Comfort Measures: The Miles Circuit
Comfort Measures & Labour Progression
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4m 4s
The Miles Circuit to progress labour & move labour out of one's back.
This circuit contains three segments and takes about 90 minutes to do from beginning to end. It may take some practice to get comfortable, particularly in the first position.
This circuit is great for optimal fetal positioning, shifting labour out of your back (back labour), keeping labour progressing, and the cervix dilating more evenly.
1) Open Knees and Chest - 30 minutes
Use as many pillows as you need, starting from a wide leg "child's pose" crawl forward and carefully lower your chest down while maintaining your bottom up. The angle at the hip should be greater than 90 degrees. Gradually work toward lowering your chest onto one pillow and work your way up to 30 minutes here.
2) Extreme Side Lying - 30 minutes
Use as many pillows as you need or a peanut ball so you can roll over as far as you can onto your belly. You can also do this facing the back of your sofa with your leg up over the top of the back of the sofa. This one is helpful when trying to shift labour out of your back.
3) Uneven Stepping, One Leg Up Lunges, Duck Walks - 30 minutes
You need a yoga block/ stack of books, or set of stairs, sidewalk curb, low step stool.
Walk up the stairs sideways (step the right foot up one stair, followed by the left foot coming up to the same step - repeat up the set of stairs)
You can also walk along a curb stepping unevenly - one foot on the curb, one foot off, or just step up and down on a yoga block/ stack of books or low stool. Lunging with one leg elevated (any amount) can also be beneficial.
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