50% efface??

Question

I had a doctors appointment this morning. She told me the baby's head was down, I was 50% efface, my cervix was still closed and next week I would MORE THAN LIKELY be dilated to 1 centimeter. What does the 50% efface mean? I asked her and she just said it could mean anytime. :) Can the baby's head be down if he hasn't dropped yet? i didn't ask her that. Efface doesn't mean I'm thinning, right?. I have to be 100% efface before my cervix starts thinning, right? Just wondering.

Lol.. yes, first time mom.. :)

Answer 1

Here is a webpage that explains it pretty well. Good luck and congrats!!!

Answer 2

Hey there! Congratulations!! You're getting close :o) I was 50% effaced and 1 centimeter dilated for about a week before they induced me. For you it means that labor is slowly getting ready to really get going. The effacement is the thinning. The dilation is when your cervix starts opening up wider and wider for the baby to come through. The effacement needs to take place so that the baby can drop lower and enter into the birth canal. You'll probably be effaced fully before you're dilated fully. When your doctor mentioned that the head was down, she was simply telling you that your baby is not "breech" or face-up. This is also good!! As far as the baby dropping goes, my baby never officially "dropped". I've heard other mothers say this, too. (I just had my baby 9 weeks ago.) I do know that on second pregnancies (this was my first) that the baby doesn't usually drop before labor starts. This just proves that the baby does not have to drop at all for labor to get going, even on first pregnancies. Don't worry about that part of it. This last week will seem so long for you... hang in there!! Try to enjoy your life pre-baby :o) That's what I did. I made sure to focus on how nice it was to watch tv at night or to take naps whenever I wanted to or to have my husband to myself. When your little one arrives all that will change. So enjoy those little selfish moments as much as you can - it will really help pass the time. Best of luck to you!!!!

Answer 3

What is effacement?
Effacement is the process by which the cervix prepares for delivery. After the baby has engaged in the pelvis, it gradually drops closer to the cervix; the cervix gradually softens, shortens and becomes thinner. You may hear phrases like "ripens," or "cervical thinning" which refer to effacement.

effaced 50%, which means you are half way to being completely effaced. When you are 100% effaced or completely effaced, your cervix is paper-thin and labor is right around the corner.

Answer 4

i forget now, I remember I was 50% effaced right around my due date. The doctor told me, could be any time. Well I waited and waited. Two weeks later I was induced and two cm dilated. My daughter never descended into my pelvis. I had a c-section and her head was perfect, no molding. Maybe it was just her big head. I believe efffaced does mean thinning of the cervix. He has probably dropped, but yes, a baby's head can be in position without dropping.

Answer 5

Effaced is thinning. You have to be 100% effaced to deliver. Yes the baby can be head down without dropping. First time mom huh?? LOL... you are doing well!

Answer 6

Here is the definition from Webster's Dictionary Online:
Main Entry: ef·face
Pronunciation: i-'fAs, e-
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): ef·faced; ef·fac·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French esfacer, effacer, from e- + face face
1 : to eliminate or make indistinct by or as if by wearing away a surface ; also : to cause to vanish
2 : to make (oneself) modestly or shyly inconspicuous
- ef·face·able /-'fA-s&-b&l/ adjective
- ef·face·ment /-'fAs-m&nt/ noun
- ef·fac·er noun

I know that when I went into labor and checked into the hospital I was close to 90% and dialated to a 4. I was having contractions at 2-4 minutes apart and was in pain.Prior to going into labor I lost my mucus plug. I lost it over a period of just over a week. Yes the baby's head has to be down, even if you haven't dropped yet. "Dropped" means that the baby's head is in the birth cannal.The baby goes head down at about 6-7 months. Sometimes later. This process takes time to do. The baby slowly turns from head up to transverse to down. With both my pregnancies one was head down at 6 and the second went at 8 months. In agreement of the answer before mine, she is right that the 2nd doesn't usually drop before labor. Mine dropped when I went into active labor right b/4 I went to the hospital. My mother told me the same thing about having my brother (he's younger than me). I really can't tell you if I dropped with the 1st one b/c I don't know. My water broke with out any signs of labor. Good luck and God Bless that you have a easy and safe delievery.