But don't be afraid to incorporate your own personal pain-management strategies. When my obstetrician asked if I had any particular expectations about my delivery, I took the opportunity to unload my fears of needles, drugs, and being confined to a bed. This lack of unnecessary medical intervention made me feel more in charge. Some current obstetric trends are providing women with more control, too. After all, giving birth is nothing if not unpredictable.
Some women turn to a friend, their own mother, or a doula.
As for myself, I had terrific support from my husband, as well as my labor nurse, who stayed an hour past the end of her shift to help. I felt comfortable and confident. And, strange as it sounds, I kept thinking about pregnant women in war-torn Bosnia and in Jane Austen's England. Women have always given birth, I figured, and with far less knowledge and professional expertise than I was privy to. I knew I wouldn't die and reasoned that wherever my body took me, the journey wouldn't last forever.