There are three stages to the labour and birth process. In stage one, your cervix thins and opens so that the baby can then move through the birth canal. Stage Two is the pushing stage, and ends with the birth of your baby. Stage Three is the delivery of the placenta.

A woman's first labour often lasts 10 to 14 hours. However this is just an average, in reality, labours can vary from a few hours to 36 hours or more. In future pregnancies, labours are usually shorter. The length of time you spend in labour depends on many factors including:

• The position of your baby
• The strength and pattern of your contractions
• Your own health
• Whether or not it is your first baby
• Your mental preparations for birth

Pain is part of every birth. There is no such thing as a "painless birth". However, pain in labour is not the same as other types of pain, which signal illness or danger. Labour pain is:

Productive: Each contraction works towards the birth of the baby
Anticipated: We know that labour contractions will hurt, and that after each contraction there will be a break
Intermittent: Labour pain is not constant. There are breaks between the contractions. In the early part of labour, the breaks are longer then the contractions
Normal: Labour pain is a sign that the body is healthy and working to birth the baby

Each women's belief about pain, pain tolerance, pain threshold and life experiences will affect how she experiences labour pain.

In labour, the pain is a result of the uterine muscles contracting and pulling, the cervix stretching, pressure on ligaments, and pressure on the pelvis as the baby moves down.

During the pushing stage, the pain comes from stretching of the vagina, and preesure on the pelvis, rectum and bladder. Throughout labour, the pain can also be affected by the position of the baby.

In Class 4 you will learn ways to reduce labour pain, and be more comfortable. There are many tools to cope with labour pain, and each labouring woman will find what works for her. It's important for both the labouring mother and her support person to remember that pain is a normal part of labour, and that coping with pain is different than suffering from pain.

Contractions are the rhythmic tightening and relaxing of the muscle of the uterus. In the first stage of labour, these contractions are working to efface (thin) and dilate (open) the cervix so that your baby can pass through the vagina, or birth canal. With first labours, contractions usually start gradually and can be irregular. Contractions become stronger, longer and closer together as labour progresses. It's important for both the mom and her support person to remember that these strong contractions mean the uterine muscle is working hard to dilate the cervix, and that each one brings her closer to her baby's birth.

Every woman feels labour contractions differently. Some women compare contractions at the beginning of labour to menstrual cramps or a feeling of pressure in their pelvis or thighs. As labour becomes stronger, many women feel discomfort across the abdomen and possibly in the back.

To figure out how far apart your contractions are, your support person can time them from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next. For example, if a contraction starts at 7:00, and then the next one starts at 7:07, then we say the contractions are seven minutes apart, and last for one minute. When you call your doctor or get to the hospital, someone will probably ask you how far apart your contractions have been, and approximately how long they are lasting.

In late pregnancy, some women feel strong contractions as their body "warms up" for birth. These can come and go quite regularly for several hours or even days, and then can even go away. It can be difficult to know when it's really time for baby!

Here are a couple of ways to tell the difference between pre-labour and "true" labour.

Pre-labour contractions:

• May be long (a minute or more) but do not get stronger
• Are usually irregular
• Position changes or walking do not make them stronger (in fact, walking or lying down might make them go away!)

Labour contractions:

• Get longer, stronger and closer together
• Become regular
• Walking or position changes make them stronger