Pre-labor Dilation?

Yep, completely normal. I've heard of women walking around at even 4 & 5 cm dilated for a few weeks before labor starts. It sucks, but you'll have the baby sooner or later, so hang in there! :-)

Hi J.,

I've been through labor three times and each time was different. I would say to go with your own instincts and if you feel you are really ready, then go to the hospital. My daughter is Strep B positive and the doctor wanted 9 hours to drip the antibiotics into her arm with the first daughter, the second daughter came early and from what I understand, he didn't have time to give her antibiotics but she had been on them for something else and Cheyenne was fine. The third child was 4 hour labor and she was given antibiotics again. I went to the hospital with my second child at 5 a.m. and they told me I wasn't in labor, he was 10 days overdue. I went to my moms house and at 7:30am my water broke and she took me back to the hospital. We got there at 8:00 am and Johnny was born at 8:25 am. So, I say, go with your own instincts and if you think you need to go to the hospital, go. My friend was in the hospital and they told her she wouldn't be delivering for several hours. They ignored her a lot and when the babies head came out she screamed and they came back to the room. They don't always know what you are going through. Follow your instincts.

Hi J.,
Congrats on your second blessing. I actually had preterm labor with my second and was dialated 1.5 cm at 31 weeks. I made it all the way to 39 weeks (on modified bed rest and slowly dialating more each week)and when I went in for my 39 week appt and my OB told me I was 5 cm! I had been having some contractions just like you described but not too regular. All I needed was that last internal exam to set things off and my beautiful daughter was born just a few hours after that appt (mind you I had time to drive myself and my 2 yo daughter home in 5 o'clock traffic and drive back to the hospital with my husband and when I got back to the hospital I was 6 cm). I couldn't believe I had been walking around that dialated! Every labor is different so I would just trust your body and when it is ready you will see the signs your OB tells you to look for. I was having a lot of what you are experiencing the last week or so. So hopefully you will get to see your beautiful son soon. Good luck and here's wishing you a fast and safe delivery!
~C.

With my 6 year old, I was 3cm and 100% effaced for 2 weeks or more before I went into labor. With my 12mo old, I was 4.5cm and 70% effaced for 3 weeks prior. The OB told me labor doesn't start till 3cm dilated, but I have a posterior uterus (tilted backwards), so labor doesn't count till I'm 5cm.
You can talk to your dr about being induced if you feel you can't handle the contractions anymore. Some hospitals will tell you you aren't in labor and send you home even if you truly are.
I wish you luck. I remember being so nervous with my first. Nervous with my second and now pregnant again, and will be nervous then too. But the first is the worst because you don't know what to expect. Fortunately, my water broke both times, so no question.
Have a good day and congratulations to you!
Also, they say to drink a glass of water and lie down when you have contractions like that. If they stop, supposedly, it is not real labor.

You've described almost exactly what happened with my second; for about 3 weeks, I was 3 cm dilated. The day after my 39 week visit, I went into the hospital to have my water broken. It was painless and quick, and even though everyone expected a 4-5 hour labor, my son was born only 2 hours after my water was broken. My suggestion to you is since you know you need the antibiotics for strep B, ask your doctor about coming in to have your water broken. There is the chance that you will have to have pitocin if things don't start up on their own, but my guess is that it would be just what your body needs to get going with the labor. No matter how fast your labor is after that, you will have had time to get the antibiotics in your system.

Whatever happens, best of luck to you and congratulations in advance!

I walked around with my second child effaced and dialated.. i believe that i was 80% and 3 cm from about 37 or 38 weeks. It is perfectly normal for women to walk around like that and not even know it!
With both of my children, my water didn't break until I got to the hospital. i am also strep b +, and my deliveries are so fast (3 hours for the first & 1 & 1/2 hours for the second) that they couldn't get antibiotics even started - or drugs for pain for that matter... They just monitor the baby more closely for the first 48 hours - my second one they even did blood sugar tests every 4 hours.
I was told that if you deliver fast, then they don't really worry about strep B because the baby isn't in the birth canal for a long enough time to be introduced to it...and if you don't deliver fast, then you'll have time for antibiotics!
So when to leave for the hospital? When you can't take it anymore. If you want, you can time the contractions until they are consistant..the worst that they can do is send you home, but that baby is going to come out at some point!
Good luck!

I was like that for about 4 weeks with my second one, they kept telling me "any day now". When my contractions got to 4 min apart and stayed that way for an hour despite what I did (lying down, walking, drinking a large glass of water), we went in. They hooked me up to a monitor and admitted me. We got there around 2 a.m. I think it was. Around 10 or so the next morning my contractions started slowing down, but since they had already ruptured my water, they had to start induction, didn't take long after that before he arrived.

My first was over due and I was induced so I had nothing to compare for going into labor at home and was terrified that I wouldn't know when, etc. For us, the hospital is about 30 miles away and I imagined all kinds of horrible things happening on the way. However, when the time came, I knew it was time, there was no second guessing. By the time my husband got home from work and we got there, contractions had been 3 to 5 min apart for 2 hours (I didn't call my husband home from work till they had been steady for an hour).

Good luck!

Hi J.,

I just gave birth to my third on March 1. I was dilated to 1cm at 36 weeks. I also noticed that I was losing my plug around that time. I had A LOT of the menstrual like cramping. With my 2nd daughter I went into labor the day after the cramping started so, I was sure that it was time. At that check up the dr. told me that the baby was extremely low and even joked that I couldn't cough or she would come out. I had the terrible pressure like you mentioned and most days I could barely walk if I wasn't holding onto something. At 37 weeks I was 3cm and 85% effaced. The dr. commented that she thought it was going to be real soon. I went like that till the next week. Had terrible contractions the whole week and was sure I would be dilated more. At 38 weeks nothing had changed. I started noticing a bloody show mixed in with my plug though (which by the way I was still losing my plug every day since 36 weeks.)
She came March 1 but wasn't due till March 9th. My water broke at 9:50pm. The dr. told me the week before not to stay home too long because she anticipated that it would be a very quick labor. Daughter #2 was born in 5 hrs. After my water broke at 9:50pm I headed to the hospital with contractions 2 to 3 min. apart. They checked me and I was still only 3cm...I was totally bummed because after the painful contractions the whole week I was sure I would be dilated more. At the hospital I dilated super slow. At 5:00am I had my epidural. She wasn't born till 5:43pm.

Like you said...it is different every time. I hope everything goes well and that she comes soon! Tell me about the anticipation!!!!!!! Good luck! :)

O M G- I have been there And uncomfortable ain't even half of it ,u talk about feeling so so tired I was same as u but for 2 weeks so at 39 weeks I finally went to the Health food store and got this natural medicine an took them like I was suppose to to enduce my labor,water breaking and the whole 9 yards....Plus after the first 24 hours of taking the little disolvable thing from the health food store they seemed to make my water break on it's own and might I add all over our couch..lol so labor was 3 hours tops with me already dilated 4 1/2 cm and 90 % affaced so i was was so ready to have my daughter out and it all worked out great and she'll be 2 April 18th .

Good Luck and really check out the labor inducing dissolable be-be looking tablets at the health food store it'll jump start everything and u'll be a mommy again sooner instead of being miserable!

Hi! With my first daughter, I was walking around 3 cm dilated for at least 2 weeks. At 41 weeks, I was 5 cm dilated. My CNM stripped my membranes for me at that appointment, and labor started overnight. I wouldn't call it a fast labor, though - I waited 3 hours to go to the hospital and I still wasn't fully dilated for another 7 hours after I arrived at the hospital.

Every pregnancy is different. I am 38 weeks right now, too, and nowhere close to dilating. If things haven't started by the time you get to your due date, maybe your care provider will strip your membranes and at least you'll know things should start up soon ...

At my postpartum 6-wk checkup, I asked my OB what I would have done if my water broke in the grocery store. He responded, "Well, I wouldn't go home for my suitcase!" I had almost the exact experience (nearly 39 years ago with my 2nd child) -- dilated to 4 cm -- and when the doctor did an internal exam to determine that, he asked if I wanted to have my baby tomorrow. Sleeping overnight and tossing and turning all night just wasn't what I wanted so I asked, "How about tonight?" So, I got to the hospital at about 6:30 pm, a pitdrip (pitocin) was started and by 10:30, I wasn't getting anywhere. The nurse on my case happened to be a friend and she had an order to give me a sleeping pill but I really didn't want it because I wanted to be awake for the birth. She said she'd have to give it to me before she went off her shift, so at 11:00 pm, I took the sleeping pill, my water broke a few minutes later and at 11:47 pm, Marci was born and I slept through the whole thing! Fortunately, she was very worth it! All those contractions for weeks were Braxton Hicks, but the last few were just "silent labor" which I'd experienced with my firstborn, too. Just count your lucky stars!! Good luck!

Hi J.,

I feel your pain! I was dilated 3-4 cms. from 37 weeks on. I was also fairly effaced, but I lasted until 4 days before my due date and was only induced because my blood pressure got high. You may go into labor sooner, but know that you still may make it to your due date (I know it's not what you want to hear!). Good luck!

I was dilated a few centimeters a few weeks before my second was due, but the doctors weren't concerned at all. Then 2.5 weeks before I was due I was painting a room (bad idea) and after being at it all day finally started throwing up uncontrollably. I went in to be checked out, and they kept me overnight to rehydrate. All that caused me to start having contractions for the rest of the week, until they finally got close enough together, for over an hour, that I called and they said to go ahead and come in. The doctor had to rupture the membranes to really get things going.

It's a pain, I know, to be so close and uncomfortable. Some people take a walk to try to move the process along; some massage the accupressure points that might stimulate more contractions/labor (between the shoulder blades); some stimulate the nipples; and I just met one lady who drank castor oil to induce herself (which worked for her, but is not recommended).

Hang in there and keep hydrated. It will be over before you know it!

I have 3 children and each time my labor was different. My first child my water broke at 3 cm then I started having contractions. My second child I was dilated 2 cm at 32 weeks and then kept dilating 1 cm every 2 weeks. At 38 weeks I was at 5 cm. The next day I went into labor at 6 cm. Doc had to break my water. My third child, I was 3-4 cm and 75% effaced at my doc's appoitment at 37 weeks. The next day I had labor pains all day and finally went to the hospital at 11 p.m. and I was 6 cm. Doc had to break my water. I had her 4 hours later.
So they all were a different. You just never know. Good luck. Having a baby is so exciting.

A little about me:
A SAHM/WAHM with 5 year old son, almost 3 year old daughter, and 4 month old daughter.

I hate to say this but every woman is different. With my first I was 3cm and 60% effaced at 32 weeks and stayed that way till 37 weeks when I went into labor and had her. With my second I was 3cm and 80% effaced at 34 weeks and had him at 37week 6days so almost 38 weeks. You just never know how ling you can be dialated that much for. I thought for sure with my first (cause I was a new mom) that because I was 3cm I was having her that day LOL Just make sure that when the contractions are 2 minutes apart for an hour or 2 you go in even if its a false alarm or talk to your dr and ask him for a date to be induced once you hit 39 weeks since you have to have the antibiotics.