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From that point, pressure from the presenting part (head in vertex births or bottom in breech births), along with uterine contractions, will dilate the cervix to 10 centimeters, which is "complete." Cervical dilation is accompanied by effacement, the thinning of the cervix. General guidelines for cervical dilation: Latent phase: 0–3 centimeters
First stage of labor starts with the onset of contractions and finishes when the cervix is fully dilated at 10 cm. [15] This stage can further be divided into latent and active labor. The latent phase is defined by cervical dilation of 0 to 6 cm. The active phase is defined by cervical dilation of 6 cm to 10 cm.
Prior to effacement, the cervix is like a long bottleneck, usually about four centimeters in length. Throughout pregnancy, the cervix is tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. Effacement is accompanied by cervical dilation. When the cervix effaces, the mucus plug is loosened and passes out of the vagina.
Effacement translates to how 'thin' the cervix is. The cervix is normally approximately three centimetres long, as it prepares for labour and labour continues the cervix will efface until it is 'fully effaced' (paper-thin). Cervical dilation: Closed 1–2 cm 3–4 cm 5+cm Dilation is a measure of how open the cervical os is.
Jenny Recotta, a labor and delivery nurse, shares viral video of what happens to a woman's cervix during birth using clay and her pottery wheel. Jenny Recotta, a labor and delivery nurse, shares ...
Cervical effacement, which is the thinning and stretching of the cervix, and cervical dilation occur during the closing weeks of pregnancy. Effacement is usually complete or near-complete and dilation is about 5 cm by the end of the latent phase. [53] The degree of cervical effacement and dilation may be felt during a vaginal examination.
Barbara Premoli, a child care provider in Egremont, Mass., had a smooth pregnancy until she was 21 weeks along. "I was three centimeters dilated and didn't even know," says Premoli.
The active phase of the first stage starts when the cervix is dilated more than about 4 cm in diameter and is when the contractions become stronger and regular. The head (or the buttocks in a breech birth ) of the baby is pushed against the cervix , which gradually dilates until it is fully dilated at 10 cm diameter.