Childbirth

When you are ready to have your baby, you'll go through labor. Contractions let you know labor is starting. When contractions are five minutes apart, your body is ready to push the baby out. During the first stage of labor, your cervix slowly opens, or dilates, to about 4 inches wide. At the same time, it becomes thinner. This is called effacement. You shouldn't push until your uterus is fully effaced and dilated. When it is, the baby delivery stage starts. Crowning is when your baby's scalp comes into view. Shortly afterward, your baby is born. The placenta that nourished the baby follows.

Breeched Birth: Caesarean Section or Vaginal Delivery?

Breech presentation is common in about 15% of pregnancies at 29 to 32 weeks.

What Happens When your Waters Break?

Evidence for Having a Water Birth

Complications of the third stage of labor

Heel Prick Test / Guthrie Test

What is a Transverse Baby?

Benefits and Risks of Forceps (Ventouse) Delivery

Water Birth Safety

Making a Birth Plan

Anal Sphincter Injury During Childbirth

The External Cephalic Version Process

What do Contractions Feel Like?

See more featured articles »

Signs Labor Has Begun

Active management of the third stage of labor

Natural Childbirth

Assisted Birth: Forceps or Vacuum Delivery

Lithotomy Positioning

How to Relieve Pain During Labor

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Babies born small may face lasting differences in school performance

The study highlights that fetal size, not just gestational age, plays a crucial role in long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes for term-born children.

23 Oct 2026

Gaining too much weight during pregnancy raises complication risks

A new study of more than one million births led by McMaster University researchers has found that gaining too much weight during pregnancy, regardless of a person's starting weight, is linked to a higher risk of life-threatening maternal complications.

22 Oct 2026

Australian study highlights delayed diagnosis in postpartum psychosis care

Women with postpartum psychosis are making repeated pleas for help before receiving a diagnosis, with the first Australian study of their help-seeking experiences finding many contacted health services an average of seven times before getting the care they needed.

22 Oct 2026

Japanese study links postpartum depression to mother-infant bonding difficulties

A Japanese study found that higher postpartum depression scores were associated with greater mother–infant bonding difficulties.

21 Oct 2026

Biological framework tracks postpartum vulvar tissue recovery timelines

A new biological model published in Sexual Medicine Reviews by Oxford University Press addresses why pain with sex after childbirth-reported by 60% of women at three months-persists for some long after hormones return to normal.

21 Oct 2026

Postpartum psychosis symptoms frequently dismissed as standard baby blues

In an interview-based study in the Journal of Advanced Nursing including 15 Australian women diagnosed with postpartum psychosis over the past 10 years, women reported that they made multiple attempts to seek medical help and support, yet they encountered delayed recognition, inadequate assessment and, at times, dismissal or minimization of their concerns.

21 Oct 2026

Restless legs syndrome triples the risk of perinatal depression in pregnant women

New research found a higher risk of perinatal depression in pregnant women with restless legs syndrome.

20 Oct 2026

Ketamine may ease early depressive symptoms after cesarean delivery

Ketamine, a medication used in operating rooms for anesthesia and pain control, may offer another benefit for some new mothers: easing early symptoms of postpartum depression after cesarean delivery (C-section), according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2026 annual meeting.

19 Oct 2026

Language barriers limit access to postpartum headache treatment

New mothers with limited English proficiency are less likely to receive the standard treatment for painful and debilitating headaches that can occur if the membrane surrounding the spinal cord is accidentally punctured during an epidural for childbirth, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2026 annual meeting.

19 Oct 2026

Lactation drug cabergoline may reduce breast cancer risk in mothers

An international team of scientists has found that a lactation drug could reduce the risk of breast cancer in mothers after childbirth.

15 Oct 2026

Pregnancy reshapes the maternal brain through remarkable neurological changes

For generations, women have been told that the forgetfulness, emotional shifts, sensory changes, and altered sense of self that accompany pregnancy and new motherhood are simply "mommy brain."

13 Oct 2026

Extended Medicaid coverage increases postpartum care for high-risk women

Extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months after childbirth increased postpartum health care utilization among women with pregnancy complications such as diabetes and hypertension, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

13 Oct 2026

HPV vaccines protect against cancer. Could they benefit pregnancy?

Findings from a nationwide study suggest HPV vaccination may reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes, emphasizing its importance in reproductive health strategies.

12 Oct 2026

Women with bipolar disorder and regular cycles report worse premenstrual symptoms

Researchers have found that women with bipolar disorder who have regular menstrual cycles are more likely to report severe premenstrual symptoms than those with irregular cycles, according to preliminary research being presented at the 2026 ECNP Congress in Munich.

11 Oct 2026

Extreme heat threatens maternal health and newborn wellbeing worldwide

Extreme heat has led to a marked increase in the risks faced by pregnant women and their babies, according to a survey of 1,000 healthcare professionals in countries including Brazil, India and Zimbabwe.

11 Oct 2026

HPV vaccination linked to lower risk of pregnancy complications

The benefits of the HPV vaccine may extend beyond protection against cancer. In a study published in The BMJ, researchers at Karolinska Institutet found that women who had been vaccinated against HPV were less likely to experience several pregnancy and childbirth complications, particularly preterm birth.

7 Oct 2026

Kangaroo care helps smaller babies. Now researchers are studying babies born at normal weight

Researchers examine whether extending SSC beyond the first hour can improve early weight changes, breastfeeding and other maternal and newborn outcomes in normal-birthweight infants.

27 Sep 2026

Chronic postsurgical pain affects women long after cesarean delivery

A new synthesis of global evidence, published in Anaesthesia (the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists), finds that chronic postsurgical pain after cesarean delivery is associated with substantial impairment in women's quality of life and everyday functioning in the months and years after giving birth.

25 Sep 2026

Liberian women face long waits for urgent fistula surgery

For more than three years, Lorpu has lived with the constant leakage of urine and faeces caused by obstetric fistula, a debilitating childbirth injury.

11 Sep 2026

What mothers eat in pregnancy may shape a child’s weight years later

A prospective study of 252 mother-child pairs found that higher combined maternal fruit and vegetable intake during pregnancy was associated with lower odds of overweight or obesity in children at age four. Total and natural fruit juice showed no association, whereas higher commercial fruit juice intake was associated with increased odds, though the authors emphasized that this finding was exploratory.

7 Sep 2026