Midwives Vs Perturients Preferences of Birth Positions

The human birth experience is one of the most significant life event in a child bearing woman. Natural birth has been viewed as a woman’s right and is increasingly becoming a topic of interest during antenatal classes. The position assumed by the parturient therefore is an important aspect of the birthing process that has been subject to much discussion. Birth or pushing stage of labor positions and the related labor outcome has come under considerable debate in the past two decades. Globally women have used both supine and non-supine positions during birth. Women have free choice of birth place and to some extent the birth attendant but their role in the informed choice of birth position has not been clearly defined. Among the majority of non industrialized societies non-supine positions are still preferred by women with kneeling and squatting as the most preferred birth positions during traditional home births.Howeverin African countries including East Africa supine positions are still dominantly used in midwifery practice during both home and hospital births.