Definition of Childbirth

Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the delivery of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus. The process of human childbirth is categorized in 3 stages of labour. In the first stage, the uterus begins rhythmic contractions which steadily increase in strength and frequency, gradually widening and thinning the cervix. During the second stage, the infant passes from the uterus, through the cervix and birth canal. In the third stage, the placenta pulls from the uterine wall and is expelled through the birth canal.