Labour Stages

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Labour is devided into four stages:
1.First Stage:
-it is the stage of cervical dilatation
-starts with the onset of true labour pain and ends with full dilatation of the cervix (10 cm diameter)
-it takes about 10-14 hours for first time pregnant and about 6-8 hours if exist other delivery in the past

2.Second Stage:
-it is the stage of expulsion of the foetus
-begin with full cervical dilatation and ends with the delivery of the foetus
-its duration is about 1 hour in cases of first time pregnant and 1/2 hour in cases with past delivery

3.Third Stage:
-it is the stage of expulsion of the placenta and membranes
-begin after delivery of the foetus and ends with expulsion of placenta and membranes
-its duration is about 10-20 minutes in both cases (first pregnancy or not)

4.Fourth Stage:
-it is the stage of early recovery
-begins immediatly after expulsion of the placenta and membranes and last for 1 hour
-during which careful observation for the patient particularly for signs of postpartum hemorrhage is essential.Routine uterine massage is usually done every 15 minutes during this period.