In 2009, that may seem like an archaic question. And I’m guessing that if men were banned from the delivery rooms of hospitals, there would be lawsuits aplenty.
Yet, French obstetrician Michel Odent says that men should stay away. He believes that anxious males could prevent their partners from producing the hormone oxytocin that aids in delivery and is also released during sexual activity. Odent blames the presence of males in delivery rooms for higher rates of Caesarean section. In short, he believes the birthing areas have become too masculine.

Odent was interviewed by BBC, and you can read his comments in …read more

O is also for:
Obstetrician: A doctor whose specialty is caring for pregnant women and delivering babies.
Obstructed labor: If your labor is slowing down or has even stopped, this would be called obstructed labor
Oxytocin (Pitocin): Oxytocin is the generic name of a drug that is given, by intravenous, to help start or intensify labor contractions. Pitocin is the brand name.
Image: MorgueFile.com
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Oxytocin, a medication given to stimulate labor is also used to prevent hemorrhage or bleeding after birth. New research is showing that using oxytocin regularly after natural birth reduces the total amount of blood loss and reduces the risk of hemorrhage.
You can read more about this in the article New Training for Doctors to Reduce Postpartum Bleeding, which also discusses the efforts to reduce episiotomies, or the surgical cutting of tissue between the vagina and the anus in an attempt to prevent tearing as the baby is born.
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