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Hi Chris and other interested list members I've been following this discussion with interest. It seems that another relevant issue is likely to be how labour duration is measured, in particular what the start point is considered to be ( the end point being fairly clear!) This may be something that has shifted over time. For example, there are new developments which aim to differentiate between 'active' and 'latent' phases of labour (the All Wales Clinical Pathway for Normal Labour that I have recently been researching is one of these). If labour is not considered to have started until a woman is in active labour ( as defined by her attendants), this will clearly impact on the length of labour that is officially recorded (though this may not necessarily reflect the length of labour as experienced by the woman herself!) This issue could be compounded in units where women are encouraged to stay at home until they are in established (active) labour, so that the experiences of the woman prior to admission become invisible. This would seem to have all sorts of implications for labour duration norms - and also for the experiences of women. (I am also interested in how it may affect the work of midwives - so that only caring women in active labour is seen as 'real work') Billie Billie Hunter Professor of Midwifery Centre for Midwifery and Gender Studies School of Health Science Floor 2, Vivian Tower University of Wales Swansea Swansea SA2 8PP 01792 518584 email: [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health research. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chris McCourt Sent: 12 February 2007 17:05 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: length of labour dear all I'm interested to know whether there is any written or research evidence on whether norms of the length of labour have changed in the recent past. I'm aware of the impact of Friedmans work on practices in labour wards, but am wondering whether there is anything to suggest further trends in what is seen as a 'normal' length of labour (and by association, whether this could be related, in either direction, to rising intervention rates) all ideas on relevant evidence sources, or personal/professional observations welcome Chris