Childbirth

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childbirth.html

When you are ready to have your baby, you'll go through labor. Contractions let you know labor is starting. When contractions are five minutes apart, your body is ready to push the baby out.

During the first stage of labor, your cervix slowly opens, or dilates, to about 4 inches wide. At the same time, it becomes thinner. This is called effacement. You shouldn't push until your uterus is fully effaced and dilated. When it is, the baby delivery stage starts. Crowning is when your baby's scalp comes into view. Shortly afterward, your baby is born. The placenta that nourished the baby follows.

Mothers and babies are monitored closely during labor. Most women are healthy enough to have a baby through normal vaginal delivery, meaning that the baby comes down the birth canal without surgery. If there are complications, the baby may need to be delivered surgically by a Cesarean section.

National Women's Health Information Center
Start Here

    * Labor and Birth(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/Pregnancy/childbirthandbeyond/laborandbirth.cfm
    * Vaginal BirthInteractive Tutorial(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/vaginalbirth/htm/index.htm
      Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/vaginalbirthspanish/htm/index.htm

Overviews

    * JAMA Patient Page: Childbirth(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/293/17/2180.pdf
      Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/293/17/2180/DC1/1
    * Labor and Birth(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/index.htm

Latest News

    * Several Factors Up Childbirth Hemorrhage Risk(09/30/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69861.html
    * Antibiotics for Preterm Labor Linked to Cerebral Palsy(09/18/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69449.html
    * Natural Childbirth Moms More Attuned to Babies' Cry(09/11/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69189.html
    * More News on Childbirth http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_c.html#childbirth

Diagnosis/Symptoms

    * Fetal Fibronectin (fFN): A Test for Preterm Delivery(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1149.asp
      Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9388_10459.asp
    * Signs and Symptoms of Preterm Labor and What to Do(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_5809.asp
      Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/prematuro/9323_9992.asp
    * Signs of Labor: Know What to Expect(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/signs-of-labor/PR00083/METHOD=print

Treatment

    * Dealing with Pain during Childbirth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/childbirth_pain.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/childbirth_pain_esp.html
    * Drugs for Use in Preterm Labor(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/13454_13467.asp
    * Episiotomy: Can You Deliver a Baby without One?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/episiotomy/HO00064/METHOD=print
    * Pain Relief during Labor and Delivery(American Society of Anesthesiologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/labordelivery.pdf
      Also available in Spanish http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/labordeliverySpanish.pdf
    * What You Need to Know about...Episiotomy(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/episiotomy.htm

Prevention/Screening

    * Preterm Labor: Prevention Is the Key(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/preterm-labor/PR00118/METHOD=print

Specific Conditions

    * Assisted Delivery(American Pregnancy Association) - http://americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/assisteddelivery.html
    * Back Labor: What Is It?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/back-labor/AN00744/METHOD=print
    * Breech Babies: What Can I Do If My Baby Is Breech?(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/labor/310.printerview.html
      Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/women/pregnancy/labor/310.printerview.html
    * Cephalopelvic Disproportion (CPD)(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cephalopelvicdisproportion.html
    * Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring during Labor(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ21KVF27C&sub_cat=2001
    * Inducing Labor: Your Questions Answered(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/inducing-labor/PR00117/METHOD=print
    * Labor Induction(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/labor/450.printerview.html
      Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/women/pregnancy/labor/450.printerview.html
    * MedlinePlus: Cesarean SectionFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cesareansection.html
    * Mucus Plug: Bloody Show(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/mucusplug.html
    * Natural Childbirth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/natural_childbirth.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/natural_childbirth_esp.html
    * Pregnancy: What to Expect When You're Past Your Due Date(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/labor/143.printerview.html
      Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/women/pregnancy/labor/143.printerview.html
    * Preterm Labor(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_1080.asp
      Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9254_9651.asp
    * Recovering from Delivery(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/home/recovering_delivery.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/recovering_delivery_esp.html
    * Sheehan's Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sheehans-syndrome/DS00889/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
    * Stages of Labor: Baby, It's Time(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/stages-of-labor/PR00106/METHOD=print
    * Techniques Used to Aid Delivery(American Medical Association) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZHYDP3O6E&sub_cat=2001
    * Umbilical Cord Abnormalities(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_4546.asp
    * Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp070.cfm
      Also available in Spanish http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/sp070.cfm
    * Water Birth(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/waterbirth.html
    * When Does the Bag of Waters Break?(American College of Nurse-Midwives) - Links to PDF - http://www.midwife.org/siteFiles/news/sharewithwomen49_5.pdf

Related Issues

    * Banking Your Newborn's Cord Blood(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/cord_blood.html
    * Birth of a Second Child(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/second_child.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/padres/second_child_esp.html
    * Birth Plans(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/birth_plans.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/birth_plans_esp.html
    * Birthing Centers and Hospital Maternity Services(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/doctor/birth_centers_hospitals.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/birth_centers_hospitals_esp.html
    * Birthing Classes(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/birth_class.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/birth_class_esp.html
    * Childbirth Education: Get Ready for Labor and Delivery(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/pregnancy/PR00119/METHOD=print
    * Having a Doula: Is a Doula for Me?(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/havingadoula.html
    * Looking at Your Newborn: What's Normal(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/newborn_variations.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/newborn_variations_esp.html
    * Meconium Aspiration(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/lungs/meconium.html
    * Midwives(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/midwives.html
      Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/midwives_esp.html
    * Packing for Two(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/240_1039.asp
      Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9255_9679.asp
    * Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/lungs/ttn.html

Tutorials

    * Vaginal Birth(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/vaginalbirth/htm/index.htm
      Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/vaginalbirthspanish/htm/index.htm

Clinical Trials

    * ClinicalTrials.gov: Delivery, ObstetricFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Delivery,+Obstetric%22
    * ClinicalTrials.gov: Labor, ObstetricFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Labor,+Obstetric%22

Research

    * Research on Preterm Labor and Premature BirthFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/research/pregbirth/preterm.cfm

Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

    * Article: Induction of labor at or beyond term. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18788233&tool=MedlinePlus
    * Article: Induction of labour in nulliparous and multiparous women: a UK,... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18715414&tool=MedlinePlus
    * Article: Information from your family doctor. Labor and delivery: what you... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18711949&tool=MedlinePlus
    * Childbirth -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=((delivery,obstetric[majr]+OR+labor,obstetric[majr])+NOT+(cesarean+section[mh]+OR+obstetric+labor+complications[mh]))+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
    * Complications in childbirth -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=obstetric+labor+complications[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

    * Labor and Birth Terms to Know(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/lnbtermstoknow.html

Directories

    * ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/member-lookup/disclaimer.cfm

Organizations

    * American College of Nurse-Midwives - http://www.midwife.org/
    * American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - http://www.acog.org/
    * American Pregnancy Association - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/
    * National Women's Health Information Center(Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://womenshealth.gov/
      Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/espanol/

Law and Policy

    * Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.cms.hhs.gov/healthinsreformforconsume/05_thenewborns%27andmothers%27healthprotectionact.asp?

Statistics

    * FASTATS: Births -- Method of Delivery(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm
    * FASTATS: Obstetrical Procedures(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obgyn.htm
    * PeriStats(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/
    * Preliminary Births for 2004(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/prelim_births/prelim_births04.htm

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

    * Cesarean Section - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cesareansection.html
    * High Risk Pregnancy - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/highriskpregnancy.html
    * Premature Babies - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prematurebabies.html
    * Twins, Triplets, Multiple Births - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/twinstripletsmultiplebirths.html
    * Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
    * Pregnancy and Reproduction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pregnancyandreproduction.html
    * Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html

Childbirth - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/childbirth.html

Date last updated: October 02 2008
Topic last reviewed: May 28 2008