Obstetric Anesthesia

You’re planning or expecting a baby—congratulations. We are here to help make your birthing experience pleasant and memorable. Most likely, your labor and delivery will progress as planned, but it’s comforting to know that our world-renowned obstetric anesthesiologists, obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists, and labor and delivery nurses are always ready to provide advanced exemplary care if the unexpected happens. Our physician anesthesiologists are key care specialists and integral members of the Labor and Delivery team, ready to support the safety of you and your baby and manage your comfort.

We strive to continue excellence in our Obstetric Anesthesiology program through the following:

• Providing the appropriate amount of pain medicine for your labor, aiming to maintain your comfort as you remain alert and able to easily move and push with strength. This will maximize your chance of a successful vaginal delivery and ensure a meaningful birthing experience.   
• Combining extensive research with traditional and leading-edge innovations to optimize the safety and comfort of your delivery.
• Offering mother-centered anesthesiology care and safe monitoring of you and your baby if a cesarean birth is necessary, with special care to help you recover quickly and be ready to bond with your baby and breastfeed (if applicable) shortly after delivery. We facilitate immediate skin-to-skin contact as recommended by the World Health Organization and pediatric health experts.
• Skillfully managing high-risk pregnancies and unanticipated situations for you and your baby, no matter how complex or rare, with expert clinical care and extensive specialized experience.

Why choose Stanford Medicine Children’s Health

As world leaders in obstetric anesthesiology, we are proud to offer the most advanced care available for expectant mothers. Because of our proven excellence, we are the top choice among referring obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists.

Specialized, fellowship-trained physicians. When you choose to deliver your baby with us, you will receive care and support from a fellowship-trained anesthesiologist—a doctor who has completed additional specialized training in obstetric anesthesiology beyond what is required for a standard-practice anesthesiologist. Our fellowship-trained obstetric anesthesiologists all have advanced training in high-risk obstetrics, meaning they can quickly and expertly respond to any needs that may arise with you and your baby, no matter how complicated. Our large team of doctors ensures prompt and responsive care, 24/7.

Your birth, your way. You are in the driver’s seat. You are empowered to choose pain relief options that suit your needs. We trust that you will know how much or how little pain medication you need. If you need our advice, we’re here for that too.

Recognized excellence for going beyond regular standards of safety. We were the first anesthesiology department in the United States to receive the prestigious designation of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) Center of Excellence, which guarantees the highest available level of safe care in obstetric anesthesiology for you and your baby. Multidisciplinary obstetric simulations are regularly carried out in the Labor and Delivery unit, covering different clinical scenarios to ensure that we are always prepared.

Complex care that saves lives. Our first-class obstetric anesthesiologists not only work behind the scenes to make sure you are comfortable and pain free but also support your body and your unborn baby by ensuring that your vital signs are stable. They will administer necessary life-saving medications and blood-related products if required.

Access to multidisciplinary health experts. Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and Stanford Health Care are steps away from each other, meaning that we work side by side with multidisciplinary specialists (obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, lactation consultants, etc.) to resolve any health concerns that may arise during or after your labor and delivery. Our dedicated doctors are able to quickly administer all levels of specialized care for both you and your baby.