Although each labor and delivery is different, most follow a general pattern. Expectant mothers can have a general idea of what changes will occur in their body to enable them to deliver the baby and what procedures will be followed to help them. They also have several choices to make, such as whether to have a support person (such as the baby’s other parent) present and where to have the baby.
Settings for childbirth vary. Women may have options of delivering at a hospital, birthing center, or at home.
Hospital delivery has the advantage of having medical staff and equipment immediately available if unexpected complications occur during labor and delivery or after delivery. Examples of such complications include excessive uterine bleeding at delivery, placental abruption, fetal distress, shoulder dystocia (the fetus's shoulder lodges against a woman's pubic bone, and the baby is caught in the birth canal), need for emergency cesarean delivery, or abnormalities or signs of distress in the newborn.
Birthing centers are usually in or close to a hospital, so that emergency care is available if needed.
Some women choose to deliver at home, and this choice is common in many countries. If a pregnant woman plans to deliver at home, she should make sure to have the same level of prenatal care by a healthcare professional as those who choose to deliver at a hospital or birthing center. She should also make sure that she does not have any complications or increased risk for complications when it is close to the time that labor will start. A home birth should be attended by a trained and licensed healthcare professional with an arrangement with a hospital and a plan to be able to get to the hospital within 30 minutes or less if there are complications. In some countries, licensed healthcare professionals (such as certified nurse midwives) are often not available, and deliveries are assisted by lay midwives or traditional birth attendants.
For many women, presence of their partner or another support person, such as a doula or perinatal support specialist, during labor is helpful. Moral support and encouragement may decrease anxiety.
Regardless of the choices a woman makes about where to deliver or the type of pain relief to use, knowing what to expect helps prepare her for labor and delivery—for example, by reading about childbirth, talking with other women, and attending childbirth preparation classes. Childbirth education classes can prepare parents for labor and delivery, including providing information about normal labor, monitoring equipment, and potential complications.
(See also Complications of Labor and Delivery.)
