What Are the Different Stages of Labor and Delivery?

So, labor is divided into what’s called the first stage of labor, the second stage of labor. The first stage is when the cervix is dilating. It needs to go from 0 centimeters to 10 centimeters to allow the baby to pass through the cervix and ultimately deliver. The second stage is what people think of as true labor, that’s pushing. That’s when Mom is pushing towards vaginal delivery, and if it takes too long, that can be a sign that the baby may not fit. It can also be a sign that there’s a problem. There’s something going on, and the concern is what the studies have shown is that the longer the second stage goes, the more the baby is exposed to severe oxygen deprivation.