The Second Stage of Labor Is Not a Stopwatch

What AJOG’s Expert Review by Wayne R. Cohen actually says about duration, descent, and danger

The second stage of labor begins at complete cervical dilation and ends with delivery. For more than half a century, obstetrics has treated its duration as the dominant marker of safety, progress, and failure. In March 2024, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published an Expert Review titled “The Second Stage of Labor” by Wayne R. Cohen…