Being knowledgeable about your pregnancy is essential because it can help you understand what to expect. In addition, that knowledge may calm some of the anxiety you may be facing, particularly regarding labor and delivery.

The stages of labor and birth are part of an amazing and seemingly miraculous process. Therefore, it is helpful to understand the typical process of how the body progresses through the stages of labor to ready itself for birth.

How your body prepares and tricky false labor

When your due date is near and you prepare for labor, there are going to be several signs and symptoms that it's almost showtime. As you go into labor you'll experience symptoms that may include emotional changes, pains that feel like menstrual cramps, back pain similar to sciatica, Braxton Hicks contractions, the "bloody show," and the breaking of your water before labor begins. Learn what else you should expect before birth.

Cervix dilation is one of the earliest signs that the birth of your baby is imminent. As you approach your due date, your doctor will check your weekly visits to see if you are dilated. Dilation begins once you have lost your mucus plug and cervical effacement has occurred. You may also experience a bloody show, a mix of blood and mucus when you lose your mucus plug.

There are three stages of labor: latent labor, active labor, and the delivery of the placenta, which is often glossed over when discussing labor.

The experience of giving birth and labor is different for all women. While we can make some generalizations, some women handle labor contractions better than others. Some women are unaware that labor has begun, while other women experience hours and hours of painful contractions and intense abdominal pain before giving birth.

More: What do Labor Contractions Really Feel Like?

The second stage and when to push

As you enter the second stage of labor, you will probably experience an overwhelming desire to bear down. Once your doctor has established that you are fully dilated and are ready to start pushing, you may start to feel more in control of your labor since your pushing helps move your baby farther down into the pelvis.

Labor and Delivery Basics

by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo with Catherine Whitney

I can assure you of one thing. No matter what your individual circumstances, good nutrition and regular exercise throughout your pregnancy will make your delivery far easier. Prepare for delivery the same way you would prepare for a strenuous athletic event.

Fake vs. real contractions

As your pregnancy reaches its end and your due date is looming, you probably have a lot of questions about when you should head to the hospital once labor begins. Of course, each woman's citation is unique, and your Ob-Gyn may have some specific instructions, but there are a few cut and dry citations doctors say require a call to your physician and perhaps a visit to the delivery ward.

More: What are the Stages of Labor?

Labor pain is unique and quite different from everyday chronic and acute pain. Generally, pain is a warning sign that something is wrong, but labor pain acts as an "alert" that the birth process is underway and that you need a safe environment in which to give birth. Some women prefer a homelike environment, which has been shown to have many benefits, including reducing the need for medical forms of pain relief.

Ok, no one said labor was glamorous—and if they did, I’d sure love to meet that person because I adore my kids, but NO, my labors were not glamorous. Speaking of ‘unglamorous’...when you hear the term “mucus plug” associated with labor, chances are you cringe at that medical term. What the heck is a mucus plug and when it “comes out” of you, vaginally, when pregnant, does that mean you’re in labor? I contacted an OB-GYN to learn everything about the mucus plug and more.

Breech labors and births are usually more difficult, so if your baby is still in a breech position in late pregnancy, you may be offered a procedure to turn your baby.

This is one of the wildest times in so many people’s lives. It’s even wilder if you are expecting a baby. That space between being yourself and being a vessel for a tiny, growing human is daunting without a global infectious disease outbreak. This health crisis has caused a huge number of childbirth education classes to be cancelled and millions of pregnant people to feel lost and scared.

What happens in the minutes after birth?

If you feel cramps in your abdomen (the area around your stomach), don't panic right away. Sometimes cramping is nothing more than a gentle reminder to take it easy, and at other times it might be a sign of digestive problems. Occasionally, though, cramping can be an emergency signal that says you need medical attention.

More: Labor Complications

Have you heard of lotus birth?

As you prepare to begin the pregnancy journey or as you ready yourself for your baby’s birth, it is important to make an informed choice about the kind of birth experience you would like to have. Although you can never plan every aspect of a birth, the more you know about your options, the more in control and relaxed you will feel as you approach this momentous experience.

When a woman gets pregnant, so many questions run through her mind: Will it hurt? How much weight will I gain? Will I poop during labor? One question that likely never crossed any woman's mind when they got the news about being pregnant is whether she will be forced to birth alone, with limited pain relief, and possibly be separated from her baby at birth due to a global pandemic.