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  1. Health and wellbeing
  2. Children's health, parenting and pregnancy
  3. Pregnancy and family planning
  4. Antenatal information
  5. Birth - frequently asked questions

Antenatal information

  • Your care during pregnancy
  • Looking after yourself and your baby
  • Mental wellbeing during pregnancy
  • Journey of labour
  • Stages of labour
  • Birth - frequently asked questions
    • When does labour start?
    • When will my waters break?
    • How long does labour last?
    • What is pre-labour?
    • What do contractions feel like?
    • How do I time contractions?
    • When do I come to hospital?
    • What do I bring to hospital?
    • What happens when I get to hospital?
    • What if my labour is progressing slowly?
    • What is the best position for giving birth?
    • What is an episiotomy?
    • How will my baby be monitored during labour?
    • What is a CTG?
    • Why do I need internal (vaginal) examinations?
    • Can I take my placenta home?
    • How do I register my baby’s birth?
  • When complications occur
  • Induction of labour and augmentation
  • Assisted birth and caesarean birth
  • Pain relief options
  • Breastfeeding
  • Expressing breastmilk
  • Postnatal care – baby and you
  • Key words

Birth - frequently asked questions

  • When does labour start?
  • When will my waters break?
  • How long does labour last?
  • What is pre-labour?
  • What do contractions feel like?
  • How do I time contractions?
  • When do I come to hospital?
  • What do I bring to hospital?
  • What happens when I get to hospital?
  • What if my labour is progressing slowly?
  • What is the best position for giving birth?
  • What is an episiotomy?
  • How will my baby be monitored during labour?
  • What is a CTG?
  • Why do I need internal (vaginal) examinations?
  • Can I take my placenta home?
  • How do I register my baby’s birth?

Birth - frequently asked questions

In this guide

  1. When does labour start?
  2. When will my waters break?
  3. How long does labour last?
  4. What is pre-labour?
  5. What do contractions feel like?
  6. How do I time contractions?
  7. When do I come to hospital?
  8. What do I bring to hospital?
  9. What happens when I get to hospital?
  10. What if my labour is progressing slowly?
  11. What is the best position for giving birth?
  12. What is an episiotomy?
  13. How will my baby be monitored during labour?
  14. What is a CTG?
  15. Why do I need internal (vaginal) examinations?
  16. Can I take my placenta home?
  17. How do I register my baby’s birth?

Print entire guide

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Last updated:
23 March 2023

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We pay our respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors of this land, their spirits and their legacy. The foundations laid by these ancestors—our First Nations peoples—give strength, inspiration and courage to current and future generations towards creating a better Queensland.

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