The understanding of dynamic birth positions for women in labor and childbirth – A hybrid concept analysis

Problem and background: The assessment of advantages and drawbacks associated with varying birthing positions has predominantly centered around medical or technical considerations and few studies have accounted for a woman’s ability to attune to her bodily instincts during labor and birth. The objective of this study was to define the concept of dynamic birth positions and its significance within the birthing process.

Methods

This hybrid concept analysis consisted of three phases: theoretical, fieldwork, and analytical. Science Direct, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched with related terms in the theoretical phase. In the fieldwork phase, seven professionals and six mothers with the experience of dynamic birth positions were interviewed. After each interview, qualitative content analysis was conducted. During the final phase, descriptions and themes from the first two phases were combined.

Results

In the theoretical phase, the definition of dynamic birth positions included descriptions answering the Who, What, When, Where, and Why questions. In the fieldwork phase, the results present two distinct categories that define dynamic birth positions: “Women’s choice, women’s power” and “A flow between rest and activity.” The final analysis phase of this study indicated that dynamic birth positioning is characterized by the organic progression through a variety of postures that seamlessly merge rest and activity throughout the labor and birthing process, guided by the woman’s individual preferences.

Conclusions

The definition of dynamic birth positions redefines birth as an evolving, dynamic journey characterized by a fluid interplay of movements and moments of rest, transcending conventional fixation on static positions.