In preparation for the birth of your baby, your cervix effaces (thins and stretches) and dilates (opens) so your baby can fit through the birth canal. This cervical ripening can begin days or even ...

In contemporary practice, most providers aim to admit women to the labor unit when cervical dilation is expected to become more rapid (i.e., at the onset of the active phase of labor). Authors of ...

Cervical dilation sounds pretty intense, but if you are in labor, it's going to happen. The question is, how do you know if you're dilated and ready to deliver your baby? The cervix is a magical ...

Pregnancy labor can be very painful and terrible. If you are pregnant, knowing a few things can make labor easy and go through a delivery with much ease. It will, of course, be helpful when you are ...

Chances are, if you get pregnant today, you’re going to have a vaginal birth. Though women are redefining the birthing experience in so many ways, most births—about 70%—still happen vaginally. We ...

You may know that latent talent is defined as hidden talent. Well, the latent phase of labor has a bit of that same hidden element — it’s the very start of labor, when things get moving but can still ...

Jeremy L. Neal, CNM, RNC, PhD; Nancy K. Lowe, CNM, PhD; Karen L. Ahijevych, RN, PhD; Thelma E. Patrick, RN, PhD; Lori A. Cabbage, CNM, FNP, MSN; Elizabeth J. Corwin ...