The Swedish Birth Seat Trial

Inclusion Criteria: * nulliparous women who understood the Swedish language sufficiently well to receive information and give informed consent * a normal pregnancy,singleton fetus in cephalic presentation * spontaneous onset of labor occurring between gestational weeks 37 + 0 and 41 + 6 * Body Mass Index less (BMI) than thirty * gestational diabetes not requiring medical treatment * women who were planning a vaginal birth after a caesarean section (VBAC) * women induced because of spontaneous rupture of membranes with no spontaneous contractions for longer than twenty-four hours Exclusion Criteria: * multiparous women * birth before gestational week 37 * breech presentation * maternal BMI more than 30 * multiple pregnancy * infectious disease * pre-eclampsia or other conditions requiring medical care