Childbirth isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, and it can be pretty gnarly when you’re on that medical bed, but what happens inside of you is even more shocking to those who have never experienced it before.
When you begin labour, there will be a few signs that’ll tick you off to what is going on.
During the latent stage of labour, you’ll find that your cervix will begin to soften and dilate so that your baby will be able to be born.
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During this time, you might go on to feel irregular contractions, but you can never know whether it’ll take hours or days when your body will be ready to give birth.
When you reach around 6 centimetres, you’ll officially be in established labour, which is the longest stage your body will go through.
According to the NHS, ‘contractions may range from being slightly uncomfortable to more painful’, but there will be no pattern to how your contractions present.
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We have all heard about cervical dilation and that it’s essential for giving birth, but it’s so hard to imagine what it could look like.
I mean, going from one centimetre to ten? That’s insane.
Well, it looks worse in person.
When Mama Nurse Tina posted little models made of clay and Styrofoam to mimic what cervical dilation looks like, women were watching with their legs squeezed tight.
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That’s because they were terrified of having to go through it one day.
Straight off the back, one viewer stated in response to the video: “Adoption is a great thing.”
Another said: “I saw someone use a Ben and Jerry's pint to represent 10cm and now I just can't with anything anymore.”
Someone else joked: “There is a reason I will be asking for the nurse with the tiniest hands .... That right there is why my doctor also has small hands. And small forearms.”
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“My face while watching this made me look like I ate something sour as hell,” said one user while another person wrote: “I- I shall never have children I will adopt.”
A commenter asked the group: “Did anyone else groan out loud with each change?”
Finally, a user stated: “I have a trauma now. I will never give birth ever.”
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The video shows the little clay models being measured against fingers and the distance between them.
Essentially, when your cervix reaches four centimetres, your contractions will get stronger and more pattered, and you’ll probably feel the urge to push.
As your cervix travels to eight, nine and ten, this urge to push will become even stronger until you have no other choice but to push down and begin the childbirth portion of your labour.
Thankfully, pushing can last minutes to a couple of hours before you need to be aided and when it’s over, your body will slowly begin to go back to how it was before (kinda).
According to Nurse Tina: “It MOSTLY goes back...though the texture might not be the same. And you might be a tough dilated after but nothing substantial.
“But it can stay slightly different (fingertip or dimple) and also much softer in consistency than it was pre first baby. But correct not open!”
Britt Jones