3 Stages of labor. There are three distinct stages of labor, and the final one isn't actually the arrival of your baby, but instead the delivering of the placenta and membranes. The first stage of labor. The first stage of labor consists of three phases called Latent phase, active labor phase and the transitional Phase. The second stage of labor. The second stage of labor is when your baby makes their entrance into the world. You’ll be 'fully dilated', in other words, your cervix would have comp