title: Research summaries for normal birth.
abstract: In this column, the author presents summaries of four research studies that further illuminate the physiology and benefits of normal birth. The topics of the studies address cesarean section following elective induction, epidural use, the effects of inadequate sleep during late pregnancy, and the immune properties of amniotic fluid and vernix caseosa.
authors.affiliation: AMY ROMANO is a certified-nurse midwife who cares for women and their families in a freestanding birth center in Wilmington, Delaware. She is also the Web site editor of the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth ( www.normalbirth.lamaze.org ).
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Romano