What is labor like? The Stages of Labor and Birth

It’s the question every first time mom wonders…

What is labor like?  It's so natural to want to skip over labor and just meet that baby already but it's not so simple! Our hope is that this helps ease your anxiety through learning the practical side to labor. 

You may have heard of the “Stages of Labor” but we are here to tell you what that actually means! Let me break it down for you. 
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First Stage of Labor

The first stage of labor is your body getting ready to give birth and is typically the longest stage of labor. There are several early signs of labor that all lead up to the big show. This first stage focuses on opening up the cervix. The cervix sits right at the base of the uterus and remains closed during pregnancy to keep the baby in. There is so much more that happens though. ​

Most people focus on “dilation” of the cervix but it actually does several things to prep for your baby’s birth. It becomes soft and effaced or thins. Effacement is reported in percentage with 100% being ready for baby and 0% meaning you have a ways to go before giving birth. It moves forward to more accurately align with the vaginal opening. Think a straight line rather than an “L” shape. 

That first stage of labor lasts until your cervix is 10 cm dilated and ready for a baby to pass through. This means that all of the other components of cervical preparation like effacement, moving position and softening have also happened. So early labor, active labor and transition are all included in this first stage of labor.  ​
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Second Stage of Labor

Once your cervix is fully prepared for your baby’s birth and you are ready to push, you move into the second stage of labor. 

The second stage of labor includes the time spent pushing and the birth of your baby! This is fairly straight forward but can involve a bit of anxiety for many people when they think about birth. Pushing can last anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours. The length of this stage heavily relies on a few different factors including the position of the baby, if you have had a previous vaginal delivery, the shape of the pelvis and more. 

Pushing and birth is often when we find parents incredibly grateful for doula support. We are able to step in and offer encouragement and physical aid as many parents are exhausted and running on their last bit of energy at that point.

​Pushing is demanding on both the maternal body and the support team as there is a lot leading up to this point, one being a lack of sleep. We see empty water bottles and fill them, we find ways to help sustain physically demanding pushing positions to conserve that precious energy for both the woman and her partner. 
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We make sure that her support team is nourished and has time to use the bathroom. We take note of when birth is imminent and make sure everyone is present and has taken any needed breaks well before that time. We revisit your desires for your birth and make sure your birth team is all on the same page so you don’t look back with regret having missed those moments. Your doula sees the stress sitting above your brows and rub them away or talk you through relaxing between pushes. A doula supports you! 

So you are enjoying those first moments of your newborn in your arms, maybe doing skin to skin with you or maybe just gazing into their brand new eyes. But you’re not done yet! 

Third Stage of Labor

Did you know there is a third stage of labor even after your baby is born? There is! But it’s usually pretty short. The third stage of labor is the delivery of the placenta. 

Most often, this happens within about 5-10 minutes of the baby’s birth and is fairly uneventful but other times it takes longer and a bit more effort to fully release. Some providers will push on your tummy to help the placenta release, they may slightly tug on the umbilical cord and other times it comes out all on its own. They may ask you to give a little push and after pushing a baby out, this feels like a cake walk! 

Once you’ve delivered the placenta you’ve made it! All three stages of labor are complete and you get to soak in those newborn snuggles! 

Prepare Well: Doula Support & Childbirth Classes

If you’ve decided that you’d like doula support for your birth, contact us and we will get you more information on our offerings and schedule a meet and greet with one of our incredible doula teams! They are eager to meet you and see how they can support your specific desires for your birth.

We also offer childbirth classes in Bellingham and Skagit Valley where we dive into more detail about these topics. All of our classes are taught by our doulas too! They’ve been there supporting families in the doula role many times and know what it is like so you can ask all of those burning questions about what labor feels like!