First-time mothers learn about the labor of child birth from their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, friends, colleagues, doctors and midwives, as well as from the books they read, their child birth preparation classes, the doulas who coach them and the videos and TV programs they watch.

But like fireworks on the Fourth of July — all of them unique and indelibly memorable — their own child birth experiences will probably be nothing that resembles what they’ve read or seen or heard about.

Why is that? It’s because giving birth is the most transformational, life-altering experience of a woman’s existence. Much like the one-of-a-kind fingerprints and DNA that identifies each person on earth with an exceptional identity, child birth is also without comparison.
Think about it. There’s not one person in the history of the universe — and among the world’s current population of over six-and-a-half billion — who has ever had your pregnancy or will have your labor or delivery.

Pregnancy and child birth produce an explosion of emotions — everything from joy and excitement to anxiety and fear. Even if a woman has given birth before or knows her baby’s gender, the “unknowns” of each birth — especially safety and health — can only be anticipated. But all your preparation and the care of quality child birth support can at least pave the way. And the one result that everyone can share is the awe you’ll feel when you first hold your child.

Reduce Your Risks

Labor and delivery do pose inherent risks. But there are many ways to reduce them.

    
• Safety: Call your hospital to learn if it has been accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), which assesses the quality of patient care, infection control, cleanliness, et al.
    
• Doctor qualifications: Check sites like www.mdnationwide.org and www.healthgrades.com.
    
• Emotions: If you’re overwhelmed with anxiety and/or fear, take a class in stress relief or relaxation exercises; seek out hypnosis or short-term psychotherapy.
    
• Support: Surround yourself with loving, supportive people — and tell the others to take a walk.

More Resources

Childbirth Without Fear by Grantly
0Dick-Read (Pinter & Martin Ltd., $13).
Adventures in Natural Childbirth: Tales from Women on the Joys, Fears, Pleasures, and Pains of Giving Birth Naturally by Janet Schwegel (DeCapo Press, $12).

Joan Swirsky is a psychotherapist, former OB nurse and Lamaze teacher, and author of Gift of Life: A Spiritual Companion for the Mother-to-Be.