What are the stages of childbirth and their order?

The typical stages of childbirth taught in many programs are:

First: dilation (also called the latent and active phases of labor, where the cervix dilates) Then: expulsion (often called the second stage — pushing and delivery of the baby) Next: placental (delivery of the placenta; sometimes called the third stage) Last: recovery (also called the fourth stage — immediate postpartum monitoring and recovery)

So the sequence is: dilation → expulsion (baby delivery) → placental → recovery.