heir we go
This is how long the Duchess of Cambridge will likely be in labour for – and it’s shorter than you think
THE Duchess of Cambridge has gone into labour - and it could all be over by lunchtime.
The 36-year-old is expected to welcome her third child at the private Lindo wing, at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, where she gave birth to Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
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A mum-to-be's labour time is likely to be much shorter when it's not her first baby.
According to , for first-time mums, the active first stage of labour (where the cervix dilates from 4cm to 10cm), lasts an average of eight hours, and is unlikely to last longer than 18 hours.
For women who have had a baby before, the average time in labour is five hours, and it's unlikely to last longer than 12 hours.
Their pushing stage is likely to take less than two hours, compared with three hours for first-time mums.
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Milli Hill, author of The Positive Birth Book and birth expert at The Baby Show, said: "Sometimes second or third babies can come quick!
"It’s a good idea to mentally prepare for a quick labour, and prepare on a practical level - for example, by prepping your partner on what they may need to do if this happens."
She added: "If you had fairly straightforward and smooth running labours with your first two, this doesn’t necessarily mean that everything will be plain sailing with baby number three.
"Some people call the third baby the ‘Wild Card’ as it can sometimes bring unexpected surprises! Likewise if you had difficult first and second births, you might have a really positive experience with this baby - as your body (and mind) are now really well prepared for labour."
Kensington Palace announced at around 8:30am that The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London this morning in the early stages of labour.
She travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo wing with The Duke of Cambridge.
If it all goes smoothly, George and Charlotte's younger sibling could be born by 1pm.
Liz Halliday of , the UK’s leading provider of private midwifery services, said: "Kate has a history of normal births and we have no reason to suspect that this labour will be any different.
"She will have prepared herself for all eventualities and has a great team around her for support. It’s impossible to predict the length of any labour; each birth is unique, and midwives will often say the first babies take a while, second babies come quickly and third babies are unpredictable. Only time will tell!"
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Live video from Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital as Duchess of Cambridge is admitted ahead of birth of third child