Prolonged Labor

Prolonged labor, also called failure to progress, is the inability of a woman to proceed with childbirth within an expected time after going into labor. It typically lasts over 20 hours for first-time mothers and over 14 hours for women who have already had children, and can occur during either the latent or the active phase of labor. A prolonged latent phase can be emotionally tiring and cause fatigue but typically does not lead to further problems, while a prolonged active phase can result in long-term complications.