Press release
Remain mobile during labour at the H.U.B: The walking epidural changes the childbirth experience, an innovation in French-speaking Belgium
Brussels, 19 February 2026 – The Departments of Gynaecology-Obstetrics and of Anaesthesiology at the Brussels University Hospital (H.U.B) are the first in French-speaking Belgium to propose the walking epidural for a vaginal delivery. This marks major progress that revolutionises the childbirth process by allowing women to remain in control of their own delivery while favouring a smooth labour for the benefit of mother and baby alike.
A first in French-speaking Belgium
The H.U.B’s Department of Gynaecology-Obstetrics has taken a major new step in childbirth support. It is the first in French-speaking Belgium to propose the walking epidural for a vaginal delivery.
Specifically, this innovation enables pregnant women to move around freely during labour while at the same time benefitting from effective pain relief. To date, the conventional epidural resulted in a loss of mobility, with the patients confined to bed. Thanks to this new protocol, the pain is controlled, sensations are preserved and the mobility of the lower limbs is maintained.
Why movement during labour is essential
Many medical studies show that mobility and upright positions during labour are beneficial for a smooth childbirth:
- Movement helps the baby to better enter the pelvis
- It can reduce the duration of labour
- It is associated with a reduced recourse to instruments (forceps, ventouse)
- It improves maternal comfort and the autonomy of the future mother.
This approach is part of a modern vision of obstetrics. One that is centred on medical safety but also on respect for the physiology and experience of the patients.
Dr. Clotilde Lamy, Head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic at the H.U.B: “Leonardo da Vinci said it already: Movement is life.”
A success made possible by unprecedented team work
This innovation is the result of close collaboration between gynaecology-obstetrics and anaesthesiology at the H.U.B. Together they drew up a new and specific clinical protocol. This collaboration again guarantees a high level of safety for mother and child while opening up new possibilities for support and accompaniment during childbirth.
Key information for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy
With the introduction of the walking epidural, the H.U.B is offering future mothers an additional option that is both innovative and based on solid scientific data. Major progress that could lastingly transform the childbirth experience in French-speaking Belgium.
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