Labor and delivery

3 stages of labor

After 9 long months of waiting, you've nearly reached the end of your pregnancy. Labor and delivery make up the last bit of hard work before you get to hold your newborn baby in your arms.

You may have read a number of pregnancy books or taken prenatal classes in preparation for this phase of your pregnancy. While it's good to be prepared, remember that every woman's labor is different.

In general, a normal vaginal birth includes the stages below:

First stage: Dilation and effacement^1,2

During the first stage of labor, your cervix begins to dilate, or open. Dilation may begin days or weeks before you actually start to notice contractions. Your cervix will also efface, or thin. Over a series of hours (or days, for some), it will dilate from 0 to nearly 10 centimeters, and efface from 0 to 100 percent.

Within the first stage of labor there are 3 phases:

• Early labor — Your cervix will dilate to approximately 3 centimeters during this phase. The first contractions are often mild and very similar to Braxton-Hicks contractions; however, true labor contractions normally have a more regular pattern, last longer, and grow stronger as time passes. While all of the others were just for practice, these contractions dilate your cervix to prepare for childbirth.

• Active labor — As your cervix continues to dilate from 4 to 7 centimeters, you'll feel stronger contractions and things may start to progress much faster. By now, each contraction may last 45 seconds to a minute or longer, and they may be just a few minutes apart. Talk with your doctor or healthcare provider about when you should decide to go to the hospital or birthing center. He or she may want you to arrive when your contractions are a certain number of minutes apart or last for a certain number of seconds. Your medical team will likely begin monitoring your contractions and your baby's heart rate. If you've had a baby before, your active labor may be fairly quick. However, every labor is different, and this phase may last for a number of hours.
• Transition — During transition from your first stage of labor to the second stage, your cervix will dilate from 7 centimeters up to 10 centimeters. By this time, your contractions will be painful and very close together. In fact, they may seem like they never completely disappear. You will feel the urge to push at this point, but do so only with direction from your doctor; pushing before you're fully dilated can cause your cervix to swell and actually make delivery harder.

Second stage^1,2

Your second stage of labor begins when you're fully dilated and actually includes delivery. With direction from your medical team, you can push during contractions to help move your baby down through the birth canal, and rest in between them. This stage can take from a few minutes to a few hours and ends with the delivery of your baby!

Third stage^1,2

Immediately after delivery, you may get to hold your newborn, but your work isn't over yet. During the third stage of labor, you will deliver the placenta and your doctor will make sure that your bleeding is controlled.

Remember, every delivery is different. These are general guidelines for how labor and delivery progress, but don't be surprised if yours does not go exactly the way you had in mind. Some women may need to have a planned or emergency caesarian section or require intervention to help labor progress. Although these cases may be rare, it's wise to talk to you doctor about what to expect if they should occur.

Recovery

During the first few days after your baby is born, you're likely to need a lot of rest. While much of your attention will be focused on caring for your baby, remember that you also need to take care of yourself.

Depending on how your labor and delivery went, your recovery time may vary greatly. Women who have a vaginal birth can get back to normal much faster than those who have a caesarian section. Talk with your doctor about how soon you can resume your usual activities.

Also, be sure to discuss any medication you'll be taking, such as the need for a prescription for pain management. And remember that women who are breastfeeding benefit from continued supplementation with prenatal vitamins because of the added nutritional demands during that time.

 

Whatever your recovery plans may be, remember to rest whenever you can, and keep eating right. Over the coming weeks, you and your baby will develop a routine together, and you'll have as much to learn about being a parent as you did about being pregnant. You'll need all the energy you can get!