HowStuffWorks Pregnancy Guide  Tags: pregnant pregnancy health infant birth reproductive fertility howstuffworks  

The C-section rate is rising in the United States and around the world. What kinds of pregnancy and labor complications can lead to C-sections, and why do some women plan to have them?

While the new mother can never fully know what to expect when giving birth, everyone should have at least a vague idea the physical and emotional events of normal spontaneous labor. Learn about childbirth medications.

Childbirth is a complicated process, so much so that labor is a different experience for every woman. Find out how childbirth works with information specific to each of the four stages.

Did you know that labor is divided into three stages? Find out what they are and how to tell when they start happening.

Labor begins when a woman’s cervix starts to dilate, or open. Watch how the labor process works.

The placenta provides the baby with nutrients and oxygen from the mother and carries away fetal waste. After delivery the uterus naturally pushes the placenta out.

The common symptoms of contractions, bloody show, and water breaking indicate the first phase of labor has started.

The amniotic sac contains the amniotic fluid, which help keep the baby warm and keeps the baby’s growing body parts from fusing together.

When the cervix dilates to 10 cm, the pushing and delivery phase of child birth begins. During this phase, the baby moves down the birth canal. The head comes out first, and the doctor supports it as the rest of the body comes through the birth...