Informed consent in childbirth

What every expectant parent deserves to know

Pregnancy comes with a flood of decisions, emotions and advice — some welcome, some not so much. But one principle should anchor every interaction you have with your care team: informed consent. It’s not a formality. It’s your right to understand your options and make choices that align with your values, your body and your birth.

Informed consent is a simple idea with powerful implications. Any time a member of your care team recommends something — an induction, a cervical check, medication or anything else — you are entitled to:

• Clear information about

• the intervention

• The benefits and risks of intervention

• Alternatives, including doing nothing

• Time to ask questions and think

• The option to say yes or no

Labor can be intense, fast-moving and emotional. In those moments, it’s easy to feel like decisions are happening to you rather than with you. But your experience matters. Many parents say that feeling respected and included shaped their birth story just as much as the medical outcome.

Consent isn’t a signature: it’s a conversation. When you understand your choices, you’re better able to stay grounded, confident and connected to your own instincts. Some procedures are so routine in maternity care that they’re sometimes presented as automatic. They are not. You should expect a consent conversation before:

• Vaginal exams

• Induction or augmentation with medications like Pitocin

• Breaking your water

• Continuous fetal monitoring

• Cesarean birth

Routine does not mean required. You don’t need to become a medical expert to advocate for yourself.

Here are some tips to help guide you along your birth journey:

• Ask questions early — prenatal visits are the perfect time.

• Bring a support person or doula who can help you process information.

• Use a birth plan as a communication tool, not a rigid script.

• Remember you can pause — unless it’s an emergency, you have time to think.

• Use the request, “Can you walk me through my options?”

Even when things move quickly, you still deserve a brief explanation of what’s happening and why. A simple, “Can you tell me what’s going on?” can prompt a clear, respectful update. Consent doesn’t disappear in urgent situations — it just becomes more focused.

When your care team treats you as a partner, not a passenger, the entire experience shifts. Birth is unpredictable, but your autonomy shouldn’t be. Informed consent is about honoring your voice, your preferences and your right to participate in decisions about your body.

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Dawn Marten, MSN, CNM

oregonbirthandwellness.org | 541-515-6556 | 890 Beltline Road in Springfield

Oregon Birth and Wellness Center would like to take a moment to thank all of our wonderful families that have chosen to trust our care and birth with us. We appreciate the support from our community and look forward to serving more families in the coming new ye