im 3cm dialated....?

Question

and it seems like the baby is never going to come.....im 38 weeks pregnant today i have been dialated to 3 for about a week ide say and it still seems like hes never going to come....can anyone help me out tell me what i should be feeling or noticing so i know when to go to the doctor....? thanx

Answer 1

Start taking walks. if you have to just walk around the yard. That is the safest way to start contractions. It's not uncommon to stay dilated for weeks before the contractions really start, so don't worry about being 'stuck' at this point. I'm just a student nurse, but I have two grown kids, and I did the same thing (dilate a little, then stop) with both of mine.

Answer 2

I was two cm dilated for a month before I had my first. I ended up being induced a couple days before my due date. In fact, the day that I was scheduled to be induced I did my usual routine, woke up, shaved my legs, took a shower, brushed my teeth, etc. I even put a load of laundry in that morning and had to be at the hospital by eight in the morning, which I was.

I began feeling a little pressure down there, nothing I did not think I had not felt the past couple of weeks with all the aches and pains you have in the end so we went on our normal way. When we got to the hospital and I was hooked up to the belts and monitors she said I was already having contractions and was four cm dilated. An hour later I had my epidural which ended up not working, ugh!

I was in labor 18 hours with my first, delivered in 20 minutes, whoo hoo! I am due with my second August 9th.

My advice is do a lot of walking. When it is time you will know it and just try to relax and take things easy until then. Once your baby gets here you will be so happy it is over but probably will not even be thinking about your labor anymore. You will be very consumed with your new baby and making sure everything is right.

I hope this helped. Good Luck! Congratulations!

Answer 3

Don't you worry Girl, you will know when it is time. It's okay to be dilated and stall for a time. If this is your first you probably find you are thinking about everything and worrying cause you just don't know what to expect. So good for you for asking! Walk a lot...it really helps to bring the baby sooner. The last two weeks are really the hardest - the waiting is tough and I found that I was pretty tired. Best to just sleep as much as you can right now! You may begin to feel Braxton-Hicks contractions - they are a bit like period cramps and a bit like a hard kick from the baby. Not to worry - they are normal. But you should be seeing the doctor every week at this stage anyway so you can ask him/her all this.
Congratulations on this joyous occasion!

Answer 4

I assume you've been having Braxton Hicks contractions? Imagine having those, only they HURT, and they're on a fairly regular schedule (i.e. every 5 or 6 minutes, lasting about 45 seconds). You should also call your dr. if your water breaks. It almost never breaks like it does in the movies (Woman walking through the mall and this GUSH of fluid comes out) I mean, sometimes it does, but some low number...like 20% I think...of womens' water actually breaks at home. Most of the time it happens after they get to the hospital after they labor for a while. I had mine broken by the doctor when I was pregnant with my first son, and he was very very low...his head was right on the opening of my cervix, so my water just trickled out. Imagine a heavy flow day during your period, and you're using pads, not tampons. You know how you can feel the blood very warm, and trickling down? That's what it felt like for me. Sorry if this is TMI...not trying to gross you out...just trying to help!

Answer 5

The start of labor can happen in so many differant ways. My friend just got really dizzy and nautious. Most people however will either have their membranes rupture (water break), begin to spot , or have contractions that get closer together and more intense even when you get up and try to walk it off. You will know when you are in labor.
If your contractions are 5 minutes apart for atleast 30-45 min and increasing in intensity then go to the hospital. It will feel like achy , bad period cramps at first and then worsen. However some people have painless contractions at first . In which case your entire abdome will kind of harden up like a big ball and stay that way for 30 sec. to a minute or more and relax then happen again. Time from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next to know what interval they are coming in.
If you are 38 weeks , forever isn't really going to last forever and you will be delivering soon.

Answer 6

You'll know! When you start feeling real contractions (truly uncomfortable, not just Braxton-Hicks) that are consistently stronger and closer together, that's a good time to call the doctor. As many have stated, you can be dialated/effaced for weeks before you go into labor. Take walks and have sex to see if that helps move things along, but when all is said and done, your baby will come when he/she is ready!

Answer 7

I was dialated to 3 cm from week 35, and I didn't have my son until 1 1/2 weeks late. So it could be tonight, or it could be a lot longer. Trust yourself, you know the signs. Trust your baby, he knows when it's time. And trust the process, women have been doing it for a long time! (If you start having contractions, and they continue to be regular even if you lay down, then it is probably the real deal.) Good luck, you can do it!

Answer 8

Get ready to go...and be prepared...to wait some more. With my 3rd baby, I was 3 cm for a few weeks & ended up being almost a week late. Your Dr. should be able to give you an idea of at what point they'd want you to head for the hospital, (like having regular contractions for a certain period of time ) but don't be afraid to call if you think you're in labor, but you're not sure.

Answer 9

My sister-in-law was 3 cm dialated for 2 weeks with her first. Look for the mucous plug to come out (in the toilet). Personally, I never saw mine, but friends have told me they saw there. Wait for contractions (in a pattern). In my case, with my first...my water broke. It felt like I was "leaking" because I was standing up. Apparently the baby's head was keeping it from gushing out. When I sat down, more came out. So I called the Dr. Not to gross you out...with my second my clue was that I finally made a BM after being constipated. Shortly after I began to get contractions, but they were not in a pattern like my Dr. said they would be. I was very nervous about knowing when to go with the contractions since I didn't have that experience with my first. But I just kinda knew when it was time. I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear. If it's your first, remember it's common to go late the first time.

Answer 10

you can be dialated like that for up to a month sometimes before that baby comes - your body starts getting ready, but it isn't necessarily time

Anyway, you will know when it is time - when your contractions are regular and about 5 minutes apart, you should be on your way to the hospital

Good luck!