Move to be Born: challenging our preconceptions surrounding childbirth

At the end of November I was honored to be part of the FNR’s Researcher’s Days, a science festival dedicated to bringing research closer to the wider public. I participated in the two first days of the exhibition that were exclusive for high school students. A total of 141 classes were present at the event, with more than 2660 students at teachers in total. Keep on reading to find out more about our participation on the 2024 Researchers Days!

Giving birth like a movie star: not the best idea

Movies and TV series tend to depict women giving birth lying down on their backs. However, research suggests that this is not the best options! Scientist compared groups of women giving birth lying down on their backs vs women giving birth in upright positions. They found that when women gave birth on their backs, the births were longer and had more complications, both for the mother and the baby. Women that gave birth upright even reported feeling better about their experiences!

Rising awareness from a young age

At the booth we had with my colleagues from the Luxembourg Researchers Hub a.s.b.l., we proposed different experiences so that the students could understand how upright childbirth works, and why it could lead to better outcomes. With practical demonstrations they were able to witness the way gravity made women that were lying on their backs have to work harder to push their babies out. They also got to explore themselves how different positions might change the pelvis and make the baby’s journey easier! The students got to play with different props and really embody the experience!

We were greatly surprised to see how engaged and curious the students were. They asked interesting questions and were shocked as how, as a society, we kept doing things even when there is proof that they are not ideal.

But it takes decades for this kind of knowledge to have an impact on public policies or hospital protocoles. Change takes time, but raising awareness at a societal level is the first step to get there. And, as this experience with the high school students taught as, it is never too early to start!