Stages

Normal delivery, often known as vaginal birth, has many phases, including:

First Stage: Labour and effacement of the cervix

Contractions help dilate, soften, and stretch the cervix so that the baby may be born during the initial stage of normal birth. A woman’s first birth may take up to 13 hours, whereas successive deliveries take roughly 7-8 hours longer.

The first stage is divided into three parts:

Early labor: 

• The woman becomes aware of the 3 to 5-minute intervals between contractions.
• The cervix may expand by up to four centimeters during this period.
• Early labor might be spent at home by the mother. To be on the safe side, notify the doctor.

Active labor:

• When the contractions grow more intense and frequent, the woman enters the active phase of labor.
• They happen every 3-4 minutes or so, and each one lasts about a minute or so.
• The cervix expands by 7 centimeters during labor. For the sake of the mother’s health, the birth must take place in a medical facility.
• During this stage of labor, the water breaks. After then, contractions intensify.

Transition Phase:

• This is the most painful part of the pregnancy since the cervix has expanded to its maximum size of roughly 10 centimeters. Contractions that are painful and last 60-90 seconds continue to occur every 2-3 minutes.

Second Stage: Pushing and giving birth to a child

• After the cervix has fully dilated, women enter this stage. The baby is being pushed out of the delivery canal headfirst because of the continued intensity of the contractions. Every time a contraction occurs, the woman is instructed to push more and harder, which might leave her exhausted. As the baby comes out, she may also feel a lot of discomfort in the area surrounding the vaginal entrance. There may be a decision to perform an episiotomy (women’s hysterectomy) to increase the size of the vaginal opening to help the baby come out. The woman will have to keep pushing until the baby is out.

Third Stage: Placenta Is Pushed Out

• Afterbirth is the last step of normal delivery, during which the whole placenta is pushed through the uterine canal and delivered to the mother. After the baby is born, the placenta might be delivered anywhere from a few minutes to an hour later. Massage the lower abdomen to help the process forward.