2. 3 Stages of Labor and Delivery
• Dilation stage
• Expulsion stage
• Placental stage
3. Dilation stage
• Uterine muscles contract fetus presses on the cervix
• Cervix dilates until 10cm in diameter
• Can last anywhere from several hours to days
• Dilation stage is broken down into three phases:
Early phase, active phase and transition phase
9. Gestation
• A time required for development of fetus
• Also called pregnancy
• Gestation is calculated from first day of the last
menstrual period with a range of 259-280 days
• Normal length of time for pregnancy is 40 weeks
• Baby born before 37 week is completed is
considered premature