title: Women's choice of positions during labour: return to the past or a modern way to give birth? A cohort study in Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Childbirth medicalization has reduced the parturient's opportunity to labour and deliver in a spontaneous position, constricting her to assume the recumbent one. The aim of the study was to compare recumbent and alternative positions in terms of labour process, type of delivery, neonatal wellbeing, and intrapartum fetal head rotation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an observational cohort study on women at pregnancy term. Primiparous women with physiological pregnancies and single cephalic fetuses were eligible for the study. We considered data about maternal-general characteristics, labour process, type of delivery, and neonatal wellbeing at birth. Patients were divided into two groups: Group-A if they spent more than 50% of labour in a recumbent position and Group-B when in alternative ones.
  
  
  RESULTS
  225 women were recruited (69 in Group-A and 156 in Group-B). We found significant differences between the groups in terms of labour length, Numeric Rating Scale score and analgesia request rate, type of delivery, need of episiotomy, and fetal occiput rotation. No differences were found in terms of neonatal outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alternative maternal positioning may positively influence labour process reducing maternal pain, operative vaginal delivery, caesarean section, and episiotomy rate. Women should be encouraged to move and deliver in the most comfortable position.
authors: Department of Woman and Child Health, University of Padua, 3 Giustiniani Street, 35128 Padua, Italy ; Dipartimento di Salute della Donna e del Bambino, U.O.C. di Ginecologia e Ostetricia, Via Giustiniani 3, 35128 Padova, Italy.
authors: Salvatore
authors: S
authors: Gizzo
authors: Department of Woman and Child Health, University of Padua, 3 Giustiniani Street, 35128 Padua, Italy.
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: Di Gangi
authors: Department of Woman and Child Health, University of Padua, 3 Giustiniani Street, 35128 Padua, Italy.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Noventa
authors: Department of Woman and Child Health, University of Padua, 3 Giustiniani Street, 35128 Padua, Italy.
authors: Veronica
authors: V
authors: Bacile
authors: Department of Woman and Child Health, University of Padua, 3 Giustiniani Street, 35128 Padua, Italy.
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Zambon
authors: Department of Woman and Child Health, University of Padua, 3 Giustiniani Street, 35128 Padua, Italy.
authors: Giovanni Battista
authors: GB
authors: Nardelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D036801:Parturition / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy