Hi MM
It would be quite unusual to be able to fit 2 fingers into a cervix that is still 1 cm long. Are you sure that you are feeling the right thing?
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Hi MM
It would be quite unusual to be able to fit 2 fingers into a cervix that is still 1 cm long. Are you sure that you are feeling the right thing?
I didn't have any internals so I have no real idea how many cms I was at any point... however I left for the birth centre when I was bearing down with each contraction and felt I needed to be in the care of my doula and midwife to make sure I was supposed to be pushing (ie. baby not posterior). I pushed out the membranes (sac remained intact) about an hour after arriving there so based on 1cm dilation per hour we estimate I arrived at about 9cm dilated.
Alan,
How many cm dilated would you be if you could fit in your index finger and middle finger? I remember being able to do this but still feeling my cervix length to be about 1cm thick. Is this unusual?
From everyone else's descriptions of the cervix, I am 99% sure that i am feeling he right thing - kind of like a mound towards the back ... I know where and how my cervix feels when not pregnant (long and pointing downwards and towards the front). But tonight, I felt what kind of felt like a rubber band on top of the "mound". And to be honest, I couldn't find anything else "protruding" amongst all of the softness ...
How willing would a doctor or midwife be to do an internal exam at 30 weeks? (I have an appointment next week).
Hi Mel
That is a little hard to answer, it would depend on the width of your fingers but I would say around3-4cm. However MM said that she could fit 2 fingers in with room to spare this suggests to me that she would be a good 5cm which would be more than what I would expect. There are other things to consider here. A soft cervix is quite easy to stretch so a cervix that is dilated to 3 cm can comfortably be stretched to 5cm. Also when measuring dilation it is only an estimation so what is 4cm for 1 person could be 5cm for another person or 3cm for someone else
MM
I am sure that they would check if you asked them to
Thanks for that Alan.
You might be able to answer another question for me. My cousins wife gave birth on sunday after 28 hours of established labour due to inadequate dilation. Aparantly she would only dilate to 9.5cm. Now I immediately thought, 5mm doesn't seem like much. How would they know she was only 9.5cm and not 10cm??? Is there a definate way of knowing when you are 10cm, IYKWIM?
The only way to say for sure that she was 9.5cm would be to use a tape measure but I’m sure that mum would not be happy with that. It is often difficult to tell a mum who has been in pain for many hours that she is now 5cm dilated just to see the disappointment on her face. What I suspect they have done by saying 9.5cm is letting mum know that all the hard work she has done was not for nothing.
Thanks Alan
My concern is that I had threatened labour at 29 weeks with bub #3 (I had some bleeding and contractions) and then went into labour just before 36 weeks. I was 3-4cm dilated upon admission, which a couple of days later was 5cm and by the end of the week was estimated 5-6cm, so they scheduled an induction to augment labour.
This time around, I haven't had any bleeding (but have vehemently avoided sex too, just to be on the safe side :lol:) but have had that weird experience last week. And although the discharge has subsided, the bh's haven't.
I guess these are all concerns i need to bring up with my doctor - I know it's hard / impossible to predict when labour is going to happen, but I have always felt that I would go early again this time (I have felt it with my 2nd and 3rd, and went early both times).
MM
Talk to your midwife/doctor next time you see them. Tell them of your concerns. If your cervix is starting to dilate they can put a stitch into your cervix to help stop it from dilating. Also if you are having contractions they can give you medication to help stop them.
This is such a crazy thing, so subjective and so different for every woman.
You know I have usually noticed fairly clear signposts in the mum's I've supported that I felt gave me a pretty good idea of how far they were and usually they've been pretty right.
But I had a birth on Sunday night that just blew all that out of the water :lol:
Mum's first baby, she went into labour at 42w and it started pretty hard and fast - minute long contractions that were only 3 minutes apart, pretty much from the get go. I get to her and she is barely flinching through these contractions and doesn't even believe she's in labour. We get to the hospital and she's happily standing there talking to the midwife, still not really bothered at all. They do an exam because these contrax are so long and close...and she is 8cm - been in labour not 2 hours and I know that the day before she was only 1cm because I went to the hospital with her for monitoring. Literally 5 minutes later she wanted to push and she was complete.
It was mad, how those external signposts just weren't really there! And how she dilated that fast and hardly had any pain at all, she said today when I spoke to her that it just felt like "a bit of a period" :lol:
Now thats the sort of labour that everyone should have. Apart from the missing signposts
9.5cm sounds to me like they wanted her to know she had dilated almost completely. Was she at 9.5cm for 28 hours? It is actually VERY common for labour to "stall" (or rather slow down a good bit and/or seem to stop progressing) near full dilation. The mother rests, the baby turns and begins to descend and dilation completes and the pushing begins. Shiela Kitzinger refers to this as the "rest and be thankful" stage of labour. In hospital failure to wait out the 1-4 hour break in late 1st stage labour leads to alot of c-sections. Sometimes they augment with sintocin which often merely serves to distress the baby, which then necessitates the section. In terms of nature too, the woman is at her MOST vulnerable when pushing. The end of dilation is most easily stalled by fear because once you're pushing your ability to run from danger is disabled, thus a woman who is scared will often cease dilating for a while at this point until she is feeling a bit better (often just the rest from dilation and the slowing of contractions or the slowing of the progression of intensity in the contractions can help with this).
The whole 10cm thing is very arbitrary anyway. If you think about the circumference of a baby's head, and the formulae for a circle...i know neither heads nor cervixes are completely round, but we DO use the measure of diameter (3cm/10cm etc.) to estimate dilations and we DO measure the circumference of our newborns' heads at birth. The formula for circumference is C=pi d, where C is the circumference and d is the diameter (which would be how many cms dilated you are).
If the cervix is dilated to a circle 10cm across that gives room for a head with a circumference of 31.42cm. For a baby with a 35cm head the diameter of the cervix would have to be 11.14cm. For a 38cm head the cervix would have to be open to 12.1cm.
So 10cm is probably NOT "complete" for most women, more like 11cm is, since most newborns have a head 33-36cm at birth. I really reackon (Alan you can correct me if i'm wrong) that once the cervix is very wide open the head is bulging down through it anyway, and basically "complete", rather than being truly a measurement of dilation, is more the identifying of the fact that there is no cervix to be felt and that it has been taken up to the point is has become "one" with the vaginal and uterine walls, meaning there is nothing between the two and the baby can descend.
Bx
How rude of her not to show me what was going on! :lol::
It was such a wonderful lesson though - and a reality check for me. Just when you think you have it sussed a bubba and mumma come along that make you rip up what you think you know and start all over again...but I guess you'd know all about that Alan :)
Hi MM, Can I suggest that you use a little caution when it comes to checking your own cervix. I'm all for knowing your own body and I think it's great for women to feel their own cervix, but knowing you have a history of premature labour, I think the less that people have their fingers in there the better, iykwim? :)
Good point Samantha
Wow, how cool is this thread!! I sooooooo can't wait for the next so I can try this out!! What's the bet I can't find this thread in another 10 months (fingers crossed anyway) huh!
Meh, I tried but it all feels like mush to me!!! Hm, will gently keep trying- or leave it to the experts!
I tried last night after finding this thread and had no idea what i was feeling, might try again in a week to see if I can feel changes... unless something happens before then!! :crossfingers:
Bumping with a question...(or maybe just asking for some encouragement)
I'll be 40 weeks this weekend, last week my cervix was posterior and closed and hard (I had a feel too so I would know it felt like). Then yesterday, following the tips in this thread, my cervix seemed further forward, and I could feel the rim open a bit on my finger. This morning it has moved a bit more, seemed a bit softer, and I can easily fit my finger in!:dance: How far would this make me? I think my finger is about 1-1.5cm...
My 'period pain' has stepped up a notch, but nothing regular. Send some labour vibes my way! I really don't want to go two weeks overdue!
If you can get a finger in you're about 1cm, BUT the inner about outer parts of the cervix can dilate at different rates, so if you can put a finger in and feel the membranes then you're a 1, if you can get your finger in but not feel bubs you might still be closed inside.
Effacement plays a big part in dilating for that reason, the thinner the cervix gets the more the inner and outer openings match up, kwim? It's hard to judge effacement unless you touched your cervix a lot before, but you can guesstimate by how much fingertip is inside the cervix when you've inserted it as far as it'll go. The whole fingertip to the first knuckle would be about 2cm, so you'd be about 50% effaced, the bottom of the fingernail would be about 1cm, so you'd be about 75% effaced.
I was 1-2cm dilated and 50% effaced at 40 weeks and went to 41+4! I'm sending the good vibes your way, but if you PLAN to be 14days overdue, you can only be happily surprised :)
Bx
Hmm. I didn't think of that. I didn't try to put my finger in...I was too scared!
I'm just so excited that my cervix is doing anything.:D
Thanks for bumping this. I read this earlier in preg but now I am a lot closer, I should familiarise this more. Something I found interesting, I could feel cervix quite easily earlier on and in pre preg, but it is almost out of reach. Also I have prolaps prob and thought by know would be easily reached.
Just a few thoughts
I decided to go back for another look.;) And now I can't find my cervix at all! All I could feel was this gelatinous blob.:doh:
Gabi, it's all very interesting in there during the late stages of pregnancy isn't. I was wondering after reading the part about your gelatinous blob, could you not feel any cervical lips at all?
No I couldn't find it. Could it have moved back up again?:
i had a feel last night , my cervix is still quite a way back but i can reach it, over the last few days it has become very squishy and has thinned a little.
I can get 2 fingers in. If i had longer arms im sure i could fit more fingers in as there is plenty of room to move.
Ah well i just keep on getting braxton hicks hopefully i'll go soon.:pray:
Gabi, it's hard to say. I could have, but I could have moved around for a few reasons I'm guessing. Like movement of baby further down birth canal, movements in bowels, and also of course the approaching labour.
I wouldn't worry about anything though. The fact that you have noticed some change over time is a great sign for you that things are beginning to get ready for labour.
Good luck, it's amazing to feel the changes in your cervix, fingers crossed it all happens soon for you, I'm sure it will. You'll love the whole journey.
Ok, I have a question. For those that have tried this, which position were you in when you did the check? May be TMI
Were you....
on the loo
squatting
in the shower
standing with one leg up
laying half sitting.
I am just trying to find out which is the best pos. to be able to assess.
Also when did you start, is it too early for me, should I wait till 38wks?
Thanks
Wow very interesting I had a scan today and they measured my cervix and it was 1.6cm so a bit short I have had pains and it did happen me before with my last pregnancy I had an internal then and was 80% effaced and 2cm had steroids and I was induced because of GD at 38 weeks and it was so quick so im hoping thats what will happen this time just wondering will they do the same this time and give me steroids again
Alan are you there what do you think Ild be afraid to have a feel my self actually dont think i could reach any way LOL
Rose,
The best position for me was squatting in the shower. I only did it is the shower as I would scrub both hands and well yes 'there' before doing so.
I started to feel when I was around 36/37ish weeks I think, can't remember exactly.
This is a little late since your post, have you had a feel yet? Or is it even too late, lol ;)
Hi Niamh
The steroids they gave you are to ensure that your baby's lungs are fully developed. This is usually done if there is a suspicion that your baby may be born early. (usually before 38 weeks). Your short cervix is one indication that there is a chance that your baby could come early so I would not be surprised if they offered you the injection again.
Normally there is quite a lot of moisture in your lungs but your body produces a hormone called surfactant that stops the lungs from sticking together like a wet plastic bag does. The main problem with the lungs of a baby that is born prior to 37 weeks is that there is very little production of this hormone and thus the lungs often do stick together. The injection helps with the production of this hormone and thus helps to prevent this problem
Ok after reading this I just went and had a feel around... all I can feel is mush LOL. I felt around everywhere.:wall:
I have an OB appointment this friday, I have a feeling he wont do it just because I ask because he dosnt do things like S&S at all etc.
hi, im 35 weeks pregnant, last night i felt alot of pressure down below so i had a feel around in the shower and about an inch in i thought i felt my cervix.this is my first pregnancy so i have no idea what i was feeling. My husband called the hospital they said it shouldnt be my cervix to come down and they'll have a look. i wasn't worried but wanted to know what it was. It felt like a shape of a head.It ended up being my baby's head.which means the baby's head is fully engaged but i cant believe i can feel it only just inside my body.i didnt have a internal the midwife just had a feel around i think the cervix is further back and it is fully closed. as the midwife felt the head she had pushed it away and it moved slightly up again.
Hi Mel, thanks for replying. Tried in the shower today and sitting reclined and it is just out of reach. I am assuming the closer I get to due date/having bubs, I will be able to reach. I know there are sometimes I can feel something like the cervix but most time nothing. Thanks for this thread everyone.
I can now just reach the opening but feels pretty much closed and thick. Could this mean I have a week or it could change in hours.
I know.......no one can predict my baby's birthday.
Rose, you hit the nail on the head. It could change in a matter of hours, especially being your 4th, or it could take a few days. But it's a great sign that you can now feel it, that must be exciting.....
Best of luck, I'll be backing it will be very soon....... :)
Thanks mel for the reasurence. It is very encouraging that a week ago I could not touch and now I can.
Thanks
I bet it's very exciting and encouraging. Do let us know how you go Rose, sending you all the labour vibes I can round up. As laughable as it might sound, but do try to rest these last few moments/hours/days before bubs arrive. Well at least I hope that made you laugh more than anything, lol ;)
What an interesting thread.
As a woman who has always been "in touch" with my body (and an ex-biology student) it amazes me to discover that the cervix will change shape and position so much that I might not be able to find it. I had no idea this happens in pregnancy. It's good to know (I don't want to panic and think I've lost my cervix! :cryinglaugh:)
This reminds me of years ago when I felt a little lump on my cervix and I went to a local GP who told me "no you won't have felt a lump on your cervix, you must be talking about your labia because the cervix is inside your vagina." At which point I went bright red and had to tell her that I was certain it was my cervix and just take my word for it :redface:. Stupid GP! Later she admitted I was right and she said "most women I see are elderly and they aren't very familiar with their bodies." God, it was embarrassing.