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Complementary therapies have been a part of nursing practice for centuries and are supported today as a part of nursing practice by many state boards of nursing. Some of these modalities can be used by nurses as a part of their comprehensive plan of labor support for women during the childbirth experience. This article describes five complementary therapies (aromatherapy, massage, use of birth balls, music therapy, and hydrotherapy), and how one large Midwestern hospital system implemented an educational program for nurses that helped them integrate complementary therapies into their nursing care for laboring women.

Family-centered maternity care (FCMC) has become a familiar phrase in today's maternity services; however, the actual implementation in many hospitals is likely to be more "staff-centered" than "family-centered." This article gives an overview of the historical development of family-centered care and the importance of this model of care to a new or growing family's ability to adapt to the stress of birth and parenting. The current status of FCMC is reviewed in relation to prenatal education, intrapartum care, mother-baby nursing, and family visitation. Many lessons have been learned about implementing FCMC over the past 20 years. Suggestions are provided regarding the development of a vision and mission, the institutional culture, systems and clinical management, staff attitudes, and involvement of families.