Labor & Delivery

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.