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Every labor and delivery is a magically unique experience. Giving birth is a phenomenon that the majority of women experience at least once in their life, and labor and delivery is the culmination of the pregnancy and the introduction of a beautiful new soul.
Even if a woman should happen to give birth to many children, each and every labor and delivery experience has its own unique concerns. For instance, the expectant mom plans on giving birth at the local hospital, and she has chosen an epidural catheter for pain control during labor and delivery. Her water breaks a few weeks early while at their remote cabin, but suddenly the baby arrives before you can get to the hospital.
This happens more than you might think, fortunately everything usually turns out to be just fine. People have been giving birth long before there have been hospitals. Just imagine how many babies have been born and fields and huts with nothing more than the aid and comfort of a family member or close friend.
OK, getting back to modern times, there are a great deal of decisions that need to be made before labor and delivery ever begin. You should feel comfortable with your doctor and his staff, and have a solid support system in place, be it family or friends, or better yet, both.
If you want have as much control as possible over the birth of your baby, you should consider having a birth plan in place. You will have a great deal of control over your labor and delivery with regards to the issues such as if you want an IV, pain medication, or an epidural.
You may just choose to go the natural route and forgo any pain killers and as few medical interventions as possible. These at the types of things that are laid out in a birth plan. You can even specify who you would like to be with you as you are going into labor, and what type of comforts you would prefer. You should also discuss with your doctor what would be done under certain emergency scenarios. We don't like to talk about it, but problems can and do happen.
The actual labor and delivery itself can be scary because of all the unknowns. Anything you can be scary, especially childbirth. Your health care provider is there to educate you and your partner, and support you throughout the pregnancy and labor and delivery. This can be extremely helpful in reducing anxiety and alleviating some fears.
In general, the mortality rate of mothers and babies is very low, and labor and delivery ends successfully in most cases with the birth of a healthy infant. It should also come as related in the all the planning and fussing has finally ended. Now the time has come. The labor and delivery experience should be celebrated. It's a beautiful thing.
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