Childbirth

Labor and Delivery

Regardless how often you have given birth, or even if this the first time, pregnancy is an unique celebration of life, including labor and delivery, despite the horror-like stories you hear from family and friends , printed or displayed online all surrounding labor and delivery.

It is true that in this final stage of your pregnancy, you will feel pain and some anxiety, but if you remain well informed and confident, managing your stress in a positive manner and receiving support from your partner, you probably will handle childbirth without any problems.

Furthermore, your doctor will also be there to assist you, and you can always ask for another member of your family or your close friend to stay near you for additional coaching.

Even with a support team, you may not control every single aspect of your labor and delivery, although that should not upset you. If your are able to maintain your emotional control, sharing your hopes and fears with the people close to you, you will find that most of those stories you have heard are just myths or tales.

Remember that labor and delivery is the culmination of your pregnancy, the moment in which you will be rewarded with a baby, for your love and caring, planning and preparation. Anxious feelings occur when this is your first child, although some nervousness about the delivery is always present no matter how many times you have had a baby.

After the first child, the mixture of feelings remain, but you will be more confident regarding what labor and delivery really means. Many pregnant women may feel restless and somewhat irritable, because the developing baby maintains greater demands on your body.

When the due date is near, you will be more anxious to know exactly when labor will start and how long it will take to see your baby born. You can also wonder if your delivery will be vaginal or will it by cesarean, in which case considering whether you are going to receive anesthesia or experience a natural childbirth.

Other factors to keep in mind include the possibility of using a hospital delivery room, a birthing center, or an at home birth assisted by a midwife, which is nowadays the most common trend. The experience will be yours alone so the decision should be made with your own best interest and that of your baby in mind.

Labor and deliver are processes well understood and well attended by doctors and today's accredited midwives. However, no one knows exactly why labor starts, the exact moment when it will occur, or how long it will last.

The assumption is around the due date, although only 5% of pregnant women who carry their babies to term deliver on that day, and 95% deliver from a few to several weeks before or after this date.