Hi and welcome to today's video all about cervix dilation symptoms so I'm going to be talking to
you about what cervical dilation feels like and how to tell if you're dilated. I'm Anja
and I'm a hypnobirthing practitioner. My YouTube channel's here to support you through pregnancy,
birth and motherhood :) I bring out a new video every single Tuesday so please consider subscribing and
clicking the bell icon so you don't miss my weekly videos. First I'm going to talk about the four
main cervix dilation symptoms that you could experience then I'm going to talk about two
non-invasive and intervention-free ways that you can check yourself to see how dilated you are.
The first possible sign of cervical dilation is experiencing something called lightning crotch.
Lightning crotch is a sharp or shooting pain in your lower pelvis, rectum or vagina
and it's a sign that your baby has descended deep into your lower pelvis
and is pressing on ligaments and nerves which could be causing these flashes of pain. It's
also a sign that your baby is pressing firmly down upon your cervix encouraging it to start dilating.
Another cervix dilation symptom is losing your mucus plug.
The mucus plug is a thick jelly-like substance that your cervix produces during pregnancy
to block any germs or bacteria from entering your womb and harming your baby-
but, at the end of your third trimester, as your cervix begins to thin out shorten and soften, your
mucus plug becomes dislodged and you may notice it in your underwear or on tissue paper when
you're wiping yourself after peeing or pooping. Mucus plugs can vary in consistency and colour
but to know what's within the normal range please check out my mucus plug video. The
link is popping up on the screen right now but I'll also link it in the video description below.
Another cervix dilation symptom is known as a bloody show. Now this can sound a little bit scary
and alarming, it isn't meant to be. A bloody show is basically a little bit of spotting that you
notice in your underwear at the end of your third trimester and it means that a few capillaries have
broken in your cervix as it started to dilate and soften. If, however, you noticed bright red, heavy
bleeding in your underwear obviously that would be reason to contact your care team straight away but
a little bit of spotting is considered very normal and very natural at the end of your pregnancy.
A fourth sign of cervical dilation is experiencing cramping.
When labour begins, many women say that they experience
mild menstrual-like cramping sensations just above their pubic bone at the bottom of their abdomen.
As labour progresses, these sensations will last for longer, get stronger and closer together.
So the first three signs that I mentioned (lightning crotch, losing your mucus plug and
the bloody show) are all signs that your cervix is starting to dilate but not necessarily that
your labour has started. So, just to be clear, when you're experiencing those mild menstrual- like
cramping sensations that's a sign that your cervix is actually starting to dilate progressively but,
in the lead up to that, if you experience the lightening crotch, losing your mucus plug
or the bloody show, your cervix can start to dilate before you experience contractions and you might
be like one or even two cm dilated by the time your contractions actually begin.
Now I'm going to teach you the two main ways that you can check how dilated your cervix is
without needing to have a vaginal examination.
The first way is called the purple line. This might sound weird or unbelievable
but scientific studies have confirmed this to be true. When a woman is dilating she may develop a
purple or brownish line which rises upwards from her anus to the top cleft between her buttocks -
I'll link a real-life image to this in the video description below :)
The purple or brownish line is usually only visible in about 75 % of women who are in labour
but it's not usually visible in women whose labours are medically induced.
If the line is visible, the more dilated you get, the higher the line will rise up from your anus.
It can be difficult to measure this line by yourself so it's helpful for someone to do it for
you. When the line is measured, this table can tell you how dilated you are at a certain point in time.
If the line measures 5.3cm, you're 1-2cm dilated. If it's 7.8cm,
you're between 3 and 6cm dilated. If it's 8.7cm long, you are between
7 and 8cm dilated and if the line measures 9.6cm,
you're between 9 and 10cm dilated. Like I said, since the purple or brownish line is only
visible in about 75% of labouring women, I'm going to teach you another way to check how dilated you are.
The second method involves you measuring the space between the top of your fundus (or baby bump)
and your bra line. At the start of labour you should be able to fit
all five of your fingers between the top of your fundus and your bra line.
As your contractions get stronger, longer and closer together - that's a sign that your labour is
progressing and your cervix is dilating more and more. Your fundus level will rise more and more as
your labour progresses because your contractions will be drawing the muscles of your uterus
up and up and up so you'll notice that as your labour advances you'll be able to fit less and
less fingers in between the top of your fundus line and your bra line. When you can fit only
three fingers in the gap it's likely that you're about five centimetres dilated. When you can only
fit one finger in the gap, it's likely that you're fully dilated. Thanks so much for watching this
video today! I hope it's helped you to understand a little bit more about cervix dilation symptoms
and how you can check how dilated your cervix is. If you've got any questions, please leave me a
message in the comments section beneath this video and I'll get back to you as soon as I possibly can.
Whilst you're here, why not sign up to my next free hypnobirthing taster session on zoom?
I run 2 every single month and you can sign up to the next one by clicking the link to my
website in the video description below :) Take care and see you in my next video!