About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Slide show
Slide show: Labor positions
By Mayo Clinic staff
Swaying
There's no perfect position for labor, but frequent changes of position during labor can help you relax and stay in control of the pain. As your labor progresses, try various positions until you find one that helps you feel comfortable.
Standing or walking can help labor gain momentum, especially in the early stages. Lean on your partner for support during contractions — or wrap your arms around your partner's neck and start swaying, as though you were slow dancing. This is also a good position for a back rub.
Next slide- Albers LL. The evidence for physiologic management of the active phase of the first stage of labor. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health. 2007;52:207.
- Simkin P, et al. Update on nonpharmacologic approaches to relieve labor pain and prevent suffering. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health. 2004;49:489.
- Simkin P, et al. Nonpharmacologic relief of pain during labor: Systematic reviews of five methods. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2002;186:S131.
- Pain relief during labor and delivery. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp086.cfm. Accessed Sept. 7, 2010.
- Murry MM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 21, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on