has opened to a diameter of about four centimeters (1.5 inches), the mother has entered what doctors call "active labor." During this stage, the cervix gradually becomes shorter as it continues to ...

The first stage of labor is further broken down into two phases: the latent phase, sometimes called early labor, and the active, or true labor, phase. One of the early signs of labor is called ...

Among the current study's patients, labor lasting more than 2 hours without apparent change was not uncommon before 7 cm of dilation. Friedman described 3 stages in the active phase: acceleration ...