How Labor Really Works

A common misconception involves what drives labor progress. Many people believe that if a laboring mother becomes exhausted, her labor will stall or fail to progress. This misunderstanding can create unnecessary anxiety and even lead to premature interventions.

The truth is that labor does not progress by maternal energy or willpower. It is driven by an internal force of the uterus working in combination with fetal positioning. Labor is not a voluntary process that you can somehow "fail" at by being tired. It is a competent physiological process built into the uterus, fetus, and pelvis, involving hormones from the mother's brain, none of which is compromised by fatigue.

Think of it this way: your heart continues beating whether you are tired or not, because it is an internal process built into the heart itself. How long is your heart been beating? Well obviously your entire life. Yet we are not afraid that it will stop beating because it gets tired. That's because the heart has a contraction cycle. Part of that cycle is relaxation. Remember the love dub cycle of the heartbeat. The contraction part of the cycle is actually shorter than the relaxation cycle. Yes, the relaxation cycle is longer. So the heart does not get tired. It has a built-in relaxation.

The uterus functions the same way. The uterus as well has a contraction cycle. There is a contraction, and then there's the relaxation. And yes, the contraction part of the cycle is shorter than the relaxation part. Yes the uterus contracts about a minute, but then there's another two to three minute break before it needs to contract again. The uterus does not get tired. It has its relaxation cycle. It is made to do this. The design is exceptionally competent. Labor continues its work regardless of how exhausted you feel, because it is doing what it was designed to do.

Yes, most of the time labor does involve getting tired. This is normal and expected. But that tiredness does not inhibit labor progress.

There Is No Expiration Date on Labor

You may have heard statistics about "average" labor length, and while these can provide some general framework, they can also create unnecessary alarm. There is no hour limit after which labor somehow expires or automatically requires intervention.

Rather than watching the clock, your care providers will look at progress, which may include cervical effacement, dilation, and fetal descent. Labor is not a linear or mathematical process. It is an individual journey that is best evaluated on its own terms, not against an arbitrary timeline.

This is the mindset I would encourage you to adopt: Labor is a competently designed process that your body was created to do. Truly mindset is important. In anything we do. Consider your role to be that of surrender and embracing it. There is a wonderful outcome to this process!

• Your new and precious baby.

• And the new mother that you become during this process.

(c) Marie Farver RN BSN IBCLC RLC 1.2.2026