The process of labor and birth is divided into three stages:
The first stage begins
when you start having contractions that cause progressive changes in
your cervix and ends when your cervix is fully dilated. This stage is
divided into two phases:
<span><span>Early labor: Your cervix gradually effaces (thins out) and dilates (opens).</span><span>Active labor: Your
cervix begins to dilate more rapidly, and contractions are longer,
stronger, and closer together. People often refer to the last part of
active labor as transition.</span></span>
The second stage of
labor begins when you're fully dilated and ends with the birth of your
baby. This is sometimes referred to as the "pushing" stage.
The third stage begins right after the birth of your baby and ends with the delivery of the placenta.