(See also comments from Midwives, Obstetricians and Others.)
When I was in labour with our first child, the midwife suggested using a birthing stool, and not long after I sat down, our daughter was born. It seemed only natural therefore to use a birthing stool again for the birth of our second child. I was delighted to learn that Liz has the BirthRite Seat for hire, especially as we planned a home birth.
I experienced the BirthRite Seat as an invaluable aid whilst in labour with our son. I could take the weight off my legs by sitting down and gravity would still do its work. My contractions were more manageable when sitting on the Seat. I could completely concentrate on my breathing, as I didn’t have the added discomfort and distraction of tired and sore legs. Using the Seat definitely helped to speed up my labour, and, with the professional help and calming influence of the midwives (I was very lucky to have two great midwives present, of whom Liz was one), it actually enabled me to have a completely natural birth, using only breathing techniques to manage the pain.
My husband also experienced the use of the Seat as very positive, as he felt that he could really help during labour. He sat behind me on the bed (the Seat was in front of it), and that way he could support me during contractions and I could lean back and relax against him in between contractions.
We both look back at the birth of our son as a very calm and positive experience and would recommend the use of the BirthRite Seat to anyone wanting a natural birth. After the birth my husband and I were so relaxed we ate Chinese takeaway in bed while Toby slumbered in his Moses basket next to us.
— Anna Maria Willis
Mum to Joanna aged 2 and Toby aged 4 weeks
UK
We had a boy, James Rhys, 4005 gm, 53 cm long and 36cm head circumference, born on 29th of April 2007, a few days after the Birthing Seat arrived.
I laboured mostly at home this time. I didn’t want my labour to slow down when I went into hospital, as it has done some other times. Also, we had the SES (State Emergency Service) repairing our roof after our ceiling sprang a leak. One of my support people was joking with them: “I hope you have good hands. You might have to catch a baby”.
Most of transition was probably done at home, too. I was mostly moving around or sitting on a chair in the kitchen. I could feel my pelvis starting to open beautifully during this time and had a show, but my waters were still intact. I also wanted to ensure the baby was nicely down in the birth passage. Kaitlin (Baby No. 4) was also born in the sac, but I had a long 2nd stage, as although I was fully dilated, she was still high up in the pelvis.
When we got to hospital the first thing I did was sit on the Birthing Seat. I felt immediately comfortable and quickly adjusted my position for comfort. I was relieved not to have to continually move or search for a comfortable position. Just that in itself allowed me to quickly relax into the birth, despite doctors putting in a cannula in between very frequent contractions. (I have a history of significant haemorrhage.) I was able to remain calm, relaxed and surprisingly still.
Second stage was about 35 minutes, about the same amount of time that we were in hospital before the baby was born. James came out in the sac, with it bursting as he emerged. My midwife was satisfied that I wasn’t haemorrhaging too drastically as she had good view of the blood clotting in the enclosed area in the bottom of the Seat. It still ended up being about 1 litre, but not life-threatening or needing a transfusion like previous times (2 litres first time, several litres last time).
Overall I was extremely happy with your Birthing Seat. Although the doctor and midwife at the hospital were not familiar with using a birthing seat, they seemed very happy with it. Certainly some of the midwives are keen for it to be used again. I would certainly recommend it to any birthing mother. A friend of mine will be using it for a home birth in the next month or so.
— Robyn Barraclough
Mother
Canberra, ACT, Australia