Labor & Delivery
Experts to support you in welcoming your new arrival
Family-Centered Labor and Delivery Care
At Mount Auburn Hospital, our care team works together to provide a safe, family-centered, personalized childbirth experience. You have many choices and options during your labor and childbirth, and we’re here to help you every step of the way. We partner with you and your family to make decisions together.
You and Your Baby Are Our Top Priority
Our providers empower you as our patient. We provide as many birthing options to you as we safely can offer. And we provide the information you need to be an active member of your decision-making team during the labor and birth process. The health and safety of you and your baby are always our top priorities.
We are sensitive to the needs of patients who have undergone previous trauma. You can trust that our providers will work with you to understand your situation and use strategies to help you feel more comfortable during intimate medical situations.
Our Birth Services
We offer several pain relief options to help make your labor more comfortable, including:
- Epidurals, available 24/7
- Hydrotherapy
- Nitrous oxide, which you inhale through a mask
- Pain medications to help provide relief
- Relaxation techniques to help manage labor pain
Our anesthesiologists are extremely sensitive to the comfort level you desire during labor and childbirth. We’re here to meet your comfort needs and answer any questions you may have.
If you need to deliver by cesarean section (C-section), count on your team at Mount Auburn to keep you feeling connected to your birth experience. With our family-centered cesarean births, you'll have the opportunity to:
- Have a support person with you in the cesarean suite
- Have immediate skin-to-skin contact with your baby
- See your child being born, if you choose a clear surgical drape
Welcome your new baby into the world with immediate, uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact — also known as kangaroo care. These special first snuggles have physical and emotional benefits for both you and the baby.
In most cases, we wait one to three minutes after birth to clamp your baby's umbilical cord. This allows your baby to get more blood from the placenta, which may:
- Improve blood pressure in premature infants
- Increase levels of hemoglobin, the red blood cell protein that transports oxygen
- Help prevent iron deficiency (anemia) during your baby's first year
If you experience unexpected complications during labor and delivery, you can rely on the obstetrical team at Mount Auburn Hospital to provide the best possible care. As a Harvard-affiliated community hospital, we regularly host hands-on medical simulations and team training in obstetrics. So when a rare but serious complication occurs, we're prepared for it.
Pregnancy & Parenting Classes
Pregnancy and parenting classes can help you and your family feel prepared for the arrival of your new baby.
Services We Offer
- Breastfeeding education and support
- High-risk pregnancy care
- Intervention options during childbirth
- Midwife care
- Parent education classes and programs
Pregnancy & Birth Care
Your Mount Auburn Hospital pregnancy and birth team coordinates care with other specialty providers throughout our hospital to ensure all your care needs are met.
Featured Location
330 Mount Auburn Street Cambridge, MA 02138
