Is anyone ese dialating or thinning (efaced) yet???????

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

I was wondering if anyone else out there is dilating or thinning out with me. I thought maybe I could start an ongoing thread about it if you girls want. I am due December 1st so I know most of you are several weeks behind me, but i thought it might be fun to see how everyone is progressing.

APToddlerMama: at 34 weeks 1 day 100% effaced Unknown dilation, but feels like a 5

AveryLamb: No news yet

Briana: At 35 weeks 1 day I am 1cm dilated and 50% effaced

carseatqueen: Not checking until 37 weeks KEEP US POSTED!!

dsb76: at 34 weeks 1 day No news yet

jeninejessica: at 35 weeks No news yet

SierraBella: at 33 weeks 3 days No news yet

wendizbaby: at 33 weeks she had contractions for several hours

Edited by ZoeJane'sMommy - 10/29/11 at 5:50am

[APToddlerMama]

I'm 100% effaced and don't know how dilated I am because they haven't checked in weeks due to PTL.  I have a feeling I am probably around 5cm dilated though.  Thinking it is going to be any day for me and hoping baby waits at least three weeks.

Anyone feeling contractions very specifically in their cervix?  (and everywhere else)

[wendizbaby]

I'll participate....when I am.  How do you know you are?  Did you get checked?  I would sure like to be able to monitor myself.....

[wendizbaby]

Originally Posted by APToddlerMama 

I'm 100% effaced and don't know how dilated I am because they haven't checked in weeks due to PTL.  I have a feeling I am probably around 5cm dilated though.  Thinking it is going to be any day for me and hoping baby waits at least three weeks.

Anyone feeling contractions very specifically in their cervix?  (and everywhere else)

I'm not....but I'm sending you "baby stay in" vibes.  At 33 weeks I want no activity, but come 37 weeks I'll be visualizing alllll day my baby coming out.  :)  I am having a LOT of discharge today, though.  Sorry TMI.  I think that's an early sign.  

[AveryLamb]

Yeah, how do you know?? I've been sort of curious to check my cervix; would I just feel a hole?? Lol

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

I went in for my 35 week check up today and while doing the bacterial test the doc went ahead and felt to see if I was progressing yet. With my first one at 36 weeks I was 1cm and not thinning at all. It really doesn't mean anything just that my body is doing what it is supposed to and I could still give birth at 41 weeks, it just really gives me something to look forward to.

APT - how many weeks are you? I read your post earlier about the problem you were with the over sized sac/cord or something. Did you figure out what you are going to do with that? I'm praying for ya that the little booger stays put.

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

I do not check myself at all, I have no idea how to know my doc just told me. She said she could feel his head and she pushed on it and the he wiggled. It was funny.

[SierraBella]

I don't know where I'm at, but the last few days I've been having lots of thick stringy discharge. Is that a sign? I'm 33w3d.

[dsb76]

I'm not dilated or effaced at this point.  I'm 34w1d and I am being checked weekly.

[onetwoten]

35 weeks even here-- last time I checked a few days ago, my cervix was still so high I could just barely touch it with my fingertip- it's not even low enough for me to be able to tell dilation. But yes-- that will be how I'm checking- I figure I'll probably end up getting curious enough about once a week or so to see if I can feel any changes. I checked my cervix while charting, so I know I'll be able to tell when it 'starts' dilating, but after that, it will all just be based on how different it feels from the time before. 

I've been getting discharge in almost little ball like pieces, that I'm assuming is pieces of the plug, but no big pieces or stringiness yet. 

I do feel like I'm getting cxns in my cervix, although I've been chalking it up to baby playing around down there. She's head down, but every now and then I feel this "swipe" that I swear feels like her dragging her hand across the cervix. Wowwwweeee. 

[carseatqueen]

I checked mine in labor last time (and after my mw checked when I asked her at 37 weeks and the day before he was born (3cm 38+5w) so I would have some reference) and while I didn't know how many cm I was, I could tell it was changing AND that ds was head down. He liked to flip breech, so that was comforting! I think the last time I checked I was between 5-7 cm, because 30 min later the mw checked and said I was 8, then he was born 40 min later.

Personally I'm glad I can because I've had fast labors and I know if I'm over 4/5cm I'm in labor and baby is coming very soon! However, unless I think I'm in preterm labor I won't check till I'm past 37 weeks for sure. I know with #2 I was 3-4 cm for at least two weeks, so it seems like it doesn't really matter much to know AND even though it's unlikely I wouldn't want to cause a preterm birth or PROM when checking myself!

[APToddlerMama]

Thank you ZoeJane'sMommy and Wendizbaby!  I know how effaced I am being I have to have cervical lengths with ultrasound because of the PTL, although they quit doing those too when they realized I was 100% effaced and didn't want to mess around.  I'm 34w1d now but went into PTL at 29 weeks.  I have no clue how to check for cervical dilation myself and I definitely would not want to!  Way too squeamish, not to mention even my doctor isn't doing it because it can irritate the cervix or cause premature rupture of membranes and cause labor. 

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

Wow good stories I know as we get closer to time we definitely progress and those of us who don't will find out soon if we are having regular check ups. I went to the doc at 31 weeks also and I was having some discharge issues and cramping so she did an exam just make sure everything was ok and of course I had nothing going on down there and everything was nice and high so I do know the dilatation and stuff has just been happening recently. I am trying a VBAC this time and my doc said it would be better to deliver on a VBAC at 39 weeks than 40 and that starting progress is a good indicator that I will be able to have a successful VBAC so that made me feel better because I am very nervous about the VBAC. Thanks for the stories and I look forward to reading more and keeping updated with you girls.

[wendizbaby]

Well...about an hour after responding to this thread, I started contracting.  I'm timing them now and I'm getting one every 10 minutes (right on the minute!!).  I'm sort of freaking out now, but I don't want to go to L & D.  Anyone else experience this and then it went away?  I've taken a shower, laid down, did some deep breathing, drank a bunch of water and they are still coming.  

[MotheringBliss]

Had a full day of steady pre-labor that completely stopped when an electrical storm finally broke.  There has been extraordinary geomagnetic storms lately...Get comfortable and rest with warmth...it may go on for a while.

Keep us posted...

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

My cousin is due 10 days before me, she had almost a full 24 hours of contractions about 8 minutes apart and she finally went to the hospital. They monitored her for a while then the contractions stopped. They told her that it wasn't actually causing any dilation and they sent her home. That was early last week and she hasn't had any more spells. I think, and hope, it is just your body practicing for what it will be doing in a few weeks. If they get any closer in time I might call my OBGYN, they should always have someone on call.

[onetwoten]

Wendiz-- It seems like most midwives in that case will recommend a bath and a glass of wine- usually they'll stop after that. If not, then I might look at going in. At 33 weeks they generally won't stop labor, but they'd probably want to give you a steroid shot, and my understanding (preemie moms chime in!) is that the more time in advance they give it the better, as they might even be able to get a second one in. 

Any interest in trying to check yourself to see if you can tell if you're starting to dilate at all?

[wendizbaby]

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

Any interest in trying to check yourself to see if you can tell if you're starting to dilate at all?

Yes....but I don't know how.  I also don't know how I would even reach that far down there!  :)  I can barely wipe effectively!  

[onetwoten]

I check while squatting. A lot of people will say on the toilet, but as we've found-- you start losing access that way! I need to be able to move my legs out of the way so that I can maneuver my arm just around the side of the round belly. On the toilet I find that there's just no room! 

If you can reach it, you might not be able to tell quantitatively how dilated you are, but pay attention to how soft and supple it feels. From back when I was charting, it feels almost donut like, and sometimes it was hard, but other times it was almost the texture you would expect if it was like... disintegrating or something- that soft and malleable kind of tissue. And then it's just a matter of whether you can feel an opening. I wouldn't -really- be worried about poking around too much- it's unlikely you're more than a few cms at best, but if you can reach, then it should give you some idea of how 'ready' things are. I would say if you can reach, and everything still feels pretty hard and closed up, then I'd wait to go in, as obviously the cxns can come and go for days/weeks making just small changes to the cervix, all while making other progress. But, as long as the cervix is staying closed- baby is staying in! lol. 

[wendizbaby]

Thanks Jenine, for describing how I can do it.  I think I'll wait to see if they stay regular when I go to bed and if they do I will attempt to check (though I hope nobody walks in on me..ha!).  I was just thinking that with my first, I stayed closed up at a 2 until 5 hours before I had him.  I actually made them admit me at a 2 because I couldn't fathom even walking back out to the car and within 2 hours I was at a 7 and my water broke.  So my pre-labor can go on forever without any opening up!