Labor Stages: From First Contraction to Holding Your Baby

Labor Timeline

Last updated March 23, 2018. We’ve all watched women deliver babies on TV or in the movies; it seems like you start feeling contractions, push, and then the baby is born. That’s more or less true, but it skips over a lot of the intermediate steps. How long from first contraction to birth? What is […]

First Signs of Labor: How to Know When Baby is Coming

Signs of Labor Approaching
Article at a Glance
  • The first signs of labor are well before delivery. Within a month of your due date, you may feel baby change positions to get ready for birth or experience Braxton Hicks contractions. Your cervix also will dilate and you may pass your "bloody show."
  • When labor actually starts, you'll feel more intense contractions and your water will break. Sometimes, Braxton Hicks contractions will continue as a false labor. True labor pains travel from the back to the front of your body, and the contractions are more painful.
  • These signs of labor approaching may also appear if you're experiencing preterm labor. Seek medical attention immediately, particularly if you are at 36 weeks or less.

Article at a Glance The first signs of labor are well before delivery. Within a month of your due date, you may feel baby change positions to get ready for birth or experience Braxton Hicks contractions. Your cervix also will dilate and you may pass your “bloody show.” When labor actually starts, you’ll feel more […]

After Giving Birth: Your Guide to Recovery

After Giving Birth

Last updated Feb. 16, 2018. Labor is no joke — first-time moms take about 8 hours on average to get through it. That’s a full workday of contractions. But then, your new little one is born, the afterbirth passes, your belly deflates, and you go home a glowing new parent … right? Well, not quite. […]