partial squat, or placing one foot higher than the other for an asymmetric squat.
An asymmetric squat uses each side of the body a little differently. This can be helpful as baby is descending. Changing the angle of the legs and hips may help create more movement and space.
7. Asymmetric Stepping
Asymmetric stepping is a simple movement technique that uses one side of the body at a time. During labor, this might look like stepping one foot up onto a low step, stool, or stable surface, then switching sides. It can also look like slow, intentional stepping while standing with support.
This movement can be helpful because the pelvis is not always perfectly even during labor. One side may feel tighter than the other. Asymmetric stepping creates gentle movement through the hips and pelvis, which may help the body feel looser and more responsive.
A mother can do asymmetric stepping while holding onto her partner, doula, midwife, bed, wall, or another stable surface. She may step with one leg for a few contractions, then switch to the other side. This helps to create movement without strain.
Bonus: Bring Your Energy Down and Use a Low Voice
Labor isn’t only about position. It’s also about how the mother feels in her body. During intense contractions, fear and tension can sometimes show up physically. A mother may rise onto her toes, arch her back, lift her shoulders, reach her hands up, or use a high, tight voice.
One helpful concept during labor is to bring the body and energy down. This may look like keeping the feet flat, softening the shoulders, bending the knees, lowering the voice, and using deep sounds instead of high, tense sounds.
For many mothers, low sounds can feel grounding. A deep moan, hum, or low vocalization may help the body stay softer and more connected during contractions. The goal is not to sound a certain way. The goal is to work with the body instead of tightening against it.
Simple grounding cues may include relaxing the jaw, softening the shoulders, keeping the feet flat, leaning into support, and thinking about bringing energy down through the body.
It’s all about giving the mother tools that may help her feel calmer, more grounded, and more supported as birth unfolds.
How a Midwife Helps You Choose Labor Positions
A mother doesn’t need to memorize every labor position before birth or know exactly when to use each one. Labor changes moment by moment, and a position that feels helpful at one point may not feel right later. That’s one reason midwife-led support can be so valuable.
A midwife can watch how labor is progressing, listen to what the mother is feeling, monitor mother and baby, and suggest position changes that may help in the moment. Sometimes that may mean encouraging movement, like walking, lunging, squatting, or using a birth ball. Other times, it may mean helping the mother rest in a side-lying position with pillows or a peanut ball.
A midwife may suggest position changes based on:
the mother’s comfort and energy
baby’s position
contraction patterns
labor progress
pressure or back discomfort
the mother’s need for rest
what is safe and appropriate for mother and baby
This kind of guidance can help the mother feel less alone during labor. Instead of trying to figure everything out in the moment, she has a birth team nearby to offer suggestions, make adjustments, and support her through each stage of birth.
Explore Labor Support at Haven
The best labor position is not always something a mother can choose ahead of time. Labor changes, the body responds, and baby moves through the pelvis in their own way. What feels helpful in one moment may shift as labor progresses.
At Haven, our midwives help mothers move through labor with guidance, reassurance, and attentive care. Whether the moment calls for movement, rest, grounding, or a new position, our team is there to support both comfort and safety as birth unfolds.
If you are exploring birth center care in Cary, NC or near Raleigh, a tour can help you learn more about Haven’s approach to midwife-led birth, labor support, and personalized care.
Book a free tour to meet our team, see the space, and learn how Haven supports mothers through pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum care.
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