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!
