I had an OB say the exact same thing to my cousin’s wife in labor! I almost started laughing; it was all so ridiculous.

Obviously, that OB hasn’t read Lamaze Care Practice #5:

“Upright positions—such as standing, kneeling, or squatting—take advantage of gravity to help your baby move down into the pelvis. Squatting increases the size of the pelvis, providing more room for the baby to move down (N. Johnson, V. Johnson, & Gupta, 1991; Simkin & Ancheta, 2005).”

You mean you never heard of the special circumstances that occur only during pregnancy, during which NONE of the laws of nature or thermodynamics, or heck even biology, apply to either the mother or the baby?

Me neither.

My OB with my second daughter said almost the same exact thing when I kept wanting to sit up in a more comfortable position during my labor. He insisted flat on my back was the best position.

my ob said the exact same thing!

I was the doula at this birth and I was so incredibly frustrated with this tiny little Napoleon of a doctor. This statement was the last straw. What I really wanted to say was: “Riiiiight, you took biology instead of physics.”