How to Prepare for Labor and Delivery

Choose the facility where you'll deliver. If you want to give birth in a hospital, your choices may be limited. If multiple hospitals are nearby, the decision will be made easier if your doctor practices only at one or if your insurance is accepted only at one. Consider using a birth center only if yours is an uncomplicated, single pregnancy. If you're debating your options, KidsHealth recommends researching things, like distance from your home, nurse-to-patient ratios, mortality rates and the center or hospital's preparedness for dealing with emergencies.

Sign up for a childbirth class. Explore all the local options by talking to friends, asking your doctor for advice and contacting the hospital or birthing center where you plan to give birth. Take a multi-week course or sign up for a one-day class; either way, you'll learn about pain management, creating a childbirth plan and ways your partner can support you through labor. Aim to take courses around the sixth or seventh month of your pregnancy, suggests MayoClinic.com. Go to class with a list of any questions that have been nagging you.

Schedule a tour of the facility where you plan to labor. (If you take childbirth classes at the facility, a tour likely will be included.) Visit the nursery, see a standard labor room and ask plenty of questions. Ask about visiting hours after childbirth, the response time for anesthesiologists, how many nurses will work with you and what will happen if your baby is born with complications. Take your partner along for the tour.

Make a childbirth plan. The American Pregnancy Association suggests writing plans for an uncomplicated birth and for one with unforeseen complications. Write out who you want in the delivery room, what type of pain management you want, whether you want to have a water birth or try different positions, and what music you'll play. In the event of complications, write down under what circumstances you'll consider a cesarean section and whether or not you'll accept medications to jump-start labor.

Pack your bags. Fill an overnight bag with loose clothing, pajamas and underwear, a few toiletries, nursing bras, sanitary pads, extra phone chargers, the camera, clothing for your baby, any registration paperwork you've received and a few items to entertain you during a long labor, like magazines and books. Add music and photos on which to focus during labor, a change of clothes for your partner, and copies of your birth plan and insurance information. Keep the bag in the car, along with a car seat.

Take care of details. Make arrangements and back-up arrangements for child and pet care while you're in the hospital. Create a phone tree, so close family and friends will be alerted when you go into labor. Stock the freezer with meals for after you give birth, and verify that the changing table and nursery are fully stocked.

Practice the breathing techniques you learned in childbirth class. Get as much sleep as you can, and pamper yourself with pedicures and back rubs. Relaxing as much as possible will allow you to focus on the joyous outcome of labor rather than worry.