Also, visit a healthcare professional about your period if: 1  You havenât gotten your first period by age 15. 2  You donât menstruate for more than 90 days. 3  Your periods start to be very irregular after having previously been regular. 4  Your period lasts for more than seven days. 5  Your menstrual flow is more heavy than usual.
What's going on: Your baby is moving down the birth canal. Contractions continue to be strong, lasting for about 60 seconds and coming 3 to 5 minutes apart. You will likely feel a strong urge to push. How long it lasts: 1 to 2 hours for a first labor; 15 to 30 minutes for subsequent labors. If your baby is in distress at this point, or if she doesn't seem to be making her way through the birth canal, your doctor may decide to deliver her by c-section or use forceps to help her out.
When your contractions get closer together, you are farther along in the delivery phase of labor. At the beginning, the tightening or painful part of the contraction will last approximately 30 to 45 seconds, near the end the pain will be longer. A true contraction is usually at least 30 seconds long. Some women experience false labor or Braxton Hicks contractions, which is not true labor so you may be sent home from the hospital if this is the case until your labor truly starts.