Upon entering the hospital, the laboring woman is taken in a wheelchair to a "prep" room. There she is separated from her partner, her clothes are removed, she is asked to put on a hospital gown, her pubic hair is shaved, a vaginal exam is performed, and she is given an enema.

She is then reunited with her partner, if he chooses to be present, and put to bed. Her access to food is limited or prohibited, and an intravenous needle is inserted in her hand or arm. Some type of analgesia is administered. A pitocin drip may be started through the IV.

The external fetal monitor is attached to the woman by means of a large belt strapped around her waist to monitor the strength of her contractions and the baby's heartbeat. The internal monitor may also be attached through electrodes inserted into the baby's scalp, prior to which the amniotic sac, or membranes, must be ruptured.

Periodic vaginal exams are performed at least once every two hours, and more often in later labor, to check the degree of the baby's descent. Epidural analgesia is often administered. The preceding procedures may be performed at varying intervals over a variable time period and in differing order, depending on the length of the woman's labor and the degree to which it conforms to hospital standards.