Be-Up – for an active and self-determined birth
Be-Up stands for a birth environment that gives women greater freedom of movement and allows for different birthing positions during labour. The specially developed birth elements support women in using the space according to their individual needs.
Developed from the findings of the Be-Up Study, Be-Up combines scientific evidence with the practical design of modern birth environments.
The idea behind Be-Up
Be-Up was developed from the idea of designing the birth environment more closely around women’s needs. Instead of birth taking place predominantly in a lying position, the aim was to provide greater support for movement, upright birthing positions and the freedom to choose different positions.
For this purpose, a birth environment was developed that offers women different options for sitting, kneeling, leaning, supporting themselves and moving freely. The flexible Be-Up elements support individual birthing positions and can be used in a variety of ways throughout labour.
At the heart of every birth is a strong woman.
Every woman carries her own strength – long before she holds her baby in her arms. Birth is about trust, courage and the freedom to follow her own path.
Be-Up creates space for this: for movement, individual choices and a birth environment that supports women in trusting their intuition and actively shaping their birth experience.
Space for movement and self-determination
A birthing room can be more than simply the place where a baby is born. It can support women in moving freely, adopting different positions and following their individual needs throughout labour.
Be-Up therefore places the woman and her freedom of movement at the centre – rather than the birthing bed. The flexible Be-Up birth elements provide different possibilities for sitting, kneeling, leaning, moving and resting. This allows women to change positions throughout labour and, together with their midwife and birth companion, explore what feels right for them at each stage of birth.
The scientific findings underline the importance of this approach: upright maternal positions were significantly associated with women’s experience of self-determination during birth.
Be-Up creates space for movement – and therefore space for individual choices during birth.
Together and supported throughout birth
Be-Up makes it possible to experience and shape birth together. The flexible Be-Up birth elements can be used and combined in a variety of ways, creating different opportunities for a partner or birth companion to take an active role during labour.
A partner or birth companion can provide closeness, stability and physical support. Together, they can explore and support different birthing positions. This can give the woman more space to focus on herself, her body and her individual needs, allowing her to build trust and let go.
Be-Up creates space for a shared birth experience in which the woman remains at the centre while her birth companion can actively support her.
Developed for women and midwives
The Be-Up birth environment brings together the needs of women giving birth and the requirements of individual midwifery care. While women are given space to follow their own needs during labour, midwives can provide flexible support tailored to each stage of birth.
The Be-Up birth elements support a wide range of care situations and can be adapted to the individual needs of both the woman and her care team. This creates a birth environment in which self-determination and professional support complement each other.
Scientifically studied
The Be-Up birthing environment was scientifically investigated in a large multicentre randomised controlled trial involving more than 3,700 women across 22 hospitals in Germany.
The results showed a significant association between upright maternal positions during labour and women’s experience of self-determination. The Be-Up birthing environment is designed to encourage movement and a variety of upright positions, creating space for women to experience birth in a more active and individual way.
Safety was also comprehensively assessed: the Be-Up birthing environment proved to be just as safe for mother and baby as a standard birthing room.
Be-Up in maternity care
The Be-Up birth elements bring the concept of a movement-friendly and self-determined birth environment into practice. Flexible to combine, they support different birthing positions and individual needs throughout labour.
Developed together. Exclusively available.
The Be-Up foam elements were developed in collaboration with Nanoform Airbag Sports GmbH and are distributed exclusively by our company.
Document available in German.