Chairman’s summary

Abstract

We have had a useful discussion. For all the arguments and different points of view, we would all agree that the common aim is that mother and baby be safely delivered in good health, and that the experience be as happy and as fulfilling as possible. Where we differ at times is how best to achieve this aim. At one end of the spectrum are those who believe that Nature always knows best, while at the other end are those who believe that pregnancy and childbirth should be regarded as a 9-month disease that must be fought with all the medical knowledge at our command. Most of us hold views somewhere in the middle. It is a matter of getting the balance right between watchful expectancy on the one hand, and maintaining the confidence and normal physiology of the mother on the other.