Don't remember where I read it and don't have time to web search, but, in some societies that pre-date Rome, the father of the child (or closest male relative of the mother) would hold the mother on his lap in such a way that he could hold and support her thighs while the midwife did the baby catching. A laboring mother gets very tired of the physical demand on her body and having someone who loves and cares about both you and the child is comforting and relaxing.
The position also allows for the natural path of the baby without causing the birth muscles to tear as badly as the prone position (which was for the doctor's convenience).
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Date: 2009-09-17 03:35 pm (UTC)The position also allows for the natural path of the baby without causing the birth muscles to tear as badly as the prone position (which was for the doctor's convenience).