Labor and delivery can be an extremely stressful and sometimes frightening time, especially for the first-time parent. By knowing what to expect during the postpartum period, many of the anxieties and fears that normally occur may be able to be avoided.

One of the biggest factors that plays a part in what to expect after delivery is the type of delivery that you have. If you have a vaginal delivery, your experience will probably be very different from someone who has had a cesarean section, and vice-versa.

With a vaginal delivery, you can expect to be extremely tired right after delivery. Labor and delivery can be physically a lot of hard work. In addition, the rapidly changing levels of hormones in your body may make you tired as well. You should be prepared to get as much rest as you can.

If you are prone to hemorrhoids, they may be inflamed or swollen after a vaginal delivery.

Also after a vaginal delivery, you can expect to have afterpains. Afterpains are contractions of the uterus that occur after delivery. These normally will not last longer than ten days after your delivery, and are a normal part of the uterus trying to get back to its regular size.

Your perineum will probably be sore after a vaginal delivery. You can use an ice pack to help with the swelling and soreness that often follows delivery. In addition, if you had an episiotomy, you will need to care for it carefully.

You should expect some discharge and bleeding (known as Lochia) after delivery. This will go from red to brown to yellow, and should not last for more than a couple of weeks.

With a C-section delivery, you can expect all of the above and more. You will have had major abdominal surgery. You will not only be tired, you will probably be generally out of it for a while due to the anesthetic. You will probably also have a catheter and an IV for a day or two. You should expect to stay in the hospital longer after a c-section delivery. You will probably require pain medications, and will also have to be diligent about keeping your incision clean, infection-free, and dry.

In addition, regardless of what type of delivery you have, you should expect some emotional changes. In addition to the obvious circumstancial causes, your body will take some time to get itself back to regular hormonal levels.

In the late 1940s, the American obstetrician Robert Bradley developed a method of childbirth that was unique for the time. This method is based on the idea that childbirth is and should be a natural process. Further, it assumes that, with the right preparations and precautions, most women can avoid pain medications and medical interventions during the labor and birth process. Proponents of the Bradley method suggest that around 90 percent of women who use the Bradley method to deliver vaginally can do so without pain medication.

The Bradley program typically lasts for 12 weeks. It is more intensive than other childbirth classes. The Bradley method assumes that it takes months to physically, mentally, and emotionally prepare for parenting and childbirth. Thus, the program attempts to address all aspects of childbirth, as well as other issues related to pregnancy and the postpartum experience. The Bradley method relies on an educated partner to act as the childbirth coach.

Here are some of the topics covered by the Bradley method:
- Relaxation techniques to be used during labor and birth, used to manage pain
- Distractions techniques that remove the focus away from the pain during labor and birth
- Breathing methods to aid in relaxation during labor and birth
- How to avoid unnecessary interventions
- How to reduce the risk of needing a C-section
- How to help your partner be a coach on labor day
- The stages of labor and techniques to deal with each one
- Breastfeeding
- Common pregnancy complaints and symptoms
- The importance of diet and exercise during pregnancy
- “Tuning-in” to your own body and trusting the natural process
- Immediate and continuous contact with your new baby
- Being prepared for emergency situations.

While most metropolitan areas have access to a Bradley instructor, this is not necessarily the case everywhere. The cost of Bradley Classes varies depending on individual teachers and the area in which the classes are offered. Bradley Method instructors are certified through the “American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth” - the training program designed by Dr. Bradley and those that followed him.

Every woman’s pregnancy experience is different. This is no less true for the labor and delivery experience. Some women experience only mild pain and discomfort; many experience a great deal of pain. Some women choose to go through labor and delivery with no pain medication; some women choose to use medications to relieve pain during labor and delivery. One of the types of pain relief available is Stadol.

During the early stages of labor your obstetrician may offer you intravenous or intramuscular injection of medication to ease the pain of labor. Narcotics, such as meperidine (Demerol) or butorphanol (Stadol), are often used. Narcotics will help with mild contractions in early labor but generally are insufficient to relieve the stronger contractions associated with active labor. In the past, other narcotics such as morphine have been used. Some of the general side effects of narcotics during labor can be:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Itching
- Sedation
- Decreased gastric motility
- Loss of protective airway reflexes
- Hypoxia due to respiratory depression

Stadol is often the choice of many women and their physicians when selecting a narcotic pain reliever. Stadol is considered more potent than morphine and Demerol. Stadol generally starts working in less then five minutes. Stadol is considered to have minimal fetal effects, and creates minimal nausea.

Other medications that can relieve pain during labor and delivery can include an epidural anesthesia or a spinal block. An epidural is administered through an extremely thin tube between the spinal cord and outer membranes. When used for labor it dulls feeling from your stomach to your feet. Having an epidural will still allow you to feel contractions enabling you push your baby out after your cervix is completely dilated. At times the epidural is turned down, or off, so that you can push well at the end of your labor.

A Spinal Block should not be confused with an epidural. With a spinal, the medication is given only once. With an epidural, a catheter is inserted into the location in the spine so that additional medicine may be dispensed at a later time. A spinal is most often used when you need pain relief for only a limited period of time, such as with a cesarean delivery or a vaginal delivery in which instruments are required to help the baby out.

Regardless of the method you choose to manage pain during labor and delivery, it is important that you discuss with your health care provider the risks and effectiveness of each method.

Blood that remains in the umbilical cord and the placenta after birth is often referred to as “cord blood.” Cord blood is a potentially valuable source of stem cells. Stem cells are the basic building blocks of your blood as well as your immune system. These cells are often used to help to rebuild the blood system and the immune system of a patient after the patient has been treated for cancer with radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

In addition, stem cells from cord blood seems to have some promise for medical research. Some researchers have suggested that this type of research could ultimately provide treatments for a variety of disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Other research suggests that one day stem cells could be used for the treatment of heart disease.

Many parents choose to donate or “bank” cord blood. This helps these cells to be readily used in treatment of a variety of illnesses. Often, cord blood is used by a family member, such as a sibling. Many metropolitan areas have Cord Blood banks or other places to which one can make a donation of cord blood.

Donating cord blood does not cost anything. If you wish to store and save your baby’s cord blood for your own family’s use, there is generally a fee. There are no medical risks to donating cord blood. The procedure for collecting cord blood takes place after the birth takes place. If there are complications during birth, cord blood will probably not be collected.

The actual procedure for collecting the cord blood is simple. Once your baby is born, the umbilical cord will be clamped. This will close the link between your baby and the placenta. There will be anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces of cord blood left in the cord. From there, it will be collected and then tested. It will be tested for infection, and the family’s health history will be examined to see if it meets certain standards. If these tests come through fine, the cord blood will be frozen and stored until someone needs it.

An Epidural refers to the process in which an anesthesia is injected into a part of the spine known as the epidural space. An epidural is often used during childbirth to block the transmission of pain signals to the brain.

There are a variety of side effects that can occur with an epidural. The three main side effects include:

- a loss of muscle power.

- a loss of sensation in other areas of the body.

- a loss of function in the sympathetic nervous system, which can affect blood pressure.

There are also a variety of safety risks that can occur with an epidural. These include:

- an accidental puncture of the dural space. If the dural space is punctured, this can lead to prolonged headache that lasts for days, weeks, or months. This puncture can generally be treated, although most will resolve by themselves. This occurs in around 1% of people who have an epidural.

- a bloody tap. This refers to an injury of a vein with the epidural needle. Generally speaking, the would will clot and there will be no other problems.

- failure of the block. In about 5% of cases, the pain relief will not be adequate. In these cases, another epidural is generally administered.

- placement of the catheter in a vein. If the catheter that delivers the anesthetic is placed into a vein, the anesthetic may be injected intravenously, which can be toxic.

- nervous system damage. In some cases, an epidural may damage the nervous system. This occurs in around 1 out of every 10,000 cases.

- formation of an abscess. This occurs in about 1 out of every 50,000 cases.

- paralysis or paraplegia. Occurs in about 1 out of 100,000 cases.

- death. This is extremely rare, occurring less than 1 in 100,000 cases.

Because of these risks, many women have chosen to use either different medications or even non-medical pain management techniques to manage their pain during labor.