# How do midwives know how dilated you are??



## stacey03

So am wondering how these midwives know how dilated you are by simply putting fingers up there?? any one???


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## Mummy_Claire

They can feel the size of your hole in your cervix and they are trained to recognise the size.
So as an example, if they can fit one finger in, then thats 1cm dialated, if the hole is the size of an apple then thats about 5cm ect...


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## pachamama92

Thanks, I always wondered this too!


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## LostAndAlone

i think 1 finger is 2 cm and so on, i could be wrong lol


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## LouLou78

One of my fingers is 1cm, 2 fingers on top of each other is 2cm, 2 fingers side by side is 3 for example. It comes with experience and in the early days you can compare with a pocket visual aid and your mentors findings. Certainly something that comes with practice :)


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## NaturalMomma

By doing a phsyical examination, and some can tell by the behavior of the mom. For example, once you get dialated to a certain point your labor gets more intense and you can see visiual cues of that.


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## steph.

I was taught this but was never very good at it. They said they spread their middle and index fingers apart, and see how far away from each other they are.


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