Birth

Labor and Delivery

The Second Stage of Labor
The second stage of labor is considerably shorter than the first. (About two hours for women delivering their first baby and about one hour for the others.) During this time, the baby passes head first from the uterus through the vagina into the outside world. The mother can do much to help this process by contracting her abdominal muscles and bearing down with all her strength. Once the head has emerged, the rest of the baby's body follows easily.
The newborn child is still connected to the placenta inside the uterus by the umbilical cord. However, from now on this source of nourishment and oxygen is no longer needed. The sudden change in temperature and atmospheric pressure (sometimes also a slap on the buttocks) causes the baby to draw the first breath. As soon as breathing has become regular, the umbilical cord is cut a few inches from the abdomen. (There is no pain since the cord does not contain any nerves.) After a while, the remaining stub dries up and then falls off by itself.