Labor contractions can feel like intense cramps or pressure. Braxton-Hicks contractions do not follow a pattern and may stop with activity. Early labor contractions become more regular and stronger ...

Childbirth depends not just on hormones, but on the uterus’s ability to sense physical force. Scientists found that pressure and stretch sensors in uterine muscles and surrounding nerves work together ...

Brittany Sharpe McCollum, childbirth educator and founder of Blossoming Bellies Wholistic Birth Services, shares her tips for an empowering labor and delivery. I want to make a birth plan. What should ...

PIEZO1 transcripts in human uterine muscle at term. Green indicates smooth muscle fibers in the uterus, red marks PIEZO1 mRNA, and blue shows cell nuclei. LA JOLLA, CA—When labor begins, the uterus ...

If you’re pregnant and approaching your due date (or have already watched it come and go), it can be hard to think about anything other than your impending labor and delivery. You may have packed your ...

Jaycee Rolf always knew she wanted to have a natural at labor at home in Alabama. But, on March 2, when the family nurse practitioner began experiencing contractions every 3 to 5 minutes, she decided ...

People don’t believe it when I mention how much I loved labor and delivery. They think I’m talking about my career as a nurse-midwife helping others, not my own experiences. They’re partially right—I ...