During labour and birth

To support you during labour and birth, you are welcome to have your partner and/or another person(s) with you. Your team will want to know who you wish to be present at your birth. Please note, we cannot provide childcare services while you are in labour. Plan to have another adult supervise all children and possibly take care of them during your hospital stay. 

Family and friends are allowed to visit at your discretion and at the discretion of hospital staff. Please consider the need for ample rest and recovery after giving birth. We recommend that all visits are short while you are in hospital. 

If you choose, we encourage freedom of movement, upright positions, shower and bath, and eating and drinking, as long as you and your baby are well and your labour is going smoothly. 

If an electronic fetal (heartrate) monitor is needed to check and monitor your baby’s heartbeat, wireless fetal monitors are available that will allow you to walk around the hospital unit and go into the shower/bathtub if you choose. 

The process of having a baby occurs in four stages lasting hours or even a few days – from early labour through delivering the baby and the placenta. During labour, contractions in your uterus work to thin out and widen your cervix (entrance of the uterus) and move the baby into a position to be born. 

Find more information on the stages of labour in HealthLink BC - Stages of Labour or in your Baby's Best Chance Handbook.

First stage of labour 

• Early Labour  The very start of labour when your cervix (opening of the uterus) begins to thin and open. The contractions are often mild to start you can still talk while they are happening) and come at irregular intervals. Over time, the contractions will come at more frequent, regular intervals, with each contraction lasting longer, and feeling more painful. 
  
  If all is well with you, your baby, and your support person(s), you are encouraged to stay home or return home during early labour. 
   
• Active Labour  When your cervix has changed (thinned out and dilated) in accordance with more frequent and painful contractions (usually at least 3 to 4 contractions in a 10-minute period).  For first-time birthing persons, this is when your cervix becomes somewhere between 5-6cm dilated. 
  
  You will be admitted to the hospital at the Active Labour stage.
• Transition  The time when you approach full cervical dilation (8-10 cm dilated) when there is no more cervix remaining and the baby is ready to be pushed out. As the baby moves down, your contractions may become more intense, longer in duration, and come even closer together; you may also experience strong pressure sensations in your bottom. 

Second stage of labour

This is the phase between when your cervix is fully dilated and the time the baby is born. With contractions, you may have a strong urge to push or bear down. Pushing can be as short as a few minutes or as long as a few hours. You are more likely to have a fast labour if you have given birth before. 

Contractions during the active pushing phase may slow down a bit. If this happens, changing positions may help. If not, your care provider may recommend using medicine to make your contractions stronger and more frequent. 

Third stage

 
This is the phase is between the delivery of your baby to the delivery of your placenta. In most cases,  this stage lasts shorter than 30 minutes. If the placenta doesn't fully detach, your doctor or midwife may need to intervene. 

Fourth stage of labour  

This stage occurs from the time the placenta is delivered until at least two hours after. During this stage you will be watched closely for any potential problems. Your vital signs (blood  pressure, heart rate, temperature and respirations) will be taken frequently. 

You can expect your care provider and/or nurse to massage your lower abdomen regularly and check the amount of vaginal bleeding. They will also check your bladder to make sure it isn't too full.