What are the stages of labor and what happens?
With each phase of labor the cervix opens more until it reaches 10cm open and is paper thin. Imagine the metal ring inside of the clothes dryer tube—that is 10 cm. It’s time for the baby to complete its descent and be pushed out. Now the mother can take control of her labor and push the baby out! She will feel this overpowering urgent need to push but will hold back on her urge until the contraction is at its strongest. With the help of your partner and labor support team, you can push the baby down and out using many pushing positions including squatting and hands and knees. Lastly, the placenta can be delivered with a few pushes. Once the umbilical cord has stopped pulsating and the cord is cut, freeing the baby from the placenta, and the placenta will detach from the lining of the uterus and be expelled with a few pushes. You may want to keep the placenta—many families keep if for various rituals. What about the discomfort labor—it hurts!!! Yes, there are stages of labor that very u
