Let’s briefly chat about Cervical Dilation and Effacement
The cervix is really such an amazing part of our bodies. It is responsible for protecting our uterus. It plays a major role in allowing sperm to enter our womb to allow for a possible pregnancy, then holds our baby inside of our womb during our pregnancy, to then assist with pushing baby out during birth. It is also so importantly connect directly to our Vagus nerve.
Our cervix will dilate, efface, and thin out during the different stage of labor. Once we are 10 centimeters dilated, it really means our cervix is “gone” and has moved up into our uterus to assist with pushing baby out. A really great activity you can play with your partner or a friend, is to take a balloon, put a ping pong ball inside of it, blow it up and get the ping pong ball to close off the bottom of the balloon to keep it inflated (do not tie the balloon off). Then, by squeezing the balloon from both sides, you will contract the balloon over and over until “POP!” the ball comes flying out of the balloon. This gives you a great visual as to what is going on with each contraction paired with effective pushing (but not always paired with pushing) to help get baby out safely. Here is a link to a YouTube video that will show you how to do this activity if my instructions don’t quite make sense :) PingPongBallActivity
Effacement is when the cervix stretches and gets thinner (this can begin to happen in the later weeks of your pregnancy as your body starts to prepare itself for birth). Dilation is when the cervix opens which can start anywhere in your last month of pregnancy or even earlier.
In early labor your cervix will work hard to dilate from 0 to 6 centimeters. You may already be dilated well before you enter early labor. Some women can walk around 3 or 4 centimeters dilated for weeks before true labor begins.
In Active labor your cervix will dilate from 6 to 8 centimeters. You may experience the “bloody show” during this phase as a result of dilation, and your bags of water may rupture (although it is not uncommon for them not to) due to the intensity of contractions.
The the Transition Phase of labor (Yikes! Ouch!) your cervix will go from 8 to 10 centimeters, and then you will be getting ready to meet your baby! This is a very intense time of labor. Many women feel very nauseous, may throw up, and it is not at all uncommon to shake. These are all signals that baby will be coming very soon (think of this as a light at the end of the tunnel). Awesome work, you are there and baby is coming!
Fun Fact! When your cervix dilates, it doesn’t just open, it actually moves up into your uterus to help push baby out! Pretty neat!
image shot at Ara Ha