How do they measure your dilation?!

[MumofLewis]

I was just thinking, how do they measure how much your cervix has dilated? I've never really thought about it before?

[Lisa]

They do and internal examination and can tell from there.

[Lucy]

Hate to put too fine a point on it, but my OB that I had with Olivia explained to me it was how many finger widths he could fit comfortably multiplied, by 2.

Afterwards I explained to him that I wouldn't exactly have called it comfortable quite frankly.

[MumofLewis]

Thanks, I was wondering if they relied on their fingers and thought it couldn't be that accutrate!

[Alan]

Hi Sarah
We use the first and second finger put one at one side of the open cervix and one at the other. Then its a bit of a educated guess as to how far your fingers are apart

[Lucy]

Makes me wince thinking about it. Worse bit of labour and child-birth for me, that internal examination..........(although they didn't get the chance to do it when I was in labour with Lexie.......if they had, they would have met her coming the other way!)

[pansy]

Yeah thank God I had a female OB. I remember looking at her hands a few days after delivery and thinking wow Im glad I had a woman and not a man doing that...::

[Percy]

Really? I didn't find it uncomfortable at all. Contractions and pushing were far worse imho!!!

[Lilly-Pilly]

I only had one internal when i was in labour and i was 9cm dilated. I can't even remember it at all!

[BellyBelly]

An experienced midwife who has been with you continuously throughout labour can often tell just by looking at you, observing, hearing your sounds and other signs. But in this day and age when carers are not with you continuously, they do an internal to tell quicker and easier. You can of course refuse them if you do not want them.

[Cynthaz]

I won't be having one this time around. I had just the one with my DS and the pain of having to lie down so she could do the internal was so not worth it.

I figure the baby will come whether or not we know exactly how far I'm dilated so why have the extra pain!