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Home > Services & Specialties > Obstetrics > Labor & Delivery
Rely on the birth care team at your Essentia Health hospital to help you stay as comfortable as possible during labor and delivery. Trust us to follow your birth plan as closely as possible while keeping you and your baby’s health and safety our top priority.
Count on our experienced and supportive labor and delivery nurses to help you through childbirth. You’ll appreciate having the same nurse tend to you throughout your active labor. That means your nurse gets to know you and your preferences—so you get care that fits you.
When you go into labor, you may feel pressure or intense cramping sensations in your lower abdomen. Rest assured that labor pain is natural and productive. It’s also predictable. It begins, rises, peaks, and subsides.
Learn how to provide support during childbirth by visiting our Guide for the Labor Coach page.
Rely on your care team at Essentia to help you understand your options for effective pain management during labor. We’ll help you choose techniques or medications that consider:
If you prefer a non-medicated delivery, or natural birth, your care team can help you cope with labor pain using tools such as:
Depending on your needs and preferences, you may receive:
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If a Cesarean section, or C-section, is the safest way for you to deliver your baby, ask about having a family-centered C-section. You may also hear this called a gentle C-section. This approach to care means you and your partner will be as involved in the birth as much as possible. As long it’s safe for you and your baby:
Learn what to expect during childbirth by taking a class at an Essentia location near you. Explore our pregnancy and birth classes.