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Labor and Delivery

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Labor

Delivery

Care of the Baby in the Delivery Room

Postpartum Care

Caring for the Mother: Physically and Emotionally

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Labor usually starts 2 weeks before or after the estimated date of delivery. No one knows exactly what sets off the onset of labor.

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Preterm labor is labor that starts before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Labor is when the uterus regularly tightens and the cervix starts to thin and open. This lets the baby (fetus) enter the birth canal.

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Most women start to go into labor around the baby’s due date. This is typically around 40 weeks of pregnancy.