Is that the biggest you can possibly be? I was just wondering why they don't let you go to, say, 15cm, so maybe pushing the baby out would be easier.
2007-03-08 11:32:01 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
As far as I know, the cervix only dialates to 10 cm. However, it can STRETCH as big as it needs to. Pushing before 10cm can result in bruising and swelling of the cervix which can make pushing much more difficult.
There are many birthing experts who do not believe that you MUST push at 10cm. There's a great deal of evidence that many women might NOT be ready to push right then. Sometimes the woman's body must go through further adjustment before the baby is ready to be pushed out. Usually (though not absolutely always), the woman's body will clearly tell her to push...usually when the baby is reay to be pushed out, the woman's body will push all on its own and cannot be stopped! This doesn't hold true if the woman has been medicated or has an epidural though, as her urge to push will likely be dampened.
2007-03-08 11:38:48 · answer #1 · answered by Kari 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Generally speaking 10 is as big is women get, however we are not all the same and cm are measured by doctors fingers and not all fingers are the same size.
Women should only push once they get the urge to push, sometimes after fully dilating there is a latent phase of labour known as the "Natural Alignment Plateau (NAP)". Pushing during this time will just exhaust the mother with little or no progress. And if the phase is prolonged it will lead to a diagnosis of failure to progress, or a too big baby.
Unfortuneatly doctors have no faith in the female body, and epidurals and many other drugs interefere with the ability to feel the urge to push.
2007-03-08 11:44:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
10cm means your cervix are fully opened. If you try pushing before 10cm then you could cause you cervix to swell and that could lead to you needing a c-section.. Or just stall labor and cause you more discomfort..
2007-03-08 16:23:09 · answer #3 · answered by auntietawnie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you push and you aren't open all the way, you will tear your cervix, and it will HURT, and will do severe damage to your insides.
2007-03-08 11:37:09 · answer #4 · answered by gg 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋