| hi there
i gave birth at the pow. to answer your questions:
1. unless your baby's health is under risk, they will let you labour till birth. if they find anything unusual, they will, of course, do a c-section (or whatever is necessary). the mchc informed me at that time that 'delivery time' is max. 60 min. if you can't press out your baby within that time, they do a c-section. i delivered within 40 min. and they were almost getting ready for a c-section too!
2. i laboured in a ward with other women for the first 10 hours or so. when they noticed that my labour pain was getting increasingly worse, they moved me to the delivery room, where i laboured in the presence of my husband only. besides, i was offered and given an epidural.
3. for admission, you'll need: antenatal health record, the couple's id cards, towels, tooth brush/tooth paste, comb, shower gel, mug, toilet tissues, slippers, underwear, at least 2 boxes of maternity pads, 15-20 diapers for baby, plastic cup, cotton wool, small change (don't bring valuables).
for discharge, you'll need: clothing for mother and baby, baby blanket, diapers.
i have this information from my mchc booklet.
furthermore, check out the other threads in this forum. some moms have some individual advice, too!
oh, you're encouraged by the pow to bring your birth plan, too!
last but not least, i feel that i got somehow 'bigger' in size after having given birth. my t-shirts were too short, my bras too small, and after giving birth, i had to wear my maternity clothes for a couple of weeks. nevertheless, i think that's all very normal and you'll get back in shape after about a year!
all the best!  | 
