When I first became a birth educator, I came across a wonderful product called CUB – Comfortable Upright Birth Support. As soon as I saw a CUB, I wanted one! I needed one I wanted one for my classes and for my doula clients to use truth is they NEED to have a CUB at their birth. I have been happily dreaming and pining over one for a while – yes that right, I’ve dreamt about a CUB 😊, these dreams have been glorious. I’ve had dreams of using a CUB with clients, of having them feel the comfort and ease of using one. I have dreams of showing my Birth education students how they can use a CUB to shorten labour, reduce interventions and help get baby into an optimal position whilst helping to open up their pelvis to help their baby descend.
Yep – this is one dreamy tool, I’ve wanted to have for birth classes and for doula clients.
As a Birth Educator I teach the value of labouring and birthing in an upright position. It is also one of the key Healthy Birth practices I teach in my Lamaze classes – Healthy Birth Practice #5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body’s urges to push. Studies show that birthing in upright positions can shorten labour and decrease pain, as well as increase pelvic diameter and reduce the need for interventions. (Care Practice #5: Spontaneous Pushing)
As a doula I see the importance of birthing in an upright position and of using gravity neutral positions during birth, I see how positions can change and affect the length of labour and the comfort of birth as well as the position of the baby.
The fact that The CUB (Comfortable Upright Birth) support is a comfortable, versatile, inflatable birthing support designed to help mothers adopt and maintain positions that are physically the most helpful for them and their babies during labor and birth, is a must for use at births. The CUB is designed with the mother in mind and birthing needs, being able to use the CUB throughout labor as a comfortable support, either to sit on, rest on or lean over as well as to give birth to the baby on – the fact that the mother can birth on a CUB and not have to move again, shows how the design has be thoughtfully thought of with the mothers needs in minds (let’s face it, it’s never fair to move a mother who is in a comfortable position for birth)
For me I know it’s going to be an invaluable tool for me and doula clients to use. I want to help mothers to adopt and maintain positions that are not only the most comfortable but physically the most helpful for them and their baby during labour, helping them give birth easier, faster and most importantly, safer! I’m looking forward to sharing this with my future clients and having them see and feel the benefits of upright positioning and using a CUB that is designed for this purpose and comfort.

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Several months back I heard about the CUB, and thought “what a wonderful design, something easy to take with to the hospital when a birthing stool isn’t available.”  I immediately started asking around within the doula community and did not find any within my local area that had one.  This was very disappointing for me because it sounded like an amazing too. Then I expanded my search and found a few doulas online who owned them, and asked them what they liked about them.  Hands down I heard over and over again that the CUB was a great tool for keep laboring people in an upright position, and like a birth ball it was comfortable as well. 
I am very excited about getting a CUB because I have several goals in mind for what I plan to do with it. First and foremost, I plan on sharing it with clients in the classes I teach.  Currently I teach a seven week childbirth education series with one class being completely focused on labor support techniques.  In this class I plan to devote a section completely to the CUB and how it can be used. In my classes we always talk about staying upright and changing positions, the problem is how do we do that?  Often times women get tired and their choices can be limited, but with the CUB we can easily accomplished being upright and being comfortable.  There are so many positions that it can be used with to encourage labor progress.  One can kneel leaning over it, and with it being in a U shape can provide much more comfort to the laboring person by not applying pressure to the contracting uterus.  In the past the option was to use a birth ball, but I have had many clients say that the pressure of the ball was not comfortable.  The CUB can also be used in an upright position to sit on, and the best part is the height can be customized by choosing to inflate one or two of the levels.  This can be very beneficial not only for fitting the height of the laboring person, but also for the position being utilized.  Does the laboring person want to be in a squatting position?  Sitting upright?  Lunging?  All easily accomplished with the help of the CUB.  The CUB is also a great alternative to a birthing stool which in my area is non existent in labor and delivery.  Not only is it comfortable to sit on, but it’s U shaped design makes it easy for the provider to be able to see what it going on while still allowing the birthing person to be upright, supported, and comfortable. 

My second goal for using the CUB is to take it to births and introduce it to providers by having them actually see clients using it. I have found that it isn’t uncommon for doulas to bring tools into labor and delivery, and when introduced and provided research and positive experiences for that too to then be purchased by the hospital itself.  In my community we saw this happen at one hospital with peanut balls.  As a group of doulas we kept bringing them in and using them, talking about them, and showing staff the benefits of them and suddenly we started to see the hospitals purchasing them for their patients to use.  I hope to see this happen with the CUB as well. 

Finally my other goal is to introduce the CUB to the birth professionals in my area.  Most of them already know the benefits of being upright during labor and birth, but many have not heard of the CUB or have seen it being used.  I would like to change that.  I would like for them to see this not only as a tool to use, but as an essential tool to use in helping their clients not only stay comfortable, but upright and moving as well.  

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