What signals that the cervix is getting ready?

[Snow Cherries]

I know that cervical changes are really subjective and women can walk around dilated for days and days without the baby coming etc.  But I'm wondering what changes would typically signal that the process is getting started especially regarding the location and "texture" of the cervix.  For example, I checked mine yesterday and it's way high up there.  I could barely reach with my middle finger.  It was mushy and if I had wanted to I could probably have fit my fingertip in opening (but I didn't).  I'm taking this to mean that there isn't really anything going on up there. 

I've read different things - 1. the pregnant cervix is always mushy (like the whole pregnancy) and 2. the cervix starts becoming mushy as it's begins preparing for labor.  Does anyone know which is accurate?  I've also read that the cervix comes lower as labor approaches.  So the fact that mine's still up so high probably means nothing is really going on, right? 

I don't plan to check again anytime soon.  I only checked because I've had a few days of feeling really crampy and pressury in the lower part of my uterus/pressure on my cervix and I wanted to see if it was significant.  I'm hoping for a VBA2C, but because of my circumstances I need to go into labor on my own by around my due date and I don't really have much hope of that happening.  My first was born at 35 weeks due to severe pre-e and my second was born by rcs after a failed induction at 39 weeks for dumb reasons.  So I've never experienced real labor or even pre-labor.  Last time at 39 weeks I hadn't had the slightest indication of labor being on the horizon and my midwife said my cervix was high and tightly closed still at that point.  So all these possible pre-labor signs I've been having had me starting to get my hopes up a bit that maybe my body could go into labor on it's own afterall.  I have a few weeks left so there's still hope, but I was really hoping to feel something significant up there. 

[MoonStarFalling]

The pregnant cervix is mushy but in my experience, in the few days before labor, it became so mushy it felt much like the vaginal wall. It took me a moment to even realize that what I was feeling was actually the cervix. Mine also goes very high and then comes down just before or during labor. I'm also guessing that nothing's going on because I can't even reach it at this point. In my last two labors, by the time I felt anything really going on with my cervix I was already loosing pink tinged mucus plug. So that's probably an easier way for me to know progress anyway. Good luck. I'm also hoping for a vba2c/going into labor naturally with some time restrictions.

[elisheva]

There are some generalities (effacement, dilation) but, by no means to they extend to everyone. 

My cervix was high, hard and closed at 10 am and my son was born that evening at 7:40. The midwife was sure I was going to end up with a CBAC and said as much to my DH confidentially. Nope. 4.5 hrs of labour, 5 pushes and his 8.5 lb self shot into the world. 

Don't put too much stock in your cervix. It knows what it has to do and will do it in its own sweet time.

[MsBlack]

IME, the pregnant cervix is 'soft'--softer than non-pregnant but still firm enough to hold it's tubular shape.  A truly mushy cervix, to me, is one that is losing it's shape somewhat--too softened to hold it's tubular shape very well.

I've felt cervixes that were so high they were hard to reach with my short fingers--even during active labor.  And with a few, babies were born within a couple-3 hrs.  Cervix position goes through various changes on the way to birth! 

Not sure if this helps...but it does sound like you are working up to some pre-labor cervical changes. 

Originally Posted by elisheva 

There are some generalities (effacement, dilation) but, by no means to they extend to everyone. 

My cervix was high, hard and closed at 10 am and my son was born that evening at 7:40. The midwife was sure I was going to end up with a CBAC and said as much to my DH confidentially. Nope. 4.5 hrs of labour, 5 pushes and his 8.5 lb self shot into the world. 

Don't put too much stock in your cervix. It knows what it has to do and will do it in its own sweet time.