Cervix
Dilation is the width of the opening of the cervix as baby
makes its descent head down.
• The cervix is a thick-walled canal about 2 cm thick
and tightly closed. Though hormones will soften and thin it,
first-stage contractions are required to dilate and thin the
cervix.
• Contractions will widen the diameter of the cervix.
Labor is popularly divided into 2 phases: active and latent
with the transition phase in between. During the latent phase
dilation reaches about 3-4 cm; the cervix widens to about
7 cm in the active phase with most of the hard work i.e. intense
labor during the transition phase where full dilation is achieved.
Repeat contractions stretch the cervix to a full 10 cm.
• Doctors often gauge the labor progress by the dilatation
of the cervix. Vaginal exams to measure how far you are dilated
by feeling the opening of your cervix are commonplace during
labor.
• Dilation is measured in centimeters. There are 2½
cm to an inch. Often fingers are also used to estimate the
rate of dilation although its accuracy is debatable since
finger sizes differ in individuals. For example, when dilation
is said to be 3-4 cm, it is equivalent to two-three fingers;
when a woman is fully dilated she is said to have entered
the 2nd stage of labor with her cervix having reached 10 cm
(equal to five fingers).
• Dilatation in first time mothers can take hours or
even days to reach the 3-4 cm (1-2 inches) of the latent phase.
It can only take place once the cervix has softened. Dilation
process moves slowly initially during the first stage and
picks up momentum with the aid of intense contractions during
the transition stage once you approach the 10 cm mark.
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• Pain intensifies when the cervix is fully dilated
and it then unifies with the body of the uterus to become
one continuous pathway through which the baby passes through.
• First time mothers have longer labors because effacement
and dilation are two separate processes; effacement precedes
dilation. In subsequent deliveries dilation and effacement
occur concurrently, shortening the labor process.
| Dilation
in a Gist |
| Size
in cm |
Size in
terms of food |
| 3 cm |
Wide as a banana slice |
| 7 cm |
Wide as a lid of a coke
can |
| 10 cm |
Wide as a bagel |
|
