The Mummy Guides - The three stages of labour

Here’s what happens when, and how you’re likely to feel at the different stages.

How will I know I’m in labour?

Early signs of labour include:
- A sudden gush or trickle of water (waters breaking)
- Diarrhoea
- A small amount of blood and mucus from the vagina (a ‘show’),
- Period like pains or stronger pains that come and go

In the beginning….

STAGE 1 (average length: 10-12 hours)

What’s happening?
The muscles in your uterus contract to open your cervix (neck of the womb), in order to allow your baby through. By the end of the first stage, you will be fully dilated (10cm) and ready to push.

What will it feel like?
Early contractions may feel like period pains. These aren’t normally unbearably painful, but they slowly get more intense. As they build up, your contractions will last longer and feel much stronger and take up all your energy and concentration. At this stage, you may want some pain relief.

What should I do?
Try to stay upright and active if possible. At first you’ll be most comfortable at home, but call the labour ward or your midwife, who’ll advise you on when to go to hospital.

Once you’re there, your midwife will be able to give you an internal examination to see how far you have dilated. When you’re 4cm, you’ll be in “active labour”, and will be taken to the labour ward to have your baby. You can ask for pain relief, such as an epidural.

Transition
Many (but not all) women experience a period of transition between stages one and two of labour. Contractions are very intense, as your cervix becomes fully dilated.

What will it feel like?
This can be the hardest part of labour: you may feel shaky, panicky and want to give up. Some women feel nauseous and are sick. Your baby ‘s head is starting to descend, so you may feel as though you are going to do a poo. Don’t worry: this is normal and is a good sign.

What should I do?
If you feel the urge to push, say so. It’s important that your midwife makes sure you’re fully dilated first, as doing it prematurely can increase the risk of tearing your cervix, so follow her advice.

Mum’s top tip
“I found the best position to get through a contraction was to lean on my partner, with my arms around his neck, so that he was taking a lot of my weight.”
Sarah Giles, 34, mum to Toby, 3 weeks.

Hello baby!

The second stage (average length: 1-2 hours)

What’s happening?
Once you’re fully dilated (10 cm), your baby will move down the birth canal. His head may slip back between contractions, but eventually it will ‘crown’ and you can reach down and touch it. Once the head is out, the rest of his body will slip out and you’ll be able to hold him.

What will it feel like?
Contractions feel different to those during stage one. They can be more powerful (but not necessarily more painful) and cause an overwhelming urge to ‘bear down’ – you may find yourself making involuntary noises. You may feel a burning sensation as your baby’s head crowns.

What should I do?
Staying in an upright position is best in stage two, so that gravity can help your baby come down the birth canal. Follow your midwife’s advice: she may ask you to pant rather than push, so that the delivery of your baby’s head can be controlled and reduce the risk of tearing.

And finally…

The third stage: (average length: 15 minutes) 

What’s happening?
You’ll continue to have contractions to push out the placenta.

What will it feel like?
Contractions may still be powerful, so you may still need pain relief. It’s common to get the shakes afterwards, because of the change in body temperature and loss of fluid, as well as the sheer effort of childbirth.

What should I do?
There are two ways of managing this stage: naturally or with an injection, which will be offered to you by your midwife. The advantage of an injection is that it will speed up the delivery. Women, who have given birth naturally, with no intervention, often want to complete this process without drugs, which may take longer.

Mum’s experience
“I hardly noticed it, because I was so absorbed with meeting Freya. The feeling of seeing her for the first time was completely overwhelming.”
Juliet Cutter, 26, mum to Freya, five weeks.