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Active 1st phase

Active 1st phase

Contractions in the active 1st phase
Things to consider in the active 1st phase

Active 1st phase oval

Active 1st phase is viewed as the time when the woman's labour changes again, from being in early 1st phase, and moving into what the caregiver would term as 'strong established labour'. Again, the labour 'steps up', with the contractions becoming stronger and closer together, and possibly lasting longer.

As the woman, your body is working very hard now to open up your cervix. The contractions need to be strong to achieve this. (You may be wondering how much more intense this labour can get?) Pain relief options may be crossing your mind. You may notice that you need to breathe through them and work with the contractions now. In many cases, the woman's breathing becomes deeper, her awareness goes inward, and she no longer is able to talk during a contraction.

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