Curious dilated question..

[xloulabellex]

So..

Can anyone dialate MORE than 10cms.. or does it just stop there?

WHY does it just stop there?

Or does it go more.. but at 10cms they want the baby out so it doesn't cause infection?

Because obviousyl every baby is different weight/size.. every mum is different weight/size/figure.. so why is everyone meant to get to 10cms dilated before they push?

Dan asked me last night.. and I could honestly say, I didn't know...

 

[Ashlee B x]

Because 10cm's is the size your cervix will stretch to and about the opening of your plevis and usually about the size of a babys head.

So im guessing, as you cannot dilate more than 10cms lol

x

 

[GingerNut]

I looked this up before because it seemed so off that everyone would be the same! I'll try and explain it - but it's not actually 10cm as such, that's more or less an imaginary figure.

Midwives measure using the width of their fingers, because clearly you can't get a measuring tape up there. So each midwife has to learn the size of her own fingers - for me, I'd say 1 finger wouls be 1cm, 2 fingers would be 2-3 (I've big hands!), 3 fingers would be 4cm, 4 fingers would be 5cm.

Obviously at that stage they run out of fingers, and they're not going to stick another hand up there (thankfully!). So once you're as dilated as they can measure with one hand, they start measuring the lip or cervix that's left, instead of the hole, if you see what I mean. So if they measure the remaining lip as 3cm, they'll say you're 7cm dilated (even though the hole might not actually be 7cm). It's more or less just an approximation.

The aim of it all, anyway, is that you have to end up fully dilated - there can't be any cervix left in the way when you push because it can slow things down and cause problems. So whether you end up 9cm or 15cm, they'll call it 10cm, when what they actually mean is 'you're as dilated as you can get, now start pushing!'.

Does that make sense? I'm really not sure I'm explaining it very well!

 

[xloulabellex]

I looked this up before because it seemed so off that everyone would be the same! I'll try and explain it - but it's not actually 10cm as such, that's more or less an imaginary figure.

Midwives measure using the width of their fingers, because clearly you can't get a measuring tape up there. So each midwife has to learn the size of her own fingers - for me, I'd say 1 finger wouls be 1cm, 2 fingers would be 2-3 (I've big hands!), 3 fingers would be 4cm, 4 fingers would be 5cm.

Obviously at that stage they run out of fingers, and they're not going to stick another hand up there (thankfully!). So once you're as dilated as they can measure with one hand, they start measuring the lip or cervix that's left, instead of the hole, if you see what I mean. So if they measure the remaining lip as 3cm, they'll say you're 7cm dilated (even though the hole might not actually be 7cm). It's more or less just an approximation.

The aim of it all, anyway, is that you have to end up fully dilated - there can't be any cervix left in the way when you push because it can slow things down and cause problems. So whether you end up 9cm or 15cm, they'll call it 10cm, when what they actually mean is 'you're as dilated as you can get, now start pushing!'.

Does that make sense? I'm really not sure I'm explaining it very well!

Ahh okay, yeh I think so!! Thanks! I shall forward this page to OH for him to read since he wanted to know haha!

cheers

 

[Ashlee B x]

Made perfect sense to me x

 

[Mrs HM]

I looked this up before because it seemed so off that everyone would be the same! I'll try and explain it - but it's not actually 10cm as such, that's more or less an imaginary figure.

Midwives measure using the width of their fingers, because clearly you can't get a measuring tape up there. So each midwife has to learn the size of her own fingers - for me, I'd say 1 finger wouls be 1cm, 2 fingers would be 2-3 (I've big hands!), 3 fingers would be 4cm, 4 fingers would be 5cm.

Obviously at that stage they run out of fingers, and they're not going to stick another hand up there (thankfully!). So once you're as dilated as they can measure with one hand, they start measuring the lip or cervix that's left, instead of the hole, if you see what I mean. So if they measure the remaining lip as 3cm, they'll say you're 7cm dilated (even though the hole might not actually be 7cm). It's more or less just an approximation.

The aim of it all, anyway, is that you have to end up fully dilated - there can't be any cervix left in the way when you push because it can slow things down and cause problems. So whether you end up 9cm or 15cm, they'll call it 10cm, when what they actually mean is 'you're as dilated as you can get, now start pushing!'.

Does that make sense? I'm really not sure I'm explaining it very well!

Thanks for that!

 

[mrsthomas623]

I looked this up before because it seemed so off that everyone would be the same! I'll try and explain it - but it's not actually 10cm as such, that's more or less an imaginary figure.

Midwives measure using the width of their fingers, because clearly you can't get a measuring tape up there. So each midwife has to learn the size of her own fingers - for me, I'd say 1 finger wouls be 1cm, 2 fingers would be 2-3 (I've big hands!), 3 fingers would be 4cm, 4 fingers would be 5cm.

Obviously at that stage they run out of fingers, and they're not going to stick another hand up there (thankfully!). So once you're as dilated as they can measure with one hand, they start measuring the lip or cervix that's left, instead of the hole, if you see what I mean. So if they measure the remaining lip as 3cm, they'll say you're 7cm dilated (even though the hole might not actually be 7cm). It's more or less just an approximation.

The aim of it all, anyway, is that you have to end up fully dilated - there can't be any cervix left in the way when you push because it can slow things down and cause problems. So whether you end up 9cm or 15cm, they'll call it 10cm, when what they actually mean is 'you're as dilated as you can get, now start pushing!'.

Does that make sense? I'm really not sure I'm explaining it very well!

I always wondered how they figured it out!

 

[gills8752]

Lol I'd love to know exactly how wide it gets though - and then promptly forget again!

 

[Kristabella]

The comparison I've read is it dilates to the size of a round Dairlyea box - wince!

 

[gills8752]

Dairylea....eeeck! Thats a scary thought! I mean we all know its gonna get big up there - just the thought of how big!! Maybe better to not quantify it! hahaa

 

[diverdi]

I looked this up before because it seemed so off that everyone would be the same! I'll try and explain it - but it's not actually 10cm as such, that's more or less an imaginary figure.

Midwives measure using the width of their fingers, because clearly you can't get a measuring tape up there. So each midwife has to learn the size of her own fingers - for me, I'd say 1 finger wouls be 1cm, 2 fingers would be 2-3 (I've big hands!), 3 fingers would be 4cm, 4 fingers would be 5cm.

Obviously at that stage they run out of fingers, and they're not going to stick another hand up there (thankfully!). So once you're as dilated as they can measure with one hand, they start measuring the lip or cervix that's left, instead of the hole, if you see what I mean. So if they measure the remaining lip as 3cm, they'll say you're 7cm dilated (even though the hole might not actually be 7cm). It's more or less just an approximation.

The aim of it all, anyway, is that you have to end up fully dilated - there can't be any cervix left in the way when you push because it can slow things down and cause problems. So whether you end up 9cm or 15cm, they'll call it 10cm, when what they actually mean is 'you're as dilated as you can get, now start pushing!'.

Does that make sense? I'm really not sure I'm explaining it very well!

I didn't know all of this but knew 10cm is the point where they can't feel any remaining lip of cervix around the baby's head