Is this labor? This is one of the most common questions doulas receive from our clients. From Braxton-hicks to spotting to irregular contractions, how labor may begin is as varied as the person having a baby. Yet, understanding the overall labor process and the stages of labor can help growing families assess where they may be in the overall labor process. While early labor is often the longest part of labor, it is also where contractions are further apart, shorter, and less painful. This stage often results in the question, “Is this labor?” Active labor is where things start to happen. Contractions are coming closer together, are more predictable, last…