How to Use All the Labor Props and Bed Features Available to You

When I was pregnant, I decided to take a childbirth class as my due date approached, where the instructor provided all kinds of information about the features of the hospital birthing bed and other laboring tools. Since I planned to get an epidural, I assumed a lot of the information wouldn’t apply to me—but I was wrong. Even being numb from the waist down, I still had to push.

“Hospital equipment and labor tools exist to support you,” says Juliana Parker, RNC-OB, a labor and delivery nurse and founder of Nurse Core Triage. “The goal is a safe birth where you feel supported, informed and respected.”

Read on to learn about all the tools that can be available to you at the hospital during labor and delivery—and how they’re used. (And, of course, make sure to check in with your individual provider about what your hospital offers.)

Key Takeaways

• Birthing beds differ from hospital beds because they’re designed to support you during labor and delivery, with built-in tools to aid in the process.
• The most common features of birthing beds include labor grips, stirrups and a squat bar.
• Many hospitals also offer other birthing tools to help during labor and delivery like birthing balls, peanut balls, pillows, wedges and more.
• You may end up using multiple tools during the process, depending on your unique experience.

What Are the Unique Features of a Hospital Birthing Bed?

Hospital birthing beds are different from standard hospital beds. “For one, there are attachments for your legs,” says Jill Hechtman, MD, an ob-gyn at Pediatrix Medical Group in South Florida. The beds also feature labor grips to offer support during the pushing phase of labor.

Jaime Duesenberg, RN, a travel labor and delivery nurse with Aya Healthcare, adds that birthing beds can vary slightly from hospital to hospital. However, she says, “All birthing beds have siderails, stirrups and the ability to adjust the height and position.” She adds that birthing beds are designed “to have the patient be in the most ideal position for birthing,” allowing doctors and nurses to ensure baby’s delivered in the safest way possible.

How and When to Use Labor Grips During Labor and Delivery

Labor grips, also sometimes called hand grips or push handles, offer birthing parents a place to hold onto while they push. “Labor grips can provide a stable surface to hold onto, which may help with bearing down, engaging the abdominal muscles and feeling more grounded during contractions,” says Parker.

When using labor grips, the birthing person is typically in a semi-reclined or upright seated position, says Parker. She adds that “pulling on the grips during a contraction while pushing can enhance a sense of strength, control and coordination.”

Duesenberg says when she had her baby, she used the grips for leverage to help with pushing. Every labor story is different, though, and Parker highlights that in many cases the grips aren’t used at all, “as many people naturally place their hands behind their thighs or knees instead” for stability while pushing. At the pushing stage, which tools you use is all about what’s comfortable and what’s helping move delivery along.

How and When to Use the Squat Bar During Labor and Delivery

Another tool that can help with pushing is a squat bar, which can be attached to the birthing bed. It can be “especially helpful during the active and pushing stages of labor,” says Parker, adding, “Upright and squatting positions may help open the pelvis and use gravity to assist with baby’s descent.”

Duesenberg notes that the squat bar is a particularly good tool for someone who’s having an unmedicated birth. “Using the squat bar helps give you the ability to relax and sit in a different position to help bring baby down and relieve pressure during contractions,” she says. If you’re opting for an epidural, Hechtman says the squat bar can be used to tie a sheet or towel to, which you can then pull on for stability while pushing.

While the squat bar’s an excellent tool, Parker says there are limitations to it too. “Upright or squatting positions can make continuous external fetal monitoring more difficult, which may not be recommended in certain high-risk pregnancies,” she says.

How and When to Use the Stirrups During Labor and Delivery

You’re probably already familiar with stirrups, since your ob-gyn uses them for many examinations (whether you’re pregnant or not). But the stirrups on a birthing bed may look different from what you’re used to. While birthing beds typically have foot paddles for support while pushing, they’re also usually equipped with stirrups for your legs to rest on. These leg stirrups are what I personally used during delivery, as they supported my legs and helped hold my body in a helpful birthing position even though I was numb from my epidural.

“The most well-known use [of stirrups] is to hold the legs of a patient who received an epidural while they’re pushing,” says Duesenberg. She adds that stirrups can help the pelvis remain in a good laboring position if you need to take a break.

For the most part, Parker says stirrups don’t tend to come out until it’s time to start pushing—meaning providers don’t use them all that often. However, she adds, “Some nurses will creatively use stirrups with a peanut ball to help prop a patient’s leg while resting on the ball, allowing the pelvis to fully open,” which helps with baby’s descent.

Other Hospital Birthing Props to Use

While birthing props and tools vary by hospital, there are a few common ones you’re likely to find on your labor and delivery journey. They include:

• Birthing balls. “Some [birthing parents] feel like bouncing on the ball provides comfort while they’re laboring,” says Hechtman. She says the peanut ball, which a type of birthing ball shaped like (you guessed it) a peanut, is her favorite as it helps open the pelvis.
• Bedside bars or side rails. Parker says these are used as support during position changes, upright labor or pushing. “They provide stability and can help the birthing parent feel more secure when shifting positions,” she says.
• Positioning pillows and wedges. These can help with comfort, alignment, and support side-lying, semi-upright or hands-and-knees positions, according to Parker.
• Mirrors. “They’re sometimes used during the pushing stage to allow the birthing person to see progress, which can improve motivation, focus and coordination,” says Parker.

Additionally, Duesenberg says some of the hospitals she’s worked at have even offered aromatherapy to help ease nausea and relax the patient. She also likes birthing combs, which “reduce stress and distract the [birthing parent] from the pain of contractions.”

Parker highlights that most hospitals allow patients to bring in their own labor tools to help support comfort and relaxation during labor and delivery. “Items such as heat packs, ice packs, TENS units, handheld massagers, music and personal decor can help create a calmer, more familiar environment and support pain management,” she says.

Every labor and delivery journey is different, so the support that works for one birthing parent may not be ideal for another. It’s important to go into your labor and delivery feeling empowered to speak up and to be open to changing positions, tools and strategies as needed.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.