Stages of Baby Delivery

A normal healthy pregnancy will last anywhere from 37 to 40 weeks before a woman's body goes through the stages of labor and delivery. Labor and delivery that take place in four stages once a woman has completed gestation and her body and baby are ready to go through childbirth.

Early Labor

• Early labor can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. A woman is considered to be in early labor once her cervix starts to dilate and becomes effaced. Contractions are mild in early labor, and the length between contractions is anywhere from five to 20 minutes. During early or latent labor, a woman's cervix will dilate 3 to 4 cm.

Active Labor

• During active labor, contractions become more intense and the cervix will dilate to 10 cm. The length between contractions in active labor will be two to three minutes and last up to 70 seconds. Active labor lasts an average of eight hours, but some women will have longer or shorter periods of active labor. A woman's water may break on its own during this phase of labor or a doctor may choose to break the amniotic sac to speed labor along.

Delivery of Baby

• Once a woman's cervix has dilated to 10 cm, she is in the stage of labor in which she is ready to deliver her baby. During this stage, a woman will push during her contractions and her baby will move down and out of the birth canal. The baby's head normally emerges first. After a doctor removes any fluid out of the mouth and nose, another push will deliver the baby's shoulder and body.

Delivery of Placenta

• The delivery of the placenta is the fourth and final stage of delivery. The placenta is what provides the baby nourishment in the womb and is connected to the baby via the umbilical cord. It take anywhere from five to 30 minutes to deliver the placenta. During this time, a woman will feel mild contractions. Sometimes, a doctor will ask a woman to push in order to help deliver the placenta.