Health Topic

Childbirth

Childbirth is the process of having a baby. Learn about the 3 stages of labor, and how you can prepare, tell if you are in labor, and manage the pain.

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Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Childbirth

Childbirth is the process of giving birth to a baby. It includes labor and delivery of the fetus and the placenta. The placenta is the organ that supplies food and oxygen through the umbilical cord to your fetus during pregnancy.

A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks. Labor usually begins between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy. It is how your body prepares to give birth to your baby. Preterm labor can start before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. It can lead to premature birth. Premature babies may face serious health risks.

Signs that you might be going into labor include:

  • Regular contractions start to come closer together
  • Leaking fluid or bleeding from the vagina
  • Low, dull backache
  • Abdominal (belly) cramps

The signs of labor, when labor starts, and the time it takes to deliver your baby can vary with each pregnancy. Call your health care provider if you have any signs of labor, even if it is before your due date.

Labor happens in three stages.

  • The first stage begins with contractions. This stage could last for hours or days. It continues until your cervix has become thinner and dilated (stretched) to about 4 inches wide to allow your baby to pass through.
  • The second stage is when you begin to push downward. Crowning is when your baby's scalp comes into view. Shortly afterward, your baby is born.
  • The third stage is when you deliver the placenta, and your provider cuts the umbilical cord.

Sometimes, mothers need to have labor induced. Medicines or other methods are used to start labor. This is usually only done when the due date has passed or if a problem with the pregnancy risks the health of the mother or the fetus.

Mothers and their babies are closely monitored during labor and delivery. Delivery can occur either vaginally through the birth canal, or if there are complications, the delivery may be done surgically by a Cesarean section. This is when the baby is taken out through your abdomen (belly) and uterus.

The amount of pain during childbirth can vary based on the size and position of the baby, your level of comfort with the process, and the strength of your contractions.

Options for pain relief during labor and delivery may include:

  • Medicines may reduce the pain, but they don't stop it completely.
  • Natural methods ease pain without taking medicines. A few examples include using relaxation techniques, a birthing ball, massage, or taking a bath or shower.
  • Combination of medicines and natural methods.

Discuss your options, risks, and benefits of pain relief during labor and delivery with your provider before your due date.

It sits within Women, Pregnancy and Reproduction and Female Reproductive System.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Childbirth

9,166 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

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Diagnosis and Tests

Treatments and Therapies

Related Issues

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Labor, Obstetric, Delivery, Obstetric. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Childbirth, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.