We began by studying the traditional practices of cultures around the world, and noticed a common range of positions that looked very different from what we see in hospital delivery rooms today

Hundreds of years ago in Hawaii, the children of royal families would be birthed at sacred sites where large stones were used to aid the mother's positioning during birth.  The scene above shows a lap birth where the partner's lap imitates a birthing chair and allows for delivery in a supported upright position.

Whatever the setting, women would be upright, whether squatting, standing leaning, or on their hands and knees.  These practices - the intimacy of a woman on her partner's lap, the strength of working with gravity to push through a contraction - greatly informed and inspired the development of the Kaya Stool.