For those that have not been through it before, childbirth can be pretty scary.
Some women focus on how painful it is going to be, while others are concerned that they might be able to have a "natural" birth that does not rely on painkillers, numbing shots, or other drugs.
And while everyone has a different idea of what an optimal birth should be, it is always good to know ahead of time exactly what to expect.
While it probably is not necessary to know what brand of nursing clog shoes the staff is wearing, it is good to know the general sequence of events, what decisions need your input, and what might happen if the baby is having a hard time coming out.
If you have a good idea about these things beforehand, you are freed up to focus solely on how you feel-and the new little life coming into the world.
Though there are many different ways you can choose to birth your child, one of the most popular ways is at a local hospital in a birthing suite.
These suites are larger than a typical hospital room and contain all the necessary medical equipment for delivering your baby.
There is usually a sitting area for family and any friends that have been invited into the room, and there is most likely a bathroom.
Some hospitals will require dad to wear a pair of Koi mens scrubs or the like, while others take a more lax attitude and let dad wear whatever he is comfortable in.
But since mom is the star of the show, it all revolves around her.
Everything is geared towards making mom as comfortable as possible and encouraging a calm, soothing environment.
After all, there will be crying and screaming soon enough when the baby is born! Though every hospital will run things a bit different, the mother will usually be able to choose what sort of drugs, if any, she would like during the delivery.
Commonly a mother-to-be will write up a birth plan that has this and other information on it.
The plan is shared with the nursing staff and the doctor who will be delivering the baby, and everyone will try to stick to it as close as possible.
And just because the doctor is wearing Cherokee medical scrubs, he or she will usually respect the mother's wishes on lots of things during the birth.
However, that all goes out the window if the mother or baby is in distress.
Thankfully, the doctor and his or her staff will be there to take the steps necessary to make sure everyone is safe and healthy.