Dilation happens when you go into labor, and often begins even before labor starts. During pregnancy, your cervix is fully closed to protect your developing baby. When your baby is ready to begin the journey through the birth canal, your cervix dilates from fully closed to 10 centimeters. This process can take hours, days, or even weeks. But once you hit active labor — about 6 cm dilated — it's usually just a matter of hours before you reach full dilation.
Effacement is when the cervix shortens, becoming softer and thinner in preparation for your baby's birth. During pregnancy, your cervix is about 3. As your body gets ready for labor and once labor begins, your cervix gradually thins out until it's like a sheet of paper. Providers describe effacement as a percentage, from 0 to percent. When your cervix is fully thinned, you're percent effaced.
Effacement happens hand-in-hand with dilation, although effacement may begin first. As with dilation, it can take weeks, days, or hours to reach full effacement.
Once your cervix is percent effaced and 10 cm dilated, you're ready to start pushing your baby out into the world. Everyone is different. If this is your first pregnancy, your cervix may not start to dilate and efface until you go into labor and contractions begin. Or it may start to efface, but not dilate.
Or, your cervix may start to efface and dilate gradually over several days or weeks toward the end of your pregnancy as your body prepares for labor. During labor, and sometimes before, your doctor or midwife may check your cervix to see how much it has effaced and dilated.
He or she will do this using his or her fingers, and wearing sterile gloves. Once your cervix has started to dilate and efface, labor is approaching. However, if you are just 1 to 2 centimeters dilated, or below 50 percent effaced, it could still be days or weeks before labor actually starts.
To know when it's time to head to the hospital or birth center, you'll need to watch out for other signs of labor. You may not feel anything when your cervix first starts to efface and dilate, especially if the process begins before you go into labor.
As labor approaches, cervical effacement may be accompanied by pre-labor symptoms such as:. Once labor is fully underway and your cervix moves toward full effacement and dilation, you'll experience accompanying labor symptoms such as regular, more intense contractions.
Your water will "break" if the amniotic sac that surrounds your baby ruptures. When your cervix is 1 cm dilated, it means your body is preparing for labor, or is in the very early stages of labor. It's impossible to know how quickly your cervix will dilate further. It could be a matter of hours. But it could also take a few days, or even weeks. As with 1 cm dilated, being 2 cm dilated doesn't mean that labor is imminent. Some women who are 2 cm dilated may go into labor within hours.
Others will remain 2 cm dilated for a few days or weeks until labor progresses. Once your cervix reaches 3 cm dilation, you've probably entered the early stage of labor.
During this stage, your cervix gradually dilates to about 6 cm. This is the longest part of labor and can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, although between 8 to 12 hours is common. During labor, intense contractions of the uterus help move the baby down and eventually out of the pelvis, and into the vagina. These contractions put pressure on the cervix and cause it to expand slowly.
Contractions tend to get stronger, closer together, and more regular as labor progresses. Most medical guides divide labor into three stages :. In the early stages of labor, the cervix dilates to the following sizes :. Late in pregnancy, the cervix may have already dilated several centimeters before a woman experiences any symptoms of labor. Some women, particularly those who are giving birth for the first time, have difficulty telling whether labor has begun.
This is because contractions in early labor are often mild and irregular, growing steadily more intense as the labor progresses and the cervix dilates. This increase in intensity may take just a few hours or can take many days. Knowing whether this is actual labor can help people to prepare. Some women may benefit from resting or eating a snack at this stage to ensure they have enough energy for the more tiring stages ahead. During the active stage of labor, the cervix dilates to the following sizes :.
Labor contractions become more intense and regular during active labor. Many women find that the main characteristic of active labor is that the contractions are extremely painful rather than uncomfortable. At this stage of labor, some women may choose medication, such as an epidural to cope with the pain. Others prefer to manage the pain naturally.
Changing positions, moving, and remaining hydrated can help with the pain of active labor. During the transition phase of labor, the cervix dilates to the following sizes :.
For many women, transition is the most challenging stage. However, it is also the shortest. Some people begin feeling an urge to push during the transition stage. It is also common to feel overwhelmed, hopeless, or unable to cope with the pain.
Some women vomit. Some women find that the coping strategies that worked well in the earlier stages of labor are no longer useful. Transition tends to be short and is a sign that the baby will soon arrive. Moving, changing positions, and visualization exercises can help. The cervix continues dilating during transition, and transition ends when the cervix has fully dilated. Stage one is complete when the cervix has dilated to 10 centimeters.
While being told you're dilated toward the end of your pregnancy is exciting, keep in mind that it doesn't necessarily mean labor is imminent. You can walk around for weeks with your cervix at 1 cm, or go from zero to 10 cm over the course of one day. Talk to your practitioner if you have any questions or concerns about this important precursor to your baby's birth. Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Cervical insufficiency and cervical cerclage.
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These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Measuring Cervical Dilation. When Dilation Occurs Too Soon. Stages of Labor. Cervical Incompetence During Pregnancy. Cervical Dilation in the First Stage of Labor Early phase : The cervix will dilate from 1 cm to 3 cm with mild contractions.
Active phase : The cervix expands from 4 cm to 7 cm and contractions become more intense and regular. Transition phase : The cervix dilates to 10 cm. Transition ends when the cervix has reached 10 cm and is fully dilated. Was this page helpful?
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