While accouchement is a laborious process — hence why it’s commonly called “labor” — women rarely go through it alone. A person in labor is usually guided through childbirth by a team of supportive nurses and their obstetrician, doula, or midwife. “Accouchement” originated as the French word “accoucher,” which means “to act like a midwife.” The French word came from the Latin prefix “a-,” meaning “to,” and “coucher,” meaning “put to bed.”