The Miles Circuit: My Success with These Stretches to Induce Labor

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If you're close to your due date (or past it, in which case, hi, I'm sorry, pull up a chair), you've probably seen the Miles Circuit floating around. It's a three-step sequence of positions and movement meant to help baby get into a good position for birth, and a lot of people use it hoping it'll nudge labor along too.

I did the Miles Circuit during my second pregnancy. That time around I was VERY focused on baby's position and on natural ways to encourage labor, so right around my due date I did the circuit along with a couple of other things. And then my body went into labor on its own. Do I know for sure the circuit is what did it? No, and I'll get into what the evidence actually says. But I'd do it again, and it's one of the things people ask me about most at the end of pregnancy.

So let's go through what it is, how to do each step, and the questions that come up constantly, like whether it works and whether it can flip a baby the wrong way.

What is the Miles Circuit?

The Miles Circuit is three positions done in order: two resting positions, then upright movement. The goal is to give baby room to rotate into an optimal position for birth and then settle down into your pelvis. That position is usually occiput anterior (OA), which I'll explain in a sec.

The official Miles Circuit website is run by Sharon Muza, a doula trainer and childbirth educator. The site credits yoga instructor Megan Hamilton with creating the sequence. It's named after Megan Miles, who shared it with Sharon.

Each step lasts at least 30 minutes, so the full circuit takes about 90 minutes, sometimes longer. People use it:

• in the last few weeks of pregnancy, to encourage a baby who isn't in a great position to rotate

• around or after their due date, hoping baby settles lower and labor starts on its own

• in early labor, as a restful (but still productive) way to pass the time when sleep isn't happening

• during labor, especially with back labor or when things have slowed down (more on that below)

How to do the Miles Circuit: the three steps

The official site has a free printable PDF of the circuit. Save it to your phone before you start so you're not trying to remember the instructions with your butt in the air. Here's what each step looks like.

Step 1: Open-knee-chest position

Start on your hands and knees. Then lower your chest as close to the floor or bed as you can while your bottom stays up high. Your knees go fairly wide apart, and the angle between your torso and thighs should be wider than 90 degrees. You're tipping your pelvis so gravity helps baby float back up and out of the pelvis a little, which gives them room to reposition.

You stay here for 30 minutes, which is MUCH longer than it sounds. Pillows help, and so does a partner holding a rebozo (a long woven scarf) under your belly for support. If you truly can't hold it, or you have bad heartburn, the circuit's site suggests Spinning Babies' Forward-Leaning Inversion as an alternative. When you're done, come up slowly, and sit for a minute if you feel lightheaded.

Step 2: Exaggerated side-lying position

Roll onto your left side with your bottom leg straight. Bring your top leg up as high as is comfortable and roll forward as far as you can, so you're almost lying on your belly. Use as many pillows as you need to stay supported.

Stay here at least 30 minutes. If you fall asleep, the creators consider that a win, which may be my favorite exercise instruction of all time. If you do the circuit a second time on the same day, switch to your right side for this step.

Step 3: Upright movement (lunges, stairs and curb walking)

The last step is at least 30 minutes of upright, asymmetrical movement, meaning one side of your pelvis is higher than the other. That opens things up and lets gravity help baby move down. Options include:

• Lunges. Put one foot up on a chair or step with your toes pointed out to the side, and lunge sideways. Don't lunge forward over your knee, because that actually narrows the pelvis.

• Walking stairs sideways, two at a time, with someone spotting you from below.

• Curb walking (a longtime MLN favorite). Walk with one foot on the curb and one in the street, then switch sides.

• Sitting on a birth ball and rocking or doing hip circles.

Go with whichever side feels better. If something hurts, stop and change it up.

Does it have to be done in order, or all at once?

It's meant to be done as one session, in order. The steps build on each other. Step 1 makes room, step 2 lets baby rotate while you rest, and step 3 uses gravity to bring baby down. The preparation guide also suggests moving between positions as little as possible.

You don't have to start with the full 90 minutes, though. That's where building up comes in.

When to start the Miles Circuit (and how often)

The circuit's creators suggest starting around 37 weeks. That gives you a few weeks to build up before your due date, which matters, because 30 minutes in open-knee-chest is not something most people can just walk into.

The site recommends starting with about 10 minutes per position each day and adding a few minutes daily until you can do the full circuit, so once a day is a reasonable rhythm while you're building up. It isn't meant for earlier in pregnancy, either. Trying to get labor going before 39 weeks isn't the goal unless your provider is the one recommending it.

Practicing ahead also pays off later. Once you know the positions, it's SO much easier to use them around your due date or in early labor, when you're tired and have zero interest in learning something new.

Does the Miles Circuit work to induce labor?

There's no published research on the Miles Circuit specifically, so nobody can give you a real success rate. The closest research we have looked at a similar idea, spending time on hands and knees in late pregnancy, and found it didn't change baby's position at birth (although it did help with back pain during labor). Most of what you'll find about the circuit, including all the success stories online, is anecdotal. If you want the deeper dive on what the evidence says about natural induction methods in general, I talked through it with Dr. Rebecca Dekker of Evidence Based Birth on the podcast.

The theory makes sense, though. When baby is well positioned and well engaged, their head presses more evenly on your cervix, and that may help your body move toward labor. Spending 90 minutes calmly focused on your body probably doesn't hurt either. But labor starts because of a complicated mix of hormonal and physical changes, and no sequence of positions can force it.

That's why I'm careful about how I describe my own experience. I did the Miles Circuit right at my due date. I also did reflexology and had my membranes swept. Then I went into labor on my own. I believe the circuit helped, but realistically it was the combination of all of that plus my body simply being ready.

People also ask how long after the circuit labor started for others. It's all over the place: hours for some people, days for others. For plenty of people the circuit doesn't start labor at all, and if that's you, it doesn't mean you did it wrong.

Why baby's position matters

Most providers expect baby to be head down for a vaginal birth. Within head down, it also matters which way baby is facing:

• Occiput anterior (OA): the back of baby's head is toward your belly, and baby is facing your spine. This is generally the best fit through the pelvis. In left occiput anterior (LOA), for example, the back of baby's head is toward the front left side of your belly.

• Occiput posterior (OP): the back of baby's head is toward your spine, and baby is facing your belly. This is the one people call "sunny-side up."

OP isn't dangerous, and lots of babies who start out OP turn on their own during labor. But a baby who stays OP is associated with more back pain in labor, longer labors, and a higher chance of an assisted delivery or C-section. That's a big part of why people try positioning techniques like the Miles Circuit at the end of pregnancy and in early labor. Your provider can usually tell you baby's position, and an ultrasound can confirm it if needed.

The Miles Circuit and breech babies

Can it turn a breech baby, or flip baby the wrong way?

The Miles Circuit wasn't really designed for breech babies. It's mostly used to help a head-down baby rotate from OP to OA and settle lower in the pelvis. There are anecdotal stories of breech babies turning after the circuit, but there isn't evidence that it works for that.

If your baby is breech close to term, talk to your provider. They may offer an external cephalic version (ECV), where they turn baby from the outside of your belly. It's usually done around 36 to 37 weeks, and they can go over your other options too.

On the flip side (sorry), some people worry the circuit could turn a head-down baby breech. There's no evidence that it does, and the circuit's own site says the positions shouldn't harm a baby who's already lined up well. Babies can occasionally change position on their own late in pregnancy, so if you're not sure how baby is lying, check with your provider.

Miles Circuit vs. Spinning Babies

Spinning Babies is a broader approach to fetal positioning. It includes daily body-balancing activities, specific techniques like Forward-Leaning Inversion, and a lot of information on breech babies. The Miles Circuit is one specific 90-minute sequence. They're not competitors: the Miles Circuit's own site even suggests a Spinning Babies technique as an alternative to step 1. If baby is breech, Spinning Babies has more specific information, but that's still a conversation to have with your provider.

Is the Miles Circuit safe? Who should check with their provider

For most people with a healthy, low-risk pregnancy at term, these are gentle positions and pretty normal movement. Still, check with your provider before starting, especially if:

• you're not 37 weeks yet

• you have a pregnancy complication like placenta previa, preeclampsia or high blood pressure, preterm labor in this pregnancy, or a cerclage

• you've been given activity restrictions

• you have trouble with balance, or pain in your pelvis, hips or back

Skip the circuit and call your provider or labor and delivery if you have vaginal bleeding, leaking fluid, decreased fetal movement, or regular contractions before 37 weeks. For step 3, use a spotter on the stairs, hold onto something for lunges, and skip the curb walking if you're not steady on your feet.

Using the Miles Circuit in early or stalled labor

If contractions have started but you're still home in early labor, the circuit's creators say you can do the positions right through your contractions. A lot of people find it a much better use of early labor than staring at a contraction timer app. If you're pulling together things to have on hand for early labor at home, I keep a labor comfort and essentials list on Amazon.

Moving around and changing positions during labor is widely encouraged when it's safe for you. If labor slows down or you're dealing with back labor, positions like these can help with back pain, and they may help baby rotate (the evidence on that part is weaker). They won't fix every stalled labor, though, and slow progress always needs input from your care team. If you're in the hospital, your nurse can help you adapt the positions. Even with an epidural, a modified side-lying position or peanut ball positions are often still possible. And if labor itself still feels like a big unknown, my free mini birth class is a good place to start.

What else I tried to get labor started

If you're reading this, your due date is probably close, or maybe it's already come and gone (again, I'm sorry). The Miles Circuit is a calm, low-risk thing to add to your end-of-pregnancy routine, and at the very least it gives you something productive to do while you wait.

With my second, I combined the circuit with reflexology and a membrane sweep. With my first, I tried a different set of natural labor induction strategies, which I wrote about separately if you want to see what might fit you. Whatever you try, go easy on yourself. Babies show up on their own schedule, even when you do everything "right."

~Liesel

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