The point of doctors, hospitals, and medicine in general is to save lives -- except, apparently, when the life-saving measures required conflict with the religious beliefs of medical professionals. That's why a Catholic hospital in Michigan reportedly refused to perform a tubal ligation on Jessica Mann following the C-section delivery of her third child last year, even though her doctor warned that another pregnancy could prove dangerous because of the mom's brain tumor -- and now, the American Civil Liberties Union is calling for an investigation.

One of the most beautiful and natural procedure is childbirth. When you have a child, you become a mother. When a mother hears that she will have a baby the turmoil arises. However, along with the happiness come thousands of questions, worries and doubts as well.

One of the most common concerns of pregnant women before delivery is whether to apply an epidural. Everything about the procedure and possible complications you can read in this article.

A cesarean section is the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision in the abdomen and the uterus of the mother. In nearly all cases the mother is awake, but anesthetized from the chest down by spinal or epidural anesthesia. In some circumstances, a c section can be scheduled in advance, and in other cases it is done in response to an unforeseen complication.

In which way water reduces birth pains and why a large number of women in the world chooses exactly this type of birth, find out in this article. Birth of a child is the greatest event in the life of every woman. However, the inevitable companion of this joyful act is a pain. Thanks to advances in technology, more and more successful are results of modern medicine such as anesthesia application during delivery. However, a large number of women throughout the world is not a supporter of such "artificial" methods. They prefer natural ways to relieve pain, and one of them is giving birth in water.

What is epidural anesthesia?

The most popular method of pain relief during labor is epidural anesthesia. More than 50% of women use epidural anesthesia due to giving birth. Epidural anesthesia is regional anesthesia that blocks pain in a particular region of the body. Epidurals block the nerve impulses from the lower spinal segments, which results in decreased sensation in the lower part of the body and allows you to remain awake during the delivery. Epidural anesthesia can be used for either a C-section or a vaginal birth.