Terms Related to Trial of Labor

• Second Stage Labor

  Period of labor from complete dilatation of the cervix through birth of the fetus.

• Third Stage Labor

  Period of labor from birth of the fetus through expulsion or extraction of the placenta and membranes.

• First Stage Labor

  Period from the onset of labor through complete dilatation of the cervix.

• Premature Labor

  Onset of labor before term but after the fetus has become viable, usually sometime during the 29th through 38th week of gestation.