When women push naturally while lying on their side during childbirth, their baby’s blood gets more oxygen compared to when they push while lying on their back using a forceful breath-holding technique—but it doesn’t change the baby’s blood acidity or Apgar score.

When moms push naturally on their side during birth, their babies get more oxygen in the umbilical cord blood, but their health scores and blood acidity stay just as good as when moms push lying on their back. So side-pushing helps babies breathe better without any downsides.