Labor in 2013: the new frontier

Despite the frequency with which obstetrics providers manage labor, evidence has emerged in the past few years challenging our historical understanding of normal labor progress over time. We are also confronted with the dearth of evidence to guide the optimal management of labor. With these data, we are presented with both the challenge of changing practice at the bedside and the opportunity for new discovery to optimize labor and delivery outcomes. Given the sheer frequency of labor and delivery, changes that improve outcomes even by a small magnitude have the potential to dramatically impact labor-associated morbidity at the population level.