Which phase is NOT part of the third stage of labor?

The third stage of labor is characterized by events that occur after the delivery of the neonate and involves the separation and expulsion of the placenta. The critical components of this stage include placental separation, where the placenta detaches from the uterine wall, and placental expulsion, the process in which the placenta is expelled from the uterus through the birth canal.

Prenatal separation, on the other hand, is not part of the third stage. This term generally refers to events or processes that occur before the onset of labor, specifically related to the detachment of the placenta from the uterine wall in a prenatal context. It does not involve the labor processes associated with delivering the placenta after the baby is born, which are intrinsic to the third stage of labor.

Delivery of the neonate, while crucial to the overall labor process, occurs in the second stage and does not pertain to the third stage, where the focus shifts to the placenta and its delivery.