The cervix dilates (opens) during the first stage of labor to prepare for the baby's birth. Cervical dilation is measured from 1 to 10 centimeters. You are ready to push and deliver when the cervix ...

Near the end of the third trimester, a woman's cervix will soften in order to begin the process of effacing (thinning and stretching) and dilating (opening up). An open cervix allows the baby to pass ...

Dilation and effacement are your body's way of getting ready for labor – your cervix gradually opens (dilates) and thins out (effaces) to help your baby make that grand entrance. This process can ...

As your due date approaches, you may be wondering how dilated your cervix is and if you are making progress toward delivery. While only your doctor can confirm cervical dilation, you can do a ...

When you're pregnant, a whole new part of the English language opens up. Suddenly you're obsessed with placentas, trimesters, and sussing out whether you should go with a sonogram or an amniocentesis ...

Only then can you bring your baby into the world. Cervical dilation sounds pretty intense, but if you are in labor, it's going to happen. The question is, how do you know if you're dilated and ready ...

We all know that during labor, a woman's cervix is supposed to dilate to about 10 centimeters in diameter before she's ready to start pushing. But what does that really look like? I don't think I had ...

There is a period when you might wonder, "Is this labor?" every time your stomach tightens. The decision to contact the hospital depends not only on the intensity of the pain but also on the interval ...