Before the first stage of established labour starts, you’ll likely have a ‘latent phase’ during which your body starts to prepare for active labour. The latent phase is very early labour when your cervix thins and dilates, and you might begin to feel mild, irregular contractions¹. You can spend hours or even days in the latent phase before you move on to established labour¹.

Because the latent phase can last so long, your midwife will probably advise you to stay home for the time being. Staying active with some gentle walking or rocking on a birthing ball can help your baby move down into the right position towards the birth canal and help your cervix dilate¹.

For many women, one of the earliest signs that labour has begun is a cramping feeling very similar to period pains. It’s also very common to experience diarrhoea or feel sick or nauseous in the early phases of labour². While you might not feel like eating, this is a good time to try to have some healthy, energy-boosting snacks like toast or cereal, and plenty of water to stay hydrated so that your body is prepared to deliver your baby¹.

Once labour starts, you’re likely to notice signs like³:

• More regular contractions or tightening in the muscles of your womb
• Backache or a heavy feeling in your lower back
• An urge to go to the loo, caused by your baby’s head pressing on your bowel
• Your waters breaking
• A ‘show’ or plug of mucus that comes away from the opening of your cervix
• Feeling or being sick²
• Diarrhoea²

At this point, it could be time to grab your hospital bag and make your way to the hospital (always call ahead to make sure that this is the right thing to do). You’ll find lots of helpful information and advice about when you should go to the hospital here.

During your pregnancy, there’s been a ‘plug’ of mucus covering the opening of your cervix to protect you and your baby from infections³. In the latent phase and early stages of labour, that plug can come away and pass through your vagina in a thick, jelly-like ‘blob’ called a ‘show’.

Sometimes, the show can look a little pink as it contains small amounts of blood. Usually, that’s nothing to worry about, but if you start to lose blood at this stage, you should let your midwife know straight away³.

Once you’ve passed your show, your labour might come on quickly or take a few days - there’s simply no way to know. Some people won’t notice their show at all during labour, so don’t worry if you don’t get one⁴.

While your baby’s been happily growing inside your womb, they’ve been protected by a fluid-filled membrane called the amniotic sac³. Sometimes, as labour starts (or just before labour starts), the membrane breaks, and the amniotic fluid drains out through your vagina. That’s known as your waters breaking. It’s also sometimes referred to as the ‘rupture of membranes’³. Don’t be alarmed if anyone mentions the ‘rupture of membranes’; that’s just another term for when your waters break²!

Sometimes, waters breaking is depicted as a big, dramatic gush. While this can be the case in real life, it can also feel more like a slow trickle³. If you like, you can wear a sanitary towel (but not a tampon) to prepare for your waters breaking.

Just like your show, your waters might contain a little bit of blood, but in general, they should be clear and pale like pee³. If your waters have a strong smell or colour, or you’re losing blood, call your midwife immediately³.

Once your waters have broken, there’s a slightly higher risk of infection, so  avoid using tampons or having sex³. If your waters break more than 24 hours before your labour starts, you might be offered an induction to reduce the chance of infection even further³.

As you get towards the end of your pregnancy, you’ll probably start to notice and question every tiny twinge and movement - especially if you’re having your first baby. It’s an exciting time and natural to be looking for signs that your little one is on their way.

So, what is a contraction, and what do they feel like? When you have a contraction, your womb tightens and then relaxes to help thin and open your cervix and eventually push your baby down towards the birth canal³. For some people, this can feel like intense period pains³. You might have had ‘practise contractions’ or Braxton Hicks contractions towards the end of your pregnancy, which might have been uncomfortable, but tend to be less painful than the real deal³.

The contractions you’ll get in labour might start out being short and irregular but will get stronger and more frequent as you move through the different stages of labour. Try to rest in between each one if you can, and let your midwife and/or labour ward the your Labour ward midwife know once your contractions start coming every 5 minutes or less³.

Timing your contractions is a great way to track your progress through the stages of labour. When you call your midwife to let them know you’re in labour, one of the first things they’ll ask is how regularly you’re getting contractions. Ideally, you should be able to tell them how long each contraction lasts and how often they come. This will help them to assess whether it’s time for you to head into hospital or whether they need to come to you if you’re having a home birth³.

Of course, it can be difficult to focus on counting when you’re in the middle of active labour. It can help to use a stopwatch or, even better, ask your birthing partner to time the length of each contraction and the gap between each one.

The latent phase and first stage of labour can last a while, especially if this is your first time going into labour¹. It’s normal to feel uncomfortable or frustrated if things aren’t moving along as quickly as you’d like. Remember to keep your energy levels up with regular snacks and drinks, and read our top tips for what you can do to help you get through labour here.

During your pregnancy, you’ve probably given some thought to the type of birth that you want, whether or not you want pain relief, and if so, which type of pain relief you’d like to use. 

When it comes to pain relief in labour, there are a number of options to consider, including⁵:

• Gas and air: a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide gas that you can control yourself. It won’t remove any pain or discomfort completely, but it can make it more manageable.
• Pethidine: An injection into your thigh or buttock to provide pain relief and help you to relax.
• Epidural: A type of local anaesthetic that numbs the nerves that register the pain from the birth canal.

Your midwife will talk through your pain relief options with you in the later stages of your pregnancy so you can note down what you’d like to happen in your birth plan.

You can find out more about the different types of pain relief and whether they’re the right choice for your birth experience here.

Your baby is unlikely to stick to a timetable - they’ll come along in their own good time. Sometimes labour can be slower than expected if your baby’s in a bit of an awkward position or your contractions aren’t very strong or regular¹.

Your midwife will check on you regularly to see how your labour is progressing. If your cervix hasn’t dilated more than 2cm in 4 hours during the first stage of labour, and your contractions become less frequent, this can sometimes be considered to be a slow or ‘delayed’ labour⁶.

If you’re having a slow labour, your midwife might offer to break your waters (if they haven’t broken already) to strengthen your contractions¹. They might also suggest giving you a drip with oxytocin, which can also make your contractions stronger and more regular¹. Your healthcare team will discuss all your options with you and help you make the right decision for you and your baby.

Once your cervix is 10cm dilated, the second stage of labour starts and it’s finally time to deliver your baby¹. This stage can take up to 3 hours for your first baby or up to 2 hours if you’ve given birth before (1). It can be hard work, but your midwife will be there to support you every step of the way.

You should start to get the urge to push as your baby moves down the birth canal towards the entrance to your vagina - it might feel a bit like you need to poo¹. If you’ve had a form of pain relief called an epidural, you might not feel the urge to push as strongly⁷. That’s okay - your midwife will tell you when your contractions are happening and when to push. If there’s a risk of tearing, they might ask you to pant and push more gently to ‘breathe your baby out’⁷.

Once your baby’s head has been born, their shoulders and the rest of their body will be delivered fairly quickly. If you’d like, you should then be able to have some lovely skin-on-skin contact time with your baby as you welcome them into the world^{7, 8}.

It might seem odd, but you still have one more stage of labour left once your baby has arrived into the world. This involves delivering the placenta¹, and your midwife will still be by your side to guide you through.

Your midwife might offer you an oxytocin injection as soon as you give birth, which will help your womb contract and deliver your placenta more quickly (usually within 30 minutes of your baby being born)¹.

Or, if you’d prefer to deliver the placenta naturally, you can wait until you feel the urge to push again without any added oxytocin. This usually happens within an hour of your baby’s arrival¹. Once the placenta is delivered. Once it’s delivered your placenta will be checked thoroughly to make sure that it is complete.

In general, the NHS says it’s best to wait 2-5 minutes after your baby’s born born before clamping and cutting their umbilical cord⁹. That’s because it gives more time for the blood to keep flowing between the placenta and your baby, which can help keep their blood pressure stable⁹.

In some cases, your midwife might need to cut the umbilical cord sooner, for example if it became wrapped around your baby’s neck during birth or if you’ve delivered twins who share the same placenta⁹. Your baby will still get all the care they need for the best possible start to life.

Having skin-to-skin contact straight after your baby’s born is a really special way for the two of you to bond. It also gives the perfect opportunity for their first breastfeed¹⁰. Your baby’s instincts to breastfeed are particularly strong as soon as they’re born, so this is a great way to start your breastfeeding journey if that’s how you’ve chosen to feed your little one¹⁰.

Everyone’s labour is different, meaning there’s no set length of time that labour lasts.

As a general guide, if this is your first pregnancy, it can take 8 to 18 hours from when your labour starts to being fully dilated and another 3 hours to deliver your baby¹. If you’ve given birth before, the process can move more quickly, taking 5 to 12 hours to become fully dilated and another 2 hours to deliver your baby¹.

There’s no set pattern for how long or regular your contractions will be—they vary from person to person. But as a rough guide, they will be 40-50 seconds every 10 minutes or so at the very beginning of labour and increase to over 60 seconds long with less than a minute between them by the end¹¹.

Remember, everyone is different, and what’s normal for you might not be the same as what’s normal for someone else.

The first stage of established labour starts when you’re dilated 4cm and having regular contractions. When fully dilated (10cm), you’re ready to move into the third stage of labour and start pushing¹.

In most cases, you won’t need to go to the hospital until you’re having strong, regular contractions and/or your waters have broken². But in some cases, your midwife might want you to go in earlier. When you think your labour has started, call your maternity unit and follow their instructions. You can read our full article on when to go to the hospital in labour here.

Last reviewed: October 2024 
Reviewed by Nutricia’s Medical and Scientific Affairs Team