Inducing labor for convenience gets a second look
New studies show the practice has a role in rising costs and the risk of complications.

Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America
Despite a wealth of evidence supporting planned home birth as a safe option for women with low risk pregnancies, the setting remains controversial in most high resource countries. Views are particularly polarised in the United States, with interventions and costs of hospital births escalating and midwives involved with home births being denied the ability to be lead professionals in hospital, with admitting and discharge privileges.

Repeat c-section may adversely affect baby
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Compared with intending to deliver vaginally, choosing to undergo a repeat c-section may raise the risk that the newborn will be admitted to an advanced care nursery, according to a brief report. The researchers say women should be alerted to the possible negative effects.

Study states "No benefits from episiotomy..."
"Our systematic review finds no benefits from episiotomy," the authors of a new paper have concluded. They say published evidence does not support maternal benefits traditionally attributed to routine episiotomy, and call for a reduction in the episiotomy rate.

FDA ALERT - Risks of Use in Labor and Delivery
This Patient Information Sheet is for pregnant women who may receive misoprostol to soften their cervix or induce contractions to begin labor. Misoprostol is sometimes used to decrease blood loss after delivery of a baby. These uses are not approved by the FDA. No company has sent the FDA scientific proof that misoprostol is safe and effective for these uses.