What happens when a baby is ready to be born?

Birth usually begins at around 40 weeks. When a baby is ready to be born, the mother will go into labour. Labour involves three different stages – you can click on the numbers below to find out more.

1 2 3

Stage 1

The uterus muscles start to contract and push the baby down towards the vaginal opening (cervix). The opening of the cervix widens (dilates) gradually during this first stage, ready for the baby to pass through.

The bag of amniotic fluid breaks and passes out of the vagina and vulva.

These muscle contractions may begin as cramp-like pains in the abdomen and back. As the contractions become stronger and more frequent, the pain increases.

This first stage can last 12 to 19 hours, on average.

Stage 2

Once the cervix has dilated to a width of 10cm, the mother uses controlled pushes (in time with the contractions) to push the baby out of the vagina and into the outside world. The umbilical cord that links the baby to the mother is then cut.

This second stage of labour can range in duration from 20 minutes to two hours.

Once the baby is born, the mother will usually be able to hold the baby straight away and enjoy some skin-to-skin time. This helps to keep the baby warm and calm after the birth. It is also an important part of the bonding process between mother and baby. Some new mothers bond with their baby straight away – they feel an instant connection and incredibly strong love for their new baby the moment they first see them and hold them. However, for many mothers, this bond can take many weeks or even months to develop…and this is completely normal. New mothers often feel exhausted after giving birth, and overwhelmed by the new responsibility of being a parent…and this can prevent them from feeling an instant bond with their baby.

Stage 3

A little while after the baby has been born, the mother passes the placenta as it is no longer needed. This can take between five to 30 minutes.

This description of the process of labour relates to a vaginal delivery (which is the most common way of giving birth); however, another way in which a baby can be born is by Caesarean section (or C-section).

This is when a surgical operation is performed to deliver the baby – the mother is given an anaesthetic, her abdomen and uterus are cut open and the baby is delivered. This type of delivery is most often performed when a vaginal delivery poses a risk to the baby and/or the mother. It can be carried out as a planned procedure, or done in an emergency if complications with a vaginal birth arise during labour.

If a woman does have a baby by Caesarean section, this does not necessarily prevent her from having a safe vaginal delivery if she has another baby in the future, although extra monitoring may be needed during labour to make sure there aren’t any complications.

Key point

First-time mums are often surprised that their real life experience of labour and childbirth is nothing like what they have seen in films or on television programmes! This could be because childbirth on television or in films is often made to look very dramatic, showing childbirth to be risky, dangerous and very painful – and while this makes it entertaining for the viewers, it is not necessarily true to life. Alternatively, childbirth can be made to look very glamorous on TV or in films – everything is calm and clean, the labour is made to look quick and easy, and the new mum has perfect hair and make-up…again, this isn’t a realistic picture of what labour and childbirth is really like!

Did you know?

The size of a woman’s hips doesn’t make labour and childbirth any easier or more difficult. Hip size doesn’t determine the amount of space available for the baby to travel through – instead, it is the shape and width of the woman’s pelvis that can determine how easy the birth will be. This is because it is the pelvis that contracts and pushes the baby out into the world…not the hips.