Walking OK for Baby, Mom in Early Labor

Is it OK to walk during labor? Yes, obstetrics researchers say. Walking during the first stage of labor won't hurt you or your baby.

Steven Bloom, M.D., an obstetrics specialist in Dallas, says that women should be allowed to either walk or remain in bed during the first stage of labor, whichever is most comfortable to them. Many doctors have a woman lie down during labor, but patients sometimes want to walk around, hoping to find comfort in motion.

Dr. Bloom and his colleagues studied about 1,000 women who had spontaneous labor with uncomplicated pregnancies. They sorted them into either a walking group or a bed-rest group. Seventy-eight percent of those assigned to the walking group actually walked; the rest had quicker labors, which may have precluded them from walking. Those in the bed-rest group were allowed to sit up. The researchers looked at how long the first stage of labor lasted. They also recorded which women needed medication to help with labor, and which needed pain medication. They also noted which women had forceps deliveries and Cesarean sections.

Walking didn't seem to affect labor and delivery—either positively or negatively, Dr. Bloom says. "Walking ... was not harmful to the mothers or their infants. Most of those who did walk indicated that they would do so again in a future labor."

This study brings the debate of walking or bed rest full circle over the last 100 years, Dr. Bloom says. In a 1903 obstetrics textbook, J. Whitridge Williams stated, "During the first stage of labor the patient usually prefers to move about her room, and frequently is more comfortable when occupying a sitting position. During this period, therefore, she should not be compelled to take to her bed unless she feels so inclined."