Eight hours From 5 to 60 minutes
First babies generally take their time. The average length of active labour for a first baby is about eight hours, so it could be shorter or longer than that, but it's unlikely that your first labour will be longer than 18 hours (NCCWCH 2007: 141) . Your midwife will write down the length of your labour in your birth notes. This will probably refer to how long it took for your cervix to open from about 4cm to 10cm (4in). At 10cm, you are fully dilated and are ready to start pushing your baby out. In general women expecting their first baby will take longer than women expecting a subsequent baby (though this does not always hold true). For a first baby, the average length of the first stage of labour is 12 to 14 hours, the second stage 1 to 2 hours and the third stage 5 to 60 minutes. Women expecting a subsequent baby can expect the first stage to last around 6 to 8 hours and the second stage lasting from Your contractions are likely to happen every three minutes or four minutes and last for between five seconds and 60 seconds. By this time, your cervix will have opened to about 4cm (1.6in). If you're a first-time mum, active labour may take about eight hours. This is an average, though, and it could be much shorter or longer than that. It's unlikely to last more than 18 hours. Once your cervix has dilated to 10cm, it could take you an hour or two hours of pushing before your baby is born. The length of this stage varies with the position and size of the baby and your ability to push with the contractions. For first-time mothers the average length of pushing is one-to-two hours. In some instances, pushing can last longer than two hours if mother and baby are tolerating it. How long it lasts: Early labor is unpredictable. For first-time moms, the average length of early labor is six to 12 hours. It's often much shorter for subsequent deliveries. What you can do: Until your contractions increase in frequency and intensity, it's up to you. During a first-time birth, a first labor lasts 16 hours on average, however, this can vary tremendously. Labor can be divided into three stages. Stage one, where the cervix dilates, is subdivided into three phases, early, active and transition. Early labor is the longest part, lasting eight to 10 hours.
http://www.babycenter.com.au/a546721/speeding-up-labour http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1037967/how-long-will-my-labour-last http://www.pregnancy.com.au/resources/topics-of-interest/labour-and-birth/labour.shtml http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1037967/how-long-will-my-labour-last http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/laboranddelivery/labor/ld_push.html http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/stages-of-labor/art-20046545 http://www.pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/articles/937639/how-long-does-labor-last-the-first-time
on average how long does first labour last from start to finish