Articles
Stages of labor and birth: Baby, it's time!
Content
Stage 1: Early labor and active labor
Stage 2: The birth of your baby
Stage 3: Delivery of the placenta
Now what?
Content
Every woman's labor is unique, even from one pregnancy to the next. Sometimes labor is over in a matter of hours. In other cases, labor tests a mother's physical and emotional stamina.
You won't know how labor and childbirth will unfold until it happens. You can prepare, however, by understanding the typical sequence of events.