process of giving birth is called?

Childbirth
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Summary

When you are ready to have your baby, you'll go through labor. Labor is the process of giving birth. Signs that you might be going into labor include:

Contractions that are regular then start to come closer together
Leaking fluid or bleeding from the vagina
Low, dull backache
Abdominal cramps

Call your health care provider if you have any of these signs, even if it is before your due date. Preterm labor can start before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

Labor happens in three stages. The first stage begins with contractions. It continues until your cervix has become thinner and dilated (stretched) to about 4 inches wide. The second stage is the active stage, in which you begin to push downward. Crowning is when your baby's scalp comes into view. Shortly afterward, your baby is born. In the third stage, you deliver the placenta. The placenta is the organ that supplied food and oxygen to your baby during pregnancy.

Mothers and babies are monitored closely during labor. Most women are able to have a baby through normal vaginal delivery. If there are complications, the baby may need to be delivered surgically by a Cesarean section.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Start Here

Labor and Birth (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
Stages of Labor (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
What Is Labor? From the National Institutes of Health (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Contractions and Signs of Labor (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
Cord Blood Testing and Banking From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Monitoring Baby's Heart Rate During Labor (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Water Breaking: Understand This Sign of Labor (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Dealing with Pain during Childbirth (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Apgar Scores (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Birthing Centers and Hospital Maternity Services (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Birthing Classes (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Elective Deliveries Before 39 Weeks: Is It Worth It? (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Specifics

Cesarean Section: MedlinePlus Health Topic From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Episiotomy: When It's Needed, When It's Not (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Labor Pain (American Society of Anesthesiologists)
Natural Childbirth (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Images

Epidural - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Episiotomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Vaginal birth - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

At Least 39 Weeks Video (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)

Statistics and Research

FastStats: Births -- Method of Delivery (National Center for Health Statistics)
PeriStats: Perinatal Statistics (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Delivery, Obstetric From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Labor, Obstetric From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Educational technology for primigravidae: a quasi-experimental study.
Article: Effect of Midwives' Application of Intelligent Delivery Room Management System on...
Article: The impact of antenatal massage practice on intrapartum massage application and...
Childbirth -- see more articles

Find an Expert

Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Patient Handouts

Am I in labor? (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Assisted delivery with forceps (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Delivery presentations (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Delivery presentations (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Epidural block (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Episiotomy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Questions to ask your doctor about hospital care after delivery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Questions to ask your doctor about labor and delivery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Spinal and epidural anesthesia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
What you should bring to your labor and delivery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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Childbirth
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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Am I in labor?
Assisted delivery with forceps
Choosing the right health care provider for pregnancy and childbirth
Delivery presentations
Delivery presentations
Epidural - slideshow
Epidural block
Episiotomy
Episiotomy - aftercare
Episiotomy - slideshow

Related Health Topics

Cesarean Section
Childbirth Problems
Health Problems in Pregnancy
Postpartum Care
Preterm Labor
Twins, Triplets, Multiple Births

Other Languages
Find health information in languages other than English on Childbirth
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