Michel Odent, a French obstetrician whose natural childbirth innovations, including homelike delivery rooms and birthing pools, aimed to make new mothers feel calm and secure, died Aug. 19 in London.

Childbirth is often framed as a choice between two extremes: “natural” birth or medical intervention. The real challenge is making sure women can decide how they give birth, without pressure in either ...

At Houston Methodist Willowbrook, two labor-and-delivery rooms stand out from the rest. The spaces look more like calm, spa-like suites than hospital units—dimmable lights, soft wood tones, a laboring ...