The first stage of labor is from when a woman has her first contraction to until her cervix is fully dilated to 10cm and is divided into three different phases, early phase, active phase, and transitional phase. This stage could last for hours to days depending on the woman. In the early phase this is where the contractions will begin and when the “water breaks” but it is just the fetal membranes rupture. The contractions in the early phase are the same type of pain as would come with period cramps and will be 20 minutes apart lasting 30 to 60 seconds each. A women’s cervix will widen to about 3cm in this phase. In the active phase is when the contractions become truthfully painful that a woman mostly likely won’t be able to talk through them. The contractions will be regular from about every 5 minutes to every 2 to 3 minutes depending on the woman and if the woman hasn’t gone to the hospital yet, they need to now. The women cervix will now widen to about 8cm in…show more content… Many women find this stage easier to handle pain wise than the active phase in stage one. The stage can last from about a few minutes to a few hours. A woman will have strong and regular contractions to help move the baby’s head through the birth canal and she will also push to help to. She will keep pushing every time she has a contraction until the baby is “crowning” meaning it’s head can be seen and then she will be asked to stop. This helps to prevent the chances of her tearing and help the baby come out at its own pace. The doctor or midwife will then help the head, then one shoulder, then the other come out and then the rest of the body comes out fast with a gush of fluid. The baby will take its first dramatic breath and then the cord will be camped and cut but her partner. If there is complication the baby will be cleaned, wrapped up, and put on the mother’s chest for her to admire and warm with her
