As you prepare to give birth, it helps to consider how you want to deliver and what you want the experience to be. This is an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and a bit scary. Having a preference and being prepared for all possibilities helps you through the final months. Learn about the birthing methods you may encounter at the hospital, and work with your health care provider to develop your birth preference.
You may already know that you'll need a certain type of labor method, such as induction or C-section, or you may have a vision of the experience you want. UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital is here to prepare you and support your ideal birth experience as much as possible. We allow you to have support people present, whether it's your spouse, friend, or doula.
No matter which of the labor methods you're hoping for, you can use our birth preference guide to ensure that your needs and preferences are communicated to your health care team. Talk with your health care provider about which hospital birthing methods are possible for you based on your pregnancy history, personal needs, and medical circumstances.
Remember that the plan is a guide, and some aspects may change. UPMC Magee-Womens experts are here to ensure your safety and that of your baby. No matter what happens, we have the knowledge and compassion to care for you and follow your preference as much as possible.
Your health care provider can guide you through the medical aspects of your birthing preference to meet your and your baby's health needs. We will support your birth preference as much as possible, but your health care provider may deviate from your preference to keep you and your baby healthy. Because things can change throughout your pregnancy or during delivery, it helps to understand possible birthing and labor methods:
You may want your partner, a friend, or a family member in the room when you give birth. You may want just one support person or two. While you may have several loved ones requesting to be present, remember — it's your choice. Think about who is likely to help you stay calm and honor your wishes or who might add to your stress.
At UPMC, like most hospitals, we allow you to have two support people in the delivery room if you're having a vaginal birth. If you're having a C-section, we allow one support person present so that the surgical team can maintain a sanitary environment. Children are usually not permitted in delivery rooms. If you require an exception, talk to your care provider in advance to see if an accommodation is possible.
A doula, if you have one, doesn't count as a support person. That means you can have up to three people present for the birth if one is your doula.
Other friends and family members, including siblings, can wait in the lounge and visit you and the baby after the birth. Before you deliver, consider how quickly after the birth you want visitors. One support person can stay overnight with you after the birth.
You're also able to decide how you want the room. You can decide if you want:
Consider what else would make you more comfortable during your labor and birth. Options include:
Breathing can also help keep you calm and relieve discomfort. Consider whether you want someone guiding you through breathing techniques, like a partner or doula. Perhaps you would prefer to do breathing techniques on your own. (You may want to practice breathing with your partner — childbirth classes are a great way to do this.)
You may wish to go through your labor and birth with or without pain medication. You also may try to have a natural birth and opt for medication only if the pain becomes too intense.
Medical ways to manage pain include:
Whether you're having a planned C-section or you need an emergency one, you have choices. For example, you may wish to have a clear medical drape between your head and midsection so that you can see your baby being born. Or you may prefer not to see the surgery.
For pain relief, health providers usually recommend the spinal block method for C-sections. This involves injecting medication into the spinal fluid. A spinal block numbs you from the belly button to the feet and works immediately.
Other options for a C-section are an epidural or general anesthesia (where you're asleep through the procedure). You can talk to your care team about the benefits and risks of each option.
After the birth, you can choose to hold your baby in the operating room or recovery room. You may also choose to wait to have skin-to-skin contact until you're in your private hospital room.
After the birth, nurses weigh the baby and check to ensure they are healthy and breathing well. They clamp and cut the umbilical cord, but you can ask to have your partner cut it if you prefer.
Some people request waiting to clamp the umbilical cord for up to five minutes after birth. Research shows delaying umbilical cord clamping allows more blood to flow from the placenta to the baby.
Delayed clamping can support a baby's health by increasing their iron levels, but it can also slightly increase the risk of jaundice. Jaundice occurs when there is too much bilirubin, a waste product from the breakdown of red blood cells.
In addition to checking your baby and cutting the umbilical cord, nurses give your baby a vitamin K injection to protect them from bleeding. They put an ointment on your baby's eyes to prevent an eye infection.
Nurses can delay some of these procedures if you want skin-to-skin contact with your baby right away. Another thing to consider is whether you want to breastfeed shortly after the birth. Due to the excitement of the birth, both you and the baby will be alert enough to breastfeed.
You can donate the blood from your baby's umbilical cord to public stem cell banks for use in life-changing treatments for others. You can also store your baby's cord blood through a private company, which costs money.
By storing cord blood in a private bank, your child will have access to their own stem cells in the future. They may use them for a stem cell transplant or another type of treatment.
If you're banking cord blood, you may be unable to delay umbilical cord clamping. Your preferences can include your wishes for donating, storing, or discarding your baby's umbilical cord blood.
The best way to learn about birthing preferences is to learn more about labor and birth at a childbirth class.
It can be hard to know what you want for your birth preference if you don't know the benefits and risks of various supports and interventions. It is helpful to do some research on pain management during childbirth, what happens during vaginal birth and C-sections, birth positions, newborn care, and newborn feeding.
UPMC offers free childbirth classes that explain pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care. You may also want to talk to other people about their birth experiences, keeping in mind that every birth is different.
Last reviewed by a UPMC medical professional on 2024-09-05.
