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Labor and delivery

The last nine months may have seemed to last forever, but now you're on the home stretch. This section explains what happens on the delivery day - and will help you anticipate the steps that make this day a genuinely remarkable and memorable event.

Labor Basics

The signs of true labor
The three stages of labor
Procedures that may take place during labor and delivery

Approaches To Childbirth

Bradley method
Lamaze
Strategies for getting through labor
Tips for labor coaches
Pain relief during labor and delivery

Delivery

Vaginal birth
Delivery positions
Episiotomy
C-section
Vaginal birth after c-section

After Delivery

Your baby's first day
Apgar test
Circumcision

Special Delivery Situations

Low birth weight
Breech birth and other positions
Placenta previa (placenta blocks cervix)
Multiple birth pregnancies

Review Date: 1/15/2005
Reviewed By: Alison M. Stuebe, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.