Pregnancy: How can you tell your dialated, if you can't see??

Question

In class, online and in books I've read about the dialation being signs of birth and knowing when you might be ready for the delivery. Just curious if it's only a centimeter in the beginning, would you really be able to tell that??

If we can't see our chachas how would we know were dialated?

Answer 1

Your OB will tell you.

Answer 2

This is something you leave to the midwives!! The signs you need to look for are contractions (timing them so see if they are regular), waters breaking (get to hospital quickly because you are at risk of infection), a show (a little bloody mucus). When you start to feel any of these pack your bag and let the midwife see how dilated you are. If you are only 1cm (10cm being when you are about to give birth), you might be sent home to wait it out a little longer. Some dilations can take hours and hours, some are super quick.

Answer 3

You won't know if you are dilated. The doctor measures dilation by how many "fingers" open your cervix is, and I would not reccomend that you or anyone but your docotr put any fingers up there becuase you want to keep that area as germ free as possible. Look for the other signs that you may be ready to give birth, such as contractions that come regularly & loss of your mucus plug.

Answer 4

I'm not sure how your OB works, but mine told me when I start to go in for my weekly check ups, he will check to see if I'm progressing, but that's at my request, not routine for him. With my first daughter, I was dilated at 3cm for 3wks before he swept my membranes, finally I went into active labor that day. So even though you're dilated, it's still hard to say when labor will start

Answer 5

well i am comfortable with my body and with very clean hands of course i checked myself so i knew when i called my midwives that i was 3cm but im sure not everyone will be comfortable doing that so if thats the case your dr will tell you but you have to wait till 39-40 weeks before they do it.
i went into labor at 38 had a contraction and ran to check myself so i knew if it was false or not before i called my MW.

and im sure you will think OMG wont that cause infection???
i was fine and if your hands are not clean then yes wear gloves if you want to be safe.

and self checking is safe for one do you think that having sex is cleaner your exchanging bodily fluids for crying out loud do you really think a penis or your mans fingers are sterilized before they go inside you.
if your not a prude or a stiff in bed im sure alot of woman out there touch themselves anyways and im sure your nails aren't clipped and you have poured cleaner on your hands before it happens!!!
also if you wipe from back to front do you really think your not transferring bacteria think about it.
the only reasons dr's wear gloves is so they don't end up with a law suit without them it can be considered sexual touching plus there hands aren't cleaner then yours so what is the difference they do have to touch the outside of the gloves to put them on and they don't wash there hand before they do that unless they go into surgery!!!!!!!!!!

but i guess no one thinks of that now do they????????

Answer 6

That's why you have a doctor looking there. You don't care about centimeters when you're in labor, believe me.

Answer 7

you cant self check only a trained medical professional can. ob nurse or the ob or your midwife, you shouldnt be putting your fingers in there ever thats a huge risk of infection

Answer 8

A mirror

Answer 9

get a caliper. you could measure how big your vagina opened up with amazing precision.

Answer 10

you wont know.