The Third Trimester of Pregnancy: An Overview

If a patient never needs any of the real hospital safeguards, then she and her partner come away with a very nice experience of the birth of their child. Hopefully, they will never know what emergency preparedness lurked in the shadows, waiting to spring into action should the need have arisen. And if Dad wants to cut the cord, that's OK. If Mom wants to listen to music during her pushing, it's not medically risky. Hopefully, all the expectant parents need to know is that the working end of the hospital is there immediately when needed; and that their obstetrician will judge what is medically necessary. All of the rest should be up to the couple. After all, it's their family's childbirth experience.

If there are little extras the couple wants and that are important to them and these extras pose no medical hazards, then we as obstetricians are happy to comply. After all, many other doctors and I have been there ourselves. We'd want the same consideration. Different techniques of labor—such as Lamaze and Bradley—should be welcomed. An epidural anesthetic is also a comforting way to have a baby should the laboring woman desire it. All of these labor techniques shouldn't matter to the doctor or hospital as long as they don't affect medical outcomes.