—In the introduction to the Healthy Pregnancy and Successful Childbirth CD, Belleruth Naparstek suggests, “Try not to have a fixed idea of how you think the labor and delivery should go. The more flexible you can be, the better off you are.”

What was once relegated to the realm of "alternative birthing" is steadily becoming an accepted form of giving birth. According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics more and more women are choosing to have their babies with a midwife. In 1990 just four percent of pregnant women made the decision to give birth with the help of a midwife, while in 2003 it was up to eight percent.

We are a country of caesarean sections. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that approximately 1.2 million C-sections were performed in 2004, which makes up 29.1 percent of all births for that year. That's an increase from 27.5 percent in 2003 and 20.7 percent in 1996.

According to the AP [via Washington Post], the increase is first attributed to malpractice fears, then to the changing preferences of mothers and doctors and then to the risk of attempting a natural or vaginal birth after already having had a Caesarean (VBAC).