Childbirth Positions during the Transition from Traditional to Clinical Obstetrics (18th – Early 20th Centuries)

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of birthing positions among the Russian population during the transition from traditional to clinical childbirth practices. The empirical basis of the study draws on a wide range of sources including ethnographic and medical materials, archival records from maternity institutions, and ego-documents. We argue that traditional Russian birth rituals preserved a notable diversity of maternal positions. The most common were upright and kneeling postures, while the recumbent (horizontal) position remained exceptionally rare. The use of birthing chairs and stools was not characteristic of Russian obstetric tradition; these items were introduced only in the second half of the eighteenth century by European midwives. A distinctive feature of the traditional birth ritual was the direct involvement of the husband in cases of complicated labor. Exotic or non-standard positions – such as shaking, elevating the legs, or arching the back – were also employed during difficult deliveries. The establishment of the horizontal position as the dominant norm occurred within the framework of clinical obstetrics from the second half of the nineteenth century onward, when the female body became an object of medical intervention. The birthing bed came to symbolize the triumph of scientific knowledge over so-called primitive practices. Under Soviet maternity care, the horizontal position became standardized, universal, and virtually obligatory.