Congratulations, you're having a baby! Whether you are preparing for your first childbirth or if you are already a veteran mom, your desire for an easy labor is shared by most pregnant women. It is perfectly natural to want a safe, comfortable and joyful childbirth.

Most women describe childbirth as one of the most beautiful, joyful and painful moments of their lives. Easy Labor, Every Woman's Guide to Choosing Less Pain and More Joy, offers advice on how to experience more joy and less pain during childbirth by promoting the use of the best medical and non-medical pain relief techniques.

An easy labor is a childbirth experience women can strive for and can achieve with the proper support, preparation and access to all pain relief options. It is true, many labors end up being hard, even with good preparation and support, but the fact is, an easy labor is possible!

Since the beginning of time childbirth has been an extremely painful experience. Advances made in modern medicine, combined with an increased understanding and acceptance of alternative pain relief methods can profoundly influence how today's women experience childbirth. For you, labor and delivery do not need to be inevitably associated with pain and suffering.

As director of obstetric anesthesia at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, one of the busiest maternity units in the country, I oversee the care and comfort of women during the delivery of almost ten thousand babies a year. After nearly twenty years spent providing pain relief to laboring mothers, I have observed that women who arrive prepared, open minded and flexible throughout the course of their labor and delivery, seem to fare best and appear most satisfied with their childbirth experience.

The desire for relief of pain is one of the most basic of human instincts. The pain of childbirth is one of the most intense feelings that a woman will experience in her lifetime. We hope this book will enable you to fully understand all of your pain relief options, the advantages, disadvantages, risks and benefits to you and your newborn, so you may make the choices best suited for you to enjoy an Easy Labor filled with less pain and more joy.

William Camann M.D.