Record and survey studies, 2015 – 2019
When early labour takes a long time
Karin’s PhD research looked at how common a long early phase of labour is, how women experience it and the care they get, and what care they want. Here is what the studies found, and where the evidence ends.
Karin ÄngebyRegion Värmland and Karlstad UniversityMore about Karin - of births had an early phase of 18 hours or more
- 23%of births had an early phase of 18 hours or more
- of first-time mothers
- 29%of first-time mothers
- birth records reviewed
- 1,343birth records reviewed
What the study asked
How common is a long early phase of labour (the latent phase), and how do women experience it and the care they get? Karin also tested a questionnaire that measures women’s experience of early labour, and asked first-time mothers what care they want when early labour is long.
How it was done
Birth records of 1,343 births and questionnaires answered by about 750 women at one hospital in western Sweden, and interviews with 16 first-time mothers. The latent phase was counted as prolonged when it lasted 18 hours or more, using the time each woman herself said labour started.
What the research found
A long early phase is more common than previously thought when women’s own account of when labour started is used. It happened in almost one in four births (23%), and in 29% of first-time mothers. Earlier research had reported 5 to 6.5%.
Women with a long early phase were more likely to have interventions, such as having their waters broken or labour sped up, and more often had an emergency caesarean.
For first-time mothers, a long early phase was also linked to more assisted births, where the baby is helped out with a ventouse (vacuum cup) or forceps.
Women with a long early phase rated their care lower and their birth experience more negatively. This was clearest for first-time mothers, who rated six of ten areas of care lower, against one of ten for women who had given birth before.
Women who were unhappy with their phone call to the maternity unit, or with not being admitted in early labour, felt more distress and rated their care lower. First-time mothers with a long early phase wanted a welcoming midwife, care adapted to them, and information that prepared them, and their need for support grew the longer it lasted.
The questionnaire worked well for measuring how women experience early labour, and can be used to evaluate early labour care.
What it can mean for you
If early labour feels long, you are not alone, and it is common. How you are listened to and supported in early labour can influence how you experience your birth. It is fine to call your maternity unit with questions.
Where the evidence ends
These studies describe patterns and links. They do not show cause and effect. They come from one hospital in Swedish maternity care, and results may differ elsewhere. When labour started was based on what each woman reported.
About the researcher
- Name
- Karin Ängeby
- Role
- Midwife, PhD
- Affiliation
- Region Värmland and Karlstad University
- Field
- Early labour and digital support for first-time parents
How this connects to Omaia
Karin’s published studies were not about Omaia, and their results say nothing about Omaia’s effect. We share them because they show the knowledge the research group brings to the planned Triple Helix programme.
- Omaia did not fund, design or run these studies.
- Karin owns the findings and approves how we describe them.
- Omaia’s own evaluation is the planned Triple Helix programme.
Source and citation
Main paper
Midwifery, 9 July 2019
Women’s labour experiences and quality of care in relation to a prolonged latent phase of labour
Karin Ängeby, Ann-Kristin Sandin-Bojö, Mona Persenius, Bodil Wilde-Larsson
Ängeby K, Sandin-Bojö A, Persenius M, Wilde-Larsson B. Women’s labour experiences and quality of care in relation to a prolonged latent phase of labour. Midwifery 2019;77:155–164. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2019.07.006
- Type of evidence
- Record review, survey, questionnaire testing and interview study, PhD thesis
- Evidence level
- Emerging
- Thesis
- Prolonged latent phase of labour. Karlstad University, 2018
- Reviewed by researcher
- October 2026
- Language
- English
- PubMed
- Open in PubMed
Also based on
Other papers from the same research, read together with the one above.
Early Labour Experience Questionnaire: psychometric testing and women’s experiences in a Swedish setting
Ängeby K, Sandin-Bojö AK, Persenius M, Wilde-Larsson B. Midwifery 2018;64:77–84.
Prevalence of prolonged latent phase and labor outcomes: review of birth records in a Swedish population
Ängeby K, Wilde-Larsson B, Hildingsson I, Sandin-Bojö AK. J Midwifery Womens Health 2018;63(1):33–44.
Primiparous women’s preferences for care during a prolonged latent phase of labour
Ängeby K, Wilde-Larsson B, Hildingsson I, Sandin-Bojö AK. Sex Reprod Healthc 2015;6(3):145–150.
Prolonged latent phase of labour (PhD thesis)
Ängeby K. Karlstad University, December 2018.
This page describes the papers above in our own words. Omaia is a non-medical wellbeing service. It makes no diagnosis, gives no treatment, and does not replace contact with a midwife or doctor. Research to Knowledge is approved by the researchers before publication.