Birthing chair

[1] The birthing chair has been used for millennia, appearing for example in Exodus 1:16: And he said, 'When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the birthstool.

Women giving birth in the upright position have been depicted in Asian, African, Pacific Islander, and Native American art.

[4] Birthing chairs fell out of use after physicians began using the flat bed for women to lie on during delivery.

[5] Studies have shown that the birthing chair speeds up the time of delivery and increases comfort for expecting mothers.

[6] The position of the birthing chair allows muscles (including vaginal and abdominal as well as those in the back, stomach, legs, and arms) used in childbirth to work to efficiency.

More recently birthing chairs/stools have been made to accommodate several upright positions such as squatting, all fours, kneeling and sitting, and are used as supports not necessarily as chairs or stools.