[uwsider]

I've heard the term Äpfel schütteln or "shaking the apples" a few times now to describe a hip-shaking move that helps loosen pelvic muscle tension during labor. What is the maneuver? Great name.

[Deb]

What you already described is primarily the idea. I haven't used this technique too often, but when I do, I find it pretty effective.

To perform this technique, I ask the mother to go into an "all 4's position" and hold onto the iliac crest (upper part of the pelvic) and shake her.

The theory behind it is, it helps a malpositioned baby maneuver into a better placement by releasing the muscle and ligament tension in the mother's body.