What Are the Stages of Labor and Delivery?

While labor and childbirth is different for every woman (and different for every birth!), it generally follows a predictable pattern of 3 stages:

The first stage has 3 phases: early, active, and transitional.
The second stage is pushing and the birth of your baby.
The third stage is the delivery of your placenta, also called afterbirth.

First Stage of Labor

The first stage of labor is your body preparing for birth: your cervix begins to open (dilation) and thin (effacement), and you’ll likely begin to experience irregular contractions. The first stage of labor has 3 phases, beginning with early labor and ending after the transition phase, when your cervix has fully dilated to 10 centimeters.

Early Labor

Early labor—or latent labor—is the longest (but least intense) phase of labor. You can expect contractions to gradually build in frequency and intensity, and your cervix will dilate 3-4 centimeters.

Signs of Early Labor

Every labor journey is different, but you may experience:

Intensifying regular contractions.
Mucousy vaginal discharge.
Back pain or pressure as your baby drops lower into your pelvis—also known as lightening.
Your water breaking.

How Long Early Labor Lasts

If you’re a first time mom, you may experience some early signs of labor for days or weeks before you need to head to the hospital (labor duration with subsequent children is usually shorter). Early labor is unpredictable, but it typically lasts 8-10 hours if you’ve had previous children, and up to 20 if you’re a first timer.

Tips for Managing Early Labor

Movement is the name of the game: going for a walk, stretching, changing positions often, and practicing deep breathing techniques can help keep you comfortable. You’ll probably be in early labor for a while before you’re ready to head to the hospital or birthing center, but try to relax (tall order, right?). Taking a warm bath or shower and listening to calming music or a guided meditation can help.

Begin timing the duration of your contractions and the time in between them, and contact your doctor (they’ll be able to give you advice about when to head to the hospital that’s unique to your pregnancy).

Every labor is different, but generally, first time moms will need to go to the hospital when contractions feel intense to you (as in they are beginning to require your entire attention to manage—you can’t walk or tidy up around the home while contracting), last 45-60 seconds each, and occur every 3-4 minutes for 2 hours.

If you’ve had a baby previously, you’ll likely need to go to the hospital when you’ve been having contractions every 5 minutes for an hour.

Active Labor

Woo boy, you will absolutely know when you’ve entered active labor: things go from uncomfortable but manageable to nope, you cannot watch Netflix or talk through this (and at this point, you will likely be at the hospital, birthing center, or being attended by a midwife if you’ve opted for a home birth).

Active labor is when many Moms opt for pain relief, because contractions have become intense and frequent. Managing these contractions will require your full attention, and they’ll occur at regular intervals. Your cervix will dilate from 4 centimeters to 7.

Signs of Active Labor

Every labor journey is different, but you may experience:

Intense stronger contractions that require all of your attention and focus, lasting 45 seconds and 3 minutes apart.
If your water hasn’t broken, it likely will now.
Increased pressure in your back, and your legs may cramp.
You may feel the urge to push.

How Long Active Labor Lasts

Active labor will last 3-5 hours, but if it’s your first labor or you’ve opted for an epidural, it may last longer.

Tips for Managing Active Labor

You’ll be in the hospital or birthing center for this stage of labor (if you’re not there already), and if you have a birth plan, make sure the hospital or birth center has a copy. Stay hydrated, and change positions as much as you can, or try to walk hospital hallways. If you’ve decided to receive an epidural, you’ll receive it at this stage of labor.

Transitional Labor

Transitional labor can be the hardest and most intense stage of labor—contractions are very strong, lasting for 60-90 seconds and occurring every few minutes. You’ll probably feel an intense need to push, and your cervix will dilate from 7-10 centimeters.

Signs of Transitional Labor

Every labor journey is different, but you may experience:

Intense pressure in your lower back and rectum.
A desire to push and bear down.
Hot flashes or chills, and nausea.
Fatigue.

How Long Transitional Labor Lasts

While transitional labor is the most intense and painful phase, it’s also the shortest. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Tips for Managing Transitional Labor

Transitional labor is painful, so focus on breathing through your contractions, and trying to relax between contractions if they aren’t overlapping. Rely on your support person to encourage you through contractions and guide your breathing. If you can, changing positions can speed up the process—try rolling from side to side, or move to all fours.

Second Stage of Labor

In the second stage of labor, your cervix is now fully dilated to 10 centimeters and ready for childbirth—now it’s time to push! The second stage of labor ends when your baby is born.

Pushing: What to Expect

In the second stage of labor, you’ll be actively participating in the delivery by pushing or bearing down. Your healthcare will ask you to push during your contractions (and you will feel a natural overwhelming desire to do so), and rest in between. Contractions will slow down slightly, occurring every 3-5 minutes, and last for 45-90 seconds. Your baby will crown and become visible during your last few pushes, and then emerge fully from your birth canal. Congrats! Now you get to meet your baby.

During the second stage of labor, you may experience:

A strong urge to push, similar to the feeling of needing to have a bowel movement.
Strong pressure on your rectum.
A small bowel or urination accident—it happens a lot, and your medical team sees it all the time.
A stinging or burning sensation when your baby is crowning—lovingly called “the ring of fire.”

How Long the Second Stage of Labor Lasts

You may push between 20 minutes and 2 hours. If you’ve had an epidural or are a first time Mom, the second stage of labor will be longer. Once your baby has arrived, expect a nurse to place them on your chest immediately to facilitate skin-to-skin contact.

Third Stage of Labor

The third stage of labor is the shortest: your uterus will continue to contract, helping you to deliver the placenta (afterbirth). A nurse may apply pressure and massage your abdomen to help things along.

Afterbirth: What to Expect

Every labor journey is different, but you may experience:

Needing to push to help deliver the placenta.
Delivering the placenta is painless for some women, and uncomfortable for others.
If you’ve had an episiotomy or torn during delivery, your healthcare provider will repair it now.
Shaking and shivering after delivering your placenta.

How Long the Third Stage of Labor Lasts

Typically it takes less than 30 minutes to deliver the placenta (and can be as quick as 5!). Rest up, Mama! Relax, and savor this special time bonding with your new baby.

Finding What’s Right for You

Albee Baby is the oldest family-owned specialty baby shop in the US, and we pride ourselves on providing our customers with the best assortment of baby products anywhere, at fair prices, always. We’re committed to being an inclusive resource for parents, and hope you’re feeling empowered to find the right car seat for your family. Still have questions? Feel free to contact our baby gear experts at 877.692.5233 or by email at [email protected].