Birthing Centers and Hospital Maternity Services

You'll make plenty of decisions during pregnancy, and choosing whether to give birth in a hospital or a birth center is an important one.

Giving Birth at a Hospital

Traditional hospital births are still the most common option. This means the mother-to-be moves from a labor room to a delivery room and then, after the birth, to a semiprivate room.

In a hospital birth:

• Pain medicines are available during labor and delivery, if a woman wants them.
• Labor can be induced, if necessary.
• The baby is usually electronically monitored throughout the labor.

Doctors "manage" the delivery with their patients. A birth plan can help a woman communicate her preferences, and her doctor will abide by these as much possible.

Many hospitals now offer more options for low-risk births, often known as family-centered care. These may include private rooms with baths (called birthing suites) where women can labor, deliver, and recover in one place without having to be moved.

A doctor and medical staff are still on hand. But the rooms create a nurturing environment, with warm, soothing colors and features that try to simulate a home-like atmosphere that can be very comforting for new moms. Rooming in — when the baby stays with the mother most of the time instead of in the infant nursery — also is more common.