Stages of Labour Explained: Early, Active, Transition, Pushing

Labour has real structure to it, even though it doesn't feel that way from the inside. This is the map I built for myself from classes and reading before the birth - stage by stage.

Early and active labour

Labour builds from early contractions - irregular at first - into active labour, where contractions become more regular and intense. The hospital rule of thumb for when to go in: 5-1-1 - contractions five minutes apart, lasting one minute, for a full hour. (See Pre-Labour Signs for how I actually timed this.) My husband's job list through this stretch was deliberately simple: keep me hydrated, remind me to breathe.

Transition

The shortest phase, and the most intense. I'd been warned ahead of time: this is the point where conversation isn't really wanted - if your partner needs to ask you something during transition, yes/no questions only.

Second stage - pushing

Crowning is the moment the baby's head becomes visible at the vaginal opening. After the baby is born, nutrient-rich blood keeps flowing from the placenta for about a minute before the cord is clamped in two places and cut - once it's turned white, meaning the blood flow has finished. No nerves are involved, so there's no pain to baby or mom in this step. This is delayed cord clamping.

Third stage - the placenta

5–20 minutes after the baby is delivered, the placenta follows. After that, involution begins - the uterus's return to its pre-pregnancy state, which takes about six weeks.