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Understanding the Stages of Labor

Labor is the process of your body preparing to give birth. Contractions are going to help the cervix to open which is dilation, and get thinner which we refer to as effacement. 

We have three different stages that you move through in the labor process.  

Stage 1

Stage 1 is 0 cm all the way up to 10 cm 

Stage 1 is further broken down into 3 phases:

Early/Latent Phase

We have the early or latent phase of labor which is gonna be 0 cm centimeters to 6 cm 

This is usually the longest phase that you go through, it could be hours or even days, ctx are starting, and they might be irregular, as well as vary in intensity.

Active Labor Phase

Next we reach the active labor phase from 6 to 8 cm, by this point the contractions have typically gotten a bit spicier and we are considering you to be in “true” labor 

Transition Phase

Once we get to 8cm we have reached the transition phase 

It’s common to be nauseous, have hot flashes, and get very shaky, all of which are normal from the hormone surges getting ready for a babies arrival 

Stage 2

Stage 2 is Pushing and delivery of your baby. Congratulations!

Stage 3

Even though we’ve already had the baby we still have one more thing to get finished that’s going to be the expulsion and delivery of the placenta to wrap up Stage 3. 

The length and process looks different for every pregnancy, and if you do a prenatal session with me we get into even more details of each stage and phase so you know what to expect as you move through each one. Sign up for a private prenatal class with me here! 

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