Use of McRobertsʹ position during delivery and increase in pushing efficiency

McRobertsʹ position is used during the second stage of labour to facilitate delivery of the fetal shoulders. Few clinical studies have been done to measure its efficacy. We measured intrauterine pressure in 22 women in term labour, after the vertex reached 3+ station, in the dorsal lithotomy position. Patients pushed with legs either in stirrups or hyperflexed by 135° (McRobertsʹ position). Maternal valsalva transiently increased the expulsive force by 32% over naturally occurring contractions. Use of McRobertsʹ position almost doubled the intrauterine pressure developed by contractions alone (from 1653 mm Hg s to 3262 mm Hg s [97%]).