There are many symptoms of labour starting, such as back pain, a mucus plug, waters breaking, contractions and pressure. If you experience these and would like to know if you are in labour, you can contact your local maternity unit. Contractions might begin like intense period pains and are different from earlier Braxton-Hicks contractions as they are longer. Lower back pain and a feeling of heaviness or achiness. The mucus plug, a jelly-like pink substance, may come out of the vagina, indicating that the cervix (neck of the womb) is starting to open. Your waters can break before or during labour, either as a slow trickle or a sudden gush.

The three stages of labour are your cervix dilating, your baby being birthed and then your placenta being birthed. Normal progress is different in every labour and different based on what you have opted to have during it. Interventions can be offered during your labour or you may request them. Stage 1 (Where the cervix opens up to 10cm) involves early contractions leading to regular ones, typically lasting around 8 hours for first-time mothers and about 5 hours for those who have given birth before. Stage 2 (where you push and have your baby) can have a passive phase (where you are 10cm dilated but have not started to push yet) followed by an active phase, where pushing leads to the baby's birth. This lasts up to 5 hours for first time mothers and up to 3 hours for those who have given birth before but can be much quicker. Stage 3 (where you birth the placenta) involves the birth of the placenta, which usually occurs within 30 to 60 minutes. Labour progresses through these stages at different rates for different women and we will consider factors such as how many babies you have had and whether you have had an epidural when making recommendations about your progress. If there is a delay in any of these stages, we may offer to carry out interventions to try and speed your labour up.

Everyone’s labour experience will be different. You may be recommended to push or position yourself in a certain way but it is your choice. When you're pushing during labour, you might feel a lot of pressure downwards, like when you're trying to have a bowel movement. It is normal to feel sensations like passing gas or an intense stinging feeling, especially as the baby's head comes out. Spontaneous and Directed are the two ways to push during labour. You can choose positions that make you feel comfortable and are right for you. Lying on your side may increase the chance of a spontaneous vaginal birth. Your choice of position may also be affected by factors such as having an epidural or requirements for monitoring your baby.

There are multiple pain relief options available to you, including medical and non-medical strategies. There are different pros and cons to each type, and some medication or pain relief, such as an epidural, is only available in doctor-led sites. You can be given an anti-sickness medication to help with feeling sick or being sick during your labour. They can be given at the same time as the pain medication.