You have a million questions about labor. How long will labor last? How bad is the pain going to be? Can I really do this? There is no way to know the answers to these questions in advance, but you can learn about certain procedures now, that will help you feel ready for what lies ahead.

There are major differences in the way doctors and hospitals approach pregnancy and delivery. I'd like to spend the next few minutes making you a savvy consumer. The hospital is the most important choice you will make with regards your pregnancy. Is it baby friendly? Can it care for preterm babies? Take these and more into consideration when making your decision.

QUESTION

Dear Midwife,
My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant. I have read about preconception and pregnancy but my question has to do with birthing choices. When I was born my mother used a midwife at home and when my husband was born he had a doctor in a hospital. Which do you think is better? I like the idea of a home birth but when my mother-in-law was having my husband, he got stuck coming out. Is that possibly a genetic thing? He had very big shoulders! Could that possibly happen to us?

Even though you can't plan the exact day or time to give birth to your baby, unless of course our doctors and nurses have established a schedule for a Cesarean birth or induction, you can control preparation for the trip to your hospital that will make the journey less stressful.

Hypnosis is very simply: Focused concentration. It is a natural state of mind in which the body and mind are very relaxed and yet the mind is also highly aware and focused. The pregnant woman can choose to enter, stay in, or come out of hypnosis at will.

The nine months of pregnancy are all about choices. Everything from the best exercise, to the most comfortable shoes to more important things like your prenatal care provider and place to give birth.