People Are Just Realising The (Infuriating) Reason Why Women Give Birth On Their Backs

In this week’s instalment of what-the-actual-fuck, we found out the real reason why women give birth on their backs. And, trust me, it’s enough to make your blood boil. In film and TV, we see it all the time. Woman on back, legs akimbo, with some kind of modesty blanket placed over their lower third and dewy beads of sweat sprinkled across their forehead. But this idealised view of birth hasn’t always been the case. It’s safe to say that in medieval times, birth looked very different. Often, women would be in an upright position – standing, kneeling or sitting on a birthing stool allowing the sacrum (the spinal bit just above your tailbone) and coccyx (your tailbone) to move and flex. This allowed the body to create more space in the pelvis for the baby to be born. Conversely, lying flat on your back while giving birth restricts this movement, which means the baby has to fight and push its way out uphill and against gravity.According to Better Birth, women relied on instinct before ado