You may or may not notice it happen, and it can occur anywhere from a couple of weeks to hours before labor starts. Then, a few days to 24 hours before delivery day, you'll notice bloody show as the capillaries in your cervix begin to rupture, tinting the vaginal mucus pink or streaking it with blood. When labor contractions get progressively stronger and don't go away even when you change positions, you'll know it's finally show time!
Throughout this process, your cervix will keep on effacing and dilating. In early labor — those days to possibly weeks before it's time to go to the hospital — your cervix will dilate up to 6 cm; by active labor it will increase to about 7 to 8 cm.
Full cervical dilation — when your cervix measures 10 cm — occurs at the end of the transitional phase, the last of the three phases of labor.
Once this happens, it's time to start pushing your baby out. Not a thing: Your body is in charge here. Once your doctor gives you that estimate for baby's arrival, just keep an eye out for other signs of labor so you'll know and be prepared when it's time to go to the hospital. Occasionally if labor stalls or if you have certain risk factors, your practitioner may decide that there's a reason to induce labor and will take steps to move the process along.
What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy. The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.
This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. After the baby has engaged in the pelvis, it gradually drops closer to the cervix. The cervix will gradually soften, shorten and become thinner.
Effacement is measured in percentages. In your final weeks of pregnancy, your health care provider will routinely check for effacement. In addition, as soon as you arrive at your birth location, you will be checked for effacement.
If you are a first-time mother, your cervix will usually efface before it dilates. If you have previously had children, your cervix will usually dilate before effacement. In this article, we look at cervical effacement, including how it relates to dilation and how to measure it.
Cervical effacement is the shortening and thinning of the cervix. This helps the cervix prepare for a vaginal delivery. This process stretches the cervix, causing it to thin and shorten. Measurement of effacement is usually in percentages.
As well as needing to thin and shorten, the cervix also needs to open up, or dilate, to prepare for vaginal delivery. The process of dilation and effacement is called cervical ripening.
Certain signs and symptoms may indicate that cervical effacement has begun. These symptoms may include:. During pregnancy, the mucus plug seals the opening of the cervix.
This prevents bacteria from entering the uterus. Cervical changes, including dilation and effacement, cause movement or loss of the mucus plug. However, not all pregnant women will notice this.
As effacement nears, tiny blood vessels near the cervix may rupture. This can cause a small amount of spotting known as bloody show. Cervical effacement often occurs after the head of the fetus drops lower into the pelvis. The pain may vary. For example, it may cause a dull ache or intermittent sharp pain. However, some women may not feel any discomfort at all. Just to give you an idea of how long dilation takes: Once you've begun active labor, the average rate is one centimeter of dilation per hour.
Of course, labor and childbirth are unique for every mom-to-be, so this is just an estimate. If your healthcare provider feels that your labor has stalled or that you or your baby may be in distress, she may recommend a cesarean section. If you experience some occasional and irregular contractions in the last few months of your pregnancy, it doesn't mean that you are going into labor, and that your cervix has started to efface or dilate.
Braxton Hicks do not cause any change to your cervix. Think of Braxton Hicks as a practice run, and as one of the ways your body is preparing for the real thing. If you're unsure whether you're experiencing Braxton Hicks or real labor contractions, time your contractions using our Contraction Tracking Chart and speak to your healthcare provider.
Effacement is not a sign of labor that you'll be looking out for, but it is a physical change that gives your healthcare provider important information about how far along you are.
And although it's good to be informed about all the ins and outs of labor and childbirth, it's also reassuring to know that your provider is on top of these kinds of details, so you can stay focused and relaxed.
You'll soon be meeting your little one, and all of this won't matter.
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