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Get informed about what happens during labor, different birth methods and philosophies, and your choices during delivery.
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Take this quiz to find out if you'll recognize labor when it finally arrives....
For those of you with visions of either giving birth in your car or making repeated "false alarm" trips to the hospital or birth...
Giving birth: Your guide to labor [article]
Stages of labor and delivery: Know what to expect After around 40 weeks of growing and carrying a new life, a pregnant woman's hardest...
Are you getting ready for your baby's big debut? There are lots of things to remember, but iVillage Expecting Club members have made it...
Cesarean section: What you need to know [article]
What happens during a cesarean? Preparation for the surgery includes starting an IV, shaving the pubic hair that shows when your legs are together...
Approaching childbirth is akin to stepping toward a mountain range, and what lies ahead is completely new terrain. There is no way around it;...
To medicate or not to medicate, that is the question. What's right for you?...
Birthing Positions [article]
Advantages and disadvantages of various positions you might try during childbirth. Fortunately we've left behind the days of the laboring-on-her-back, heavily sedated mother-to-be, totally...
Birthing Essentials: Your Packing List [article]
1. A nightgown, if desired -- Some women prefer to wear the hospital gown. If you do bring your own, and are nursing, wear...
First Stage of Labor [article]
Prodomal Labor What's Happening The cervix begins to soften, thin and move forward, and it may begin to open. The baby settles into the...
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Pregnancy & Parenting at iVillage: Pregnancy and Parenting at iVillage has tools and experts to guide you through the conceive process, your stages of pregnancy and the parenting of your child through every age and stage: newborn, baby, toddler, grade school, tween and teen. Visit iVillage Pregnancy and Parenting for tools you need such as the fertility planner, pregnancy calendar, fetal image slideshow, week-by-week pregnancy guide, baby name finder, sleep method decoder, and development tracker.