As the pregnancy nears its conclusion the expectant mother experiences contractions in her uterus. This is referred to as 'false labor'. Three to four weeks before delivery, the fetus 'drops' to a lower position in the abdomen. The next major step is for the cervix to soften and widen or 'dilate'.
Just before the actual labor begins, a small, slightly bloody discharge called 'bloody show' appears in the vagina. This occurs when the plug of mucus that blocked the cervix comes out. Labor follows this within a few hours or even as long as a few days. Labor consists of regular and rhythmic uterine contractions, which widen the cervix and lead to the delivery of the baby, the placenta, and the fetal membranes.
Labor is divided into three stages. The first stage of labor is the longest and extends from the first regular contractions until the cervix is widened fully to about four inches or ten centimetres in diameter.
This first stage of labor may last for some fifteen hours in the first pregnancy but only about eight hours in subsequent pregnancies. The length of labor varies extensively from woman to woman. Contractions begin at intervals of fifteen to twenty minutes and occur more frequently and with greater intensity and regularity as time goes by.
The second stage of labor starts when the cervix is fully dilated and ends with the delivery of the baby. At some point during the first two stages of labor the fetal membrane ruptures and fluid rushes out. This is known as the breaking of the 'waters'. After the baby is born and starts breathing the umbilical cord is cut, severing the last physical link with the mother.
The third and final stage of labor lasts for about an hour when the placenta separates from the uterine wall and is discharged with the fetal membranes as the 'afterbirth'.
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