Strangely enough I've learned so much about the medical view of the labor & delivery process during my childbirth class than the several books I have on my coffee table. If I were to do this all again before I got pregnant, I would take a childbirth preparation class. By the time most take these classes you're already into your third trimester and you're pretty much stuck with your OB or hospital choice. I was able to make some changes at 32 weeks however many may not be so excited about changing at that point. The reason I'm mentioning this is many questions you may want to ask doctors about your care may not come up until after the classes or after you've read enough on your own. Perhaps you're not as conservative as your doctor or you end up not wanting any medical intervention. This gives you enough time to prepare your mentally and physically for the whole journey.

I recommend to my friends and family who are trying to have a baby to really start reading up on the different childbirth medical interventions and the whole process including what is a doula and how they can help because know if you're more conservative or more liberal or "granola" about your expectations can really effect your decision on the doctor, medical group, and hospital choices.