The moment you find out you’re pregnant, the questions start flooding in. One of the biggest decisions you’ll face is how you want to deliver your baby. With C-section rates climbing and natural birth ...

Hospitals are reshaping maternity care to match changing birth preferences.

Planning for labor and delivery means thinking through your options – and for some moms-to-be, that includes going medication-free. "If your goal is a medication-free delivery, that is absolutely ...

A person may choose to give birth naturally, without pain management medication, or with an epidural to block sensations of pain in the lower body. Each birthing option has its potential risks and ...

A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother before, during, and shortly after childbirth. Unlike midwives or obstetricians, ...

Birthing centers, which offer natural, low-intervention births to low-risk moms, are becoming more and more popular. But regardless of demand, they’re struggling to stay open. When Kimberly Kleoppel ...

Many people create a birth plan to state their preferences for labor and delivery. A birth plan will: help you think through your preferences ahead of time, explore different options you might not ...

Though it responds to a justified distrust of the medical establishment among women, it also subtly partakes of an insidious mythology. Pregnant women are everywhere, but in a way it’s hard to see ...

Near the end of pregnancy, the cervix softens to help prepare for labor. If your cervix isn't softening naturally, there are safe ways to encourage it at home. Always consult with your healthcare ...

A Seattle stay-at-home mom who sang through labor to deliver her son as her husband played guitar says she hardly experienced pain -- it "felt like a vacation." Brandon Hell / SWNS She wanted to B ...