The Birth Phases

The pelvis serves as a "gate" for the fetus on its way into the world through the birth canal. Towards the end of the pregnancy, the fetus descends into the pelvis, which is why the mother will sometimes feel pressure at the bottom of the stomach and urinate more often.
At the beginning of the birth, the fetus enters the pelvis and rotates until it finds the widest route for its head.

The birth has three main phases:

• The first phase is divided into two parts - the latent phase and the active phase.
  The latent phase is the preparation phase, as the cervix matures and prepares to dilate. This is a long phase which starts with contractions and ends when the cervix is fully softened and about 4 cm dilated.
  In the active phase, the contractions become regular and painful and the cervix continues to dilate until it reaches the full 10 cm opening.
• The second phase continues from the point when the cervix is fully dilated until the fetus is delivered.
• The third phase concludes the birth process with the delivery of the placenta.