Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Plains) is engaged in the transportation, storage, terminalling and marketing of crude oil and refined products, as well as in the processing, transportation, fractionation, storage and marketing of natural gas liquids (NGL).
The first stage of labor is the longest and involves three phases: 1  Early Labor Phase âThe time of the onset of labor until the cervix is dilated to 3 cm. 2  Active Labor Phase â Continues from 3 cm. until the cervix is dilated to 7 cm.  Transition Phase â Continues from 7 cm. until the cervix is fully dilated to 10 cm.
Effacement means that the cervix stretches and gets thinner. Dilatation means that the cervix opens. As labor nears, the cervix may begin to thin or stretch (efface) and open (dilate) to prepare for the passage of the baby through the birth canal (vagina). How fast the cervix thins and opens varies from woman to woman. In some women, the cervix may start to efface and dilate slowly over a period of weeks.