Mothers, how quickly did you dilate?

It could still be a week or so. Was the bag bulging? 4 or 5cm I might be packing the hospital bag. You could stay at 2 for a while.

Well, I walked around at 4 cm for two weeks before either of my two came. I thought the kids were gonna just fall out on the ground! When I actually went in to labor, the first time they checked me I was at a 9. I went really fast.

I’d say you being dilated early is a really good sign. Hopefully you’ll have a relatively smooth and quick delivery.

Nothing to worry about.

@Judi Already packed! He didn’t mention bulging or no bulging. Is that something I could feel on my own?

@Dutchess_III 4–5cm for two weeks! Holy cow! Does that mean that your contractions didn’t start until 9cm? Or you started pushing at 9cm?

I was pretty young when I had my kids and was afraid to go poking around up there to feel a bulging water sack. I’m sure you could if you knew what you were looking for. I would bet that you wouldn’t bulge until 5 or 6 cm but that’s just my mommy instinct, not something I know for a fact.

@Judi I’m not that young. Though I’m still pretty hesitant about poking up there! Though my OB said he was having a bit of difficulty feeling my cervix because the baby’s head was already so low. Is that what you mean by bulging? Or is it something I would be able to feel externally?

It is usually after you have lost your mucus plug (which for me was the first indication that I was in labor.) the bag of water starts bulging out of your cervix. Some doctors will break it to get the labor moving along.

I was in mild labor for 11 hours and arrived at the hospital just as the serious stuff began. An hour later I had a son.

My water never broke until I was practically on the delivery table (in the barbaric old days).

I was at 5 cm for over 4 weeks with my second baby, but was at 9 when I got to the hospital; and I went as soon as my water broke, which was my first sign of labor.
It could be a while, but if you begin labor it might progress fairly fast.

@Judi Oh! My water, not the baby. Silly me.
@gailcalled How dilated were you when you arrived at the hospital?
@wilma Wow, five weeks. Okay, no worries then. Phew!

Enough to have everyone jump around and say, “Oooh, here we go.” By the time I got off the elevator, which I had decided to take standing up, I was starting to collapse and make very loud noises. No one bothered to mention centimeters dilated.

Your doctor assumes that either you will make the appointment or he’ll meet you at the hospital. Is your bag packed? How exciting.

Keep us posted.

I think it was pretty fast for me. I went in the hospital in the mid-afternoon because I thought I was in labor. They said go home and wait. My family and I went out to dinner, and around 9 pm I went back in. The baby was born just after midnight.

I…think I would leave the poking to the OB Gyn

When I went in it was right at shift change, so they waited to check me till that was done. About an hour. When they did get around to checking me me they about had a heart attack! “You’re at NINE!!! Why are you laying there so quiet???” looking at me like I’m crazy.
I said, “Well, it doesn’t hurt that bad, yet.”
So they ran around like chickens with their heads cut off looking for a room. I said I wanted to walk to the room. They looked at me like I was crazy. So the first room we got to had no bed….just those two pole sticking up that they attach the bed to.
I said, “Well, I could do it like the Indian women did….”
They looked at me all crazy.
Then they broke my water and o shit.

We just LOVE talking about this, don’t we girls!

My wife is a couple days ahead of you with her first, everything else is exactly the same.

We went to the doc on Wednesday and he said the little one could be here in three days or three weeks, no way to tell.

Baby is officially running the show.

I was induced all three times, and the first two went very quickly. Total time from induction to delivery: 1st was 7 hours, 2nd was 5 hours. 3rd time, 12 hours. You just never know. Good luck and keep us posted!

This is one of those things that varies so much person to person.. so take this only as my experience because I’m sure you know that your mileage may vary..

For my two labor & delivery experiences in both cases I was about 2cm dilated for over 4 weeks. Until active labor started I just hung in there for weeks at that dilation.

Baby #1 – was 2cm dilated from my 36 week appt and then didn’t go into good, organized labor and dilate any further until after 42 weeks. She was over 10lbs and 24.5” long (She came out where 3–6mo. sized clothes..none of the newborn sized clothes I bought would fit her.)

Baby #2, I was 2cm dilated from my 32 week appt onward. Based on how far ahead I was measuring and their concern that I’d have another very large baby we had amnio to check his lung maturity at 36 weeks 4 days gestation and he was born 2 days later after a brief 6 hours of (induced) labor. That birth was far more enjoyable and he was a perfect 8lbs (at 36 weeks! Thank goodness I didn’t go full term – they estimated he’d have been a 12# baby at term!)

So..your doctor is making that next weekly appt. on the expectation that they’ll want to check on you & baby again in another week if you don’t deliver before then..I don’t think anyone (including the doctor) can know how long it’ll take you to dilate fully…it really depends on when you go into active labor, right?

@gailcalled Packed!
@Dutchess_III I do love to hear about everyone’s experience. Though sometimes I wish there were a more definitive answer. :P
@funkdaddy Good to hear from another/your doctor—especially in a similar situation. Early congrats to you both. PS Baby is officially running the show. Welcome to the rest of your life. :P
@augustlan Your third took longer than your fourth?
@geeky_mama As with everything else about being pregnant, I know it varies woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy. I was just looking for a window. I just didn’t realize how big that window would be. Six weeks!?!

@fluthernutter I didn’t have a fourth, so I’m guessing you meant the third took longer than the first two? We were all prepared for the 3rd to be born within 3 hours, given the speed of the first two, especially since my third was also my earliest induction and smallest baby (just 5lbs 14 oz). She, however, had other ideas. I’m pretty sure she just wasn’t ready to be born yet, and was holding on for dear life!

@augustlan Whoops! Yes, that’s what I meant. Peculiar mistake.

My first was born ON her due date. My Mom, flying in from Seattle, naturally assumed that wouldn’t happen and had her flight scheduled for that date….so she was a couple hours late. My second was due July 19th. At my 6 months check, though, I told my Dr. I wanted to change my due date. He laughed, but got his clipboard. I said I wanted it to be July 14th. I even had my Mom change her plane tickets to the 14th. She was about 30 minutes late that time.
The second time when we went in, at about shift change again my husband kept telling them I was probably at a 9. They scoffed. Til they checked me. Then all kinds of panic broke loosed again! I hate it when nurses around you panic because of you.

I’m going to answer my own question!

It took me six more days to go from 2cm to 6cm. But only two hours to go from 6cm to 10cm!

My husband and I are the proud new parents of one baby boy jelly!

@fluthernutter – Sounds like the only answer that matters ;)

Congrats to all three of you!

@funkdaddy Thanks, funkdaddy! But I’m also excited to hear your answer! Good luck with the upcoming days!

Congrats @fluthernutter !!

Jelly baby! Yay!

Congratulations @fluthernutter, thanks for letting us know about your little boy!

@fluthernutter: Send us a picture when you have a free 28 seconds.

@fluthernutter Mazel Tov!

As the mother of two of the most wonderful men in the world, I can say being a boy’s mother is terrific!

W00T W00T! What’s Jelly Baby’s other name??

Congratulations!! Ahhh..new baby bliss—so happy for you @fluthernutter!