How dilated and effaced were you when you went into labor?

[Spiffynoodles]

Just thought this might be an interesting thread for those who are nearing the end.

I'll start with my previous pregnancies:

With DD, I was 4cm dilated and 60% effaced at my last appointment, and labor started later that day.

With DS, I was 3.5cm dilated and 75% effaced at my last appointment and labor started that night.

 

[AK89]

Wow...this has made me even more pessimistic about my chances of going into labour any time soon! Midwife said she could only just fit a finger tip in this morning

 

[Spiffynoodles]

Wow...this has made me even more pessimistic about my chances of going into labour any time soon! Midwife said she could only just fit a finger tip in this morning

Oh no! That wasn't my intent. I know a lot of women go into labor WAY less dilated than I was, which is partly why I started this thread. I wanted to see what kind of range different women experienced in their labors. My best friend was only a fingertip dilated the morning she went into labor, so there's always hope. (I just happen to have a lot of contractions in my pregnancies that help me dilate really early, since I'm already about 2cm and 75% effaced this time around).

 

[AK89]

Aww I know that wasn't your intent Yeah everyone's different I s'pose..

Just out of interest, how do you always know how dilated you are on the day you go into labour??

 

[Spiffynoodles]

I just happened to have internal exams with my OB the day labor started both times! I'm sure the exam probably stirred things up a little, though I didn't actually have a sweep either time. But it was pretty cool to know how dilated I was when labor kicked off.

 

[kategirl]

I was induced on the evening of 7 days late, and I think I was 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced when I had my appointment a couple days before. I was 1 cm dilated and I think about 50% effaced from 36-39 weeks, then 2 cm and 75% effaced at my 40 week and 40.5 week appointments. (My OB did a sweep at my 40 week appointment and thought for sure it would kick things off since I was already a bit dilated and effaced, but nope.)

 

[Tigermom]

Wow...this has made me even more pessimistic about my chances of going into labour any time soon! Midwife said she could only just fit a finger tip in this morning

Oh, don't be sad, sweetie!!! Everyone is different! And you know what, most women don't follow any sort of normal pattern. Forget TV labors where you can walk around the office having your contractions that get systematically closer and closer together and get stronger and stronger. My midwife and my doctor told me very few women experience that. You can be 0 cm dilated and go into labor tonight. There's no rhyme or reason to why some women dilate super early and others almost never do. Sending you love and strong contractions to get that little bean out!

Just thought this might be an interesting thread for those who are nearing the end.

I'll start with my previous pregnancies:

With DD, I was 4cm dilated and 60% effaced at my last appointment, and labor started later that day.

With DS, I was 3.5cm dilated and 75% effaced at my last appointment and labor started that night.

As for me: With my son, my first contraction and second contraction were 5 minutes apart, and I headed to the hospital (as soon as the diarrhea from the contractions stopped) and I was 9cm. I don't remember how effaced I was but my water was about to break. I remember going in week or so prior being 2 cm but not sure on that exact timing. For some reason, that number is not in my head. Who knows how long I had been dilating up to that point though?!?!

Currently: I am 1.5 cm dilated as of this morning, 30-40% effaced, and the baby isn't floating, but he sure hasn't dropped. The midwife said somewhere in between.

I just happened to have internal exams with my OB the day labor started both times! I'm sure the exam probably stirred things up a little, though I didn't actually have a sweep either time. But it was pretty cool to know how dilated I was when labor kicked off.

I did have the sweep with my son, and two days later I delivered. I've heard that a ton of doctors swear by any internal exam leading to delivery, whether or not it is a sweep. I wouldn't doubt it helped get things moving!!

 

[CaptainMummy]

No idea! They had to break my ewaters and put me on the drip to start labour with dd1. I was 1cm when they started.

With dd2, I was 1cm when they gave me the gel and a sweep to try nd get me into labour.
40 minutes after contractions started, I was 5/6cm so no idea what I was when they started!

 

[Hoping4Four]

I was 2-3cm with my third baby over 24 hours after my waters broke and I still needed inducing to get things going.. My body seemed ready but just wasn't playing ball! And that was after 2 weeks of intense BH! You just never know with these naughty babies.

I'm already about 1cm now from what I can feel, but still very thick and long. I really hope I go into spontaneous labour this time like I did with my second.. That one was pretty much textbook.

 

[Spiffynoodles]

I'm already about 1cm now from what I can feel, but still very thick and long. I really hope I go into spontaneous labour this time like I did with my second.. That one was pretty much textbook.

Do you check your own cervix?

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

Wow...this has made me even more pessimistic about my chances of going into labour any time soon! Midwife said she could only just fit a finger tip in this morning

Me too! I was 1 cm last week and today she said I wasn't dilated at all! Is that even possible?! I was so devastated when she told me! I know it can change at any moment, but it still made me sad.

 

[Spiffynoodles]

Wow...this has made me even more pessimistic about my chances of going into labour any time soon! Midwife said she could only just fit a finger tip in this morning

Me too! I was 1 cm last week and today she said I wasn't dilated at all! Is that even possible?! I was so devastated when she told me! I know it can change at any moment, but it still made me sad.

I'm not a doctor, but I don't think the cervix "un-dilates"! Was it the same person who check both times? Maybe it was just harder to reach the second time, and so she couldn't get a good measurement? Seems weird to me!

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

Wow...this has made me even more pessimistic about my chances of going into labour any time soon! Midwife said she could only just fit a finger tip in this morning

Me too! I was 1 cm last week and today she said I wasn't dilated at all! Is that even possible?! I was so devastated when she told me! I know it can change at any moment, but it still made me sad.

I'm not a doctor, but I don't think the cervix "un-dilates"! Was it the same person who check both times? Maybe it was just harder to reach the second time, and so she couldn't get a good measurement? Seems weird to me!

No it was two different doctors. The first was a male and the second was a female. I don't see how a man's hand could feel 1 cm and a woman's hand could get nothing. She said that he must not have gone far enough, I can guarantee that it was just as painful and uncomfortable! I still don't get it!

 

[Lizziemm]

With my dd I was 2cm and fully engaged (not sure about effacement) from 40 weeks- had to be induced at 40+12 and was still only 2cm when I went in!
So far with this one at sweep at 40 weeks I was 4-5cm dilated, she said cervix is about half a centimetre long (not sure what % of effacement that is?) that was 5 days ago and I'm still waiting.... Have third sweep tomorrow so will find out if anythings changed!

 

[Tigermom]

I agree... I don't think that is possible, but I'm not an expert on that. I just asked my husband who is an MD and did an OBGYN rotation in residency, and he also said no, but this was his answer, "If anything, you might not have progressed since the last week, and at your first measurement, it may have been closer to a partial cm rather than a full cm, and the same went with this one?!?! So the person measuring might have just said 0cm since they couldn't get a full finger?!?!" I know that doesn't sound encouraging either, but remember that you can sit dilated for weeks and weeks with no progress and then go into full labor the next minute! You can also have 0 and go into labor... I promise

 

[Tigermom]

With my dd I was 2cm and fully engaged (not sure about effacement) from 40 weeks- had to be induced at 40+12 and was still only 2cm when I went in!
So far with this one at sweep at 40 weeks I was 4-5cm dilated, she said cervix is about half a centimetre long (not sure what % of effacement that is?) that was 5 days ago and I'm still waiting.... Have third sweep tomorrow so will find out if anythings changed!

I don't know what percentage that is either, but it sounds good! Sending you luck for some awesome changes!! Or that you don't even need that sweep... Come on, baby!!!

 

[Hoping4Four]

I'm already about 1cm now from what I can feel, but still very thick and long. I really hope I go into spontaneous labour this time like I did with my second.. That one was pretty much textbook.

Do you check your own cervix?

Yes, but not regularly. I was having a lot of crampy BH recently and was curious to see if they were having any effect! Thankfully not

 

[Spiffynoodles]

I'm already about 1cm now from what I can feel, but still very thick and long. I really hope I go into spontaneous labour this time like I did with my second.. That one was pretty much textbook.

Do you check your own cervix?

Yes, but not regularly. I was having a lot of crampy BH recently and was curious to see if they were having any effect! Thankfully not

I check mine as well because I have an Irritable Uterus and contract regularly all the time. It's nice to know what's going on down there! At my last appointment I was almost exactly as dilated and effaced as I'd guessed from my own check.

 

[JustRhi]

Can I ask, is this something the MW Checks. How dilated and effaced you are (I'm UK)
I have my 38 week appointment tomorrow. I'll be 38+4, and would love to be able to find out! X

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

I agree... I don't think that is possible, but I'm not an expert on that. I just asked my husband who is an MD and did an OBGYN rotation in residency, and he also said no, but this was his answer, "If anything, you might not have progressed since the last week, and at your first measurement, it may have been closer to a partial cm rather than a full cm, and the same went with this one?!?! So the person measuring might have just said 0cm since they couldn't get a full finger?!?!" I know that doesn't sound encouraging either, but remember that you can sit dilated for weeks and weeks with no progress and then go into full labor the next minute! You can also have 0 and go into labor... I promise

Well it's good to know that I can't go backwards, it sucked hearing something less the a week later. And yeah, I know that I could go from nothing to something without notice, but I feel like I'm not going anywhere and last week hearing I was 1cm gave me a sense of hope that my body was at least progressing whether I felt it or not. Now I feel like I'm going nowhere, and that's how it will continue to go.