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Labor Length

Find out how long your labor should last depending on if this is your first baby or not.

If this is your first baby, you may have heard that you'll be in labor longer than with your next baby. It's actually true. First labors tend to last longer than other labors. On average, a first labor takes 12-24 hours, and subsequent labors last somewhere in the neighborhood of half as long as your first labor. That's not true for everyone, though, so don't be surprised if your second labor is as long as or longer than your first!

Originally published in You & Your Baby: Pregnancy.

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