After months of anticipation and the rigors of labor and delivery, your attention shifts to caring for your new baby — but you also need to take care of yourself. Postpartum care might involve managing vaginal tears or a C-section wound, sore breasts, leaking milk, urination problems, and hair loss.

And postpartum care isn’t limited to your physical health.

Every woman’s labor and delivery experience is unique. Still, understanding what’s typical can help you know what to expect as your due date approaches.

Labor and delivery generally follows a pattern — the cervix softening and opening; the amniotic sac rupturing; the contractions getting stronger and closer together. Sometimes, however, labor and delivery takes surprising twists and turns.