02/27/2026
🚽✨ Why do some women LOVE labouring on the toilet?
It sounds strange… until you understand physiology.
And then it makes perfect sense.
Here’s why the toilet can actually be a brilliant place to labour:
1️⃣ It helps you relax your pelvic floor
You can’t p*e or p**p without relaxing your pelvic floor.
That same relaxation is exactly what your body needs to let your baby descend.
Toilets naturally trigger a “let go” reflex.
Less clenching = more opening.
2️⃣ It reduces the urge to fight contractions
When contractions get intense, many women tighten everything.
But sitting on the toilet:
🚽Encourages a forward-leaning position
🚽 Lets your belly hang
🚽 Widens the pelvic outlet
It’s very similar to a supported squat, which we know opens the pelvis beautifully.
3️⃣ It works with gravity
Unlike lying in bed, the toilet keeps you upright.
Gravity helps baby move down.
Downward pressure on the cervix can strengthen contractions.
Stronger contractions (in active labour) = progress.
4️⃣ It mimics the “primitive” birth environment
We are mammals.
When labour gets intense, many women instinctively seek:
• Privacy
• Small spaces
• Low stimulation
The bathroom is often dimmer, quieter and away from people watching
That alone can help oxytocin flow better.
And oxytocin = effective contractions.
5️⃣ It can help with that “I feel like I need to p**p” sensation
In active labour, baby’s head puts pressure on the re**um.
The toilet gives women a safe place to release that urge without embarrassment — and often labour picks up afterward.
⚠️ A quick safety note:
If someone is feeling faint, heavily medicated, or very close to pushing, they should have support nearby. We don’t want anyone falling.
As a labour nurse, I’ve seen stalled labours suddenly pick up after 20–30 minutes on the toilet.
Sometimes the most high-tech thing you can do in labour…
Is sit on a toilet. 💛
Pic: (TT)
