10 Questions to Ask Your OB Before Your Due Date

Most expectant parents spend hours researching strollers, car seats, and nursery paint colors. But very few spend that same energy interviewing the person who will be in the room when their baby is born.

As a childbirth attorney who has reviewed hundreds of birth injury cases, I can tell you: the conversations you have before labor begins matter enormously. Here are the 10 questions I recommend every expectant parent ask their OB.

1. What is your C-section rate?

The national average C-section rate is around 32%. Your OB's personal rate — not just the hospital's — tells you a lot about their philosophy. A rate significantly higher than average may indicate a tendency to intervene quickly. Ask for their number, and ask why it is what it is.

2. Who will actually deliver my baby?

Many OBs practice in groups. The doctor you've been seeing for nine months may not be the one in the room when you deliver. Ask specifically: who covers nights, weekends, and holidays? Will you have a chance to meet them before your due date?

3. What is your policy on continuous fetal monitoring?

Continuous electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) is standard in most hospitals, but how it's interpreted and acted upon varies widely. Ask your OB how they respond to late decelerations and what their threshold is for escalating care.

4. How do you handle a prolonged labor?

There is no universal answer to "how long is too long," but your OB should have a clear, evidence-based approach. Ask what interventions they use first, and at what point they would recommend a C-section.

5. What is your position on labor induction?

Elective inductions before 39 weeks carry real risks. Ask your OB under what circumstances they recommend induction, and whether they follow ACOG guidelines on timing.

6. How do you handle shoulder dystocia?

Shoulder dystocia — when a baby's shoulder gets stuck during delivery — is one of the leading causes of birth injuries. It's rare, but your OB should be able to walk you through their protocol clearly and confidently.

7. What is the hospital's nurse-to-patient ratio during labor?

Your OB may be excellent, but labor and delivery nurses are often the first to notice warning signs. A hospital stretched thin on nursing staff is a risk factor. Ask about staffing ratios, especially overnight.

8. How quickly can you perform an emergency C-section?

The standard benchmark is 30 minutes from decision to incision. Ask your hospital and your OB what their actual response time is. This is not an uncomfortable question — it's a reasonable one.

9. What is your approach to episiotomies?

Routine episiotomies are no longer recommended by ACOG, yet some providers still perform them frequently. Ask your OB their rate and their philosophy. You have the right to know.

10. What should I do if I feel something is wrong during labor?

This is perhaps the most important question of all. You are your own best advocate — and your baby's. Ask your OB how to communicate concerns during labor, and what the process is for escalating care if you feel you're not being heard.

Why These Questions Matter

I wrote A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth because I saw, case after case, that birth injuries are often preventable. They happen not because medicine failed, but because communication failed — between parents and providers, between nurses and doctors, between what was happening and what should have been done.

Asking these questions doesn't make you a difficult patient. It makes you an informed one. And informed parents have safer births.

Print this list. Bring it to your next appointment. Your OB should welcome every single question on it.