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Everything you need to feel informed, confident, and ready — from your hospital bag to your birth plan and beyond.
It can be hard to tell when labour is truly beginning. Here are the key signs to watch for:
Contractions every 5 minutes, lasting 60 seconds, for 1 hour (the 5-1-1 rule). They feel like intense period cramps and do not go away with rest.
A gush or trickle of clear fluid from your vagina. Call your midwife or hospital immediately — do not wait for contractions to start.
A pink or brown mucus discharge (the mucus plug). Labour may still be hours or days away, but it's a sign your cervix is preparing.
The baby moves lower into your pelvis. You may breathe easier but feel more pelvic pressure and need to urinate more frequently.
Cervix dilates 0–6 cm. Contractions are mild and irregular. Can last hours or even days. Stay home and rest.
Cervix dilates 6–10 cm. Contractions are stronger (every 3–5 min). This is when most mothers go to hospital.
Cervix fully dilated. Contractions are most intense. Usually the shortest phase (15–60 min).
You push with contractions to deliver your baby. Lasts a few minutes to 2 hours.
The placenta is delivered 5–30 minutes after baby. You may receive a syntocinon injection to help.
Pack your bag early — babies sometimes arrive before their due date! Click items to check them off.
A birth plan helps communicate your preferences to your medical team. Keep it to one page. Give a copy to your midwife, doctor, and birth partner.
Understanding your options helps you make informed decisions and prepare your birth plan.
The most common type. Baby is born through the birth canal. Can be spontaneous or induced. Recovery is typically faster than C-section.
Labouring and/or delivering in a birthing pool. The warm water provides pain relief. Shown to reduce the need for epidurals.
Surgical delivery through an incision in the abdomen. Can be planned (elective) or emergency. Recovery takes 6–8 weeks.
Vaginal birth with the help of forceps or a ventouse (suction cup). Used when baby needs to be delivered quickly or has a difficult position.