How to dilate cervix faster

How to dilate faster during labor: Safe methods

There are ways to induce labor medically, but a person can often encourage dilation by keeping the body relaxed and loose. This can help ease the delivery.

Dilation is a term that describes the widening of the cervical opening. Dilation of the cervix is one sign that a pregnant woman is going into labor.

During the final stages of pregnancy, doctors perform cervical exams to track the progress of the pregnancy and the extent of dilation of the cervix.

In the first stage of labor, the cervix will dilate to 10 centimeters (cm) in width.

Dilation is typically gradual, but the cervix can widen rapidly over 1 or 2 days. A few different factors can influence how quickly dilation occurs.

In this article, learn how to dilate more quickly before and during labor.

The following methods can help in dilation without using medication:

Move around

Getting up and moving around may help speed dilation by increasing blood flow.

Walking around the room, doing simple movements in bed or chair, or even changing positions may encourage dilation.

This is because the weight of the baby applies pressure to the cervix.

People may also find swaying or dancing to calming music effective.

Use an exercise ball

A large inflatable exercise ball, called a birthing ball in this case, may also help.

Sitting on the ball and rocking back and forth or moving in circles can help keep the muscles in the pelvis loose and relaxed for delivery.

Relax

It is easy to become tense during the last stages of pregnancy, but learning to relax can have a range of benefits.

Stress and muscle tension and can delay labor by making it harder for the cervix to dilate. These issues can also keep the baby from descending.

Many women benefit from practicing breathing exercises or meditation before and during labor. Even dimming the lights can help.

Laugh

Laughing can keep stress and fear at bay. Even momentary relief can relax the body and aid dilation.

Joking around, or watching funny movies or stand-up comedy may help to keep spirits up before and during labor.

Have sex

Sexual stimulation can relax the body.

Also, a hormone called prostaglandin in semen can promote dilation.

Share on PinterestMedical intervention may be necessary during labor.

While labor is a natural process, there are times when a doctor needs to intervene.

Medical intervention may be necessary if:

a woman has an infection in the uterus
the baby is more than 2 weeks overdue, and active labor has not begun
the water has broken, but there are no contractions
underlying medical conditions will complicate delivery for the mother or baby

A doctor may apply a medication that contains prostaglandin to soften the cervix and promote dilation.

A process called membrane stripping may help. It involves a doctor or midwife rubbing their fingers against the membranes of the amniotic sac to release prostaglandin into the uterus and help the cervix dilate.

Women interested in unmedicated or “natural” birth may avoid medical intervention until it is necessary.

There are three distinct stages:

Stage one

Share on PinterestThere are three distinct stages of labor.

This stage has three phases.

In the first phase, the cervix dilates to 3 cm. The baby drops lower into the pelvis, and this increases the levels of prostaglandin in the body, which stimulates dilation.

The mucus plug that has sealed the opening of the uterus during pregnancy will fall away.

Capillaries in the cervix can rupture during this stage and cause bloody discharge known as the bloody show. This is normal.

The next phase is active labor, when the cervix will dilate further. Some doctors mark the end of this phase when the width of the cervix reaches 7 cm. Others use contractions as a guideline.

The final step in this stage, called the transition phase, lasts until the cervix dilates to 10 cm.

Stage two

The second stage of labor begins when the cervix dilates to 10 cm and ends with delivery. The length of time can vary from woman to woman, and a variety of factors influence it.

Stage three

In this stage, the doctor will deliver the placenta and cut the umbilical cord.

In some situations, a doctor may use medical methods to encourage dilation.

However, there are a number of natural ways to promote dilation before and during labor. It is often a good idea to find ways to relax.

How to Dilate Faster: During Labor

Medically reviewed by Michael Weber, M.D. — By Jessica Timmons on July 15, 2016

Overview

While every pregnancy and delivery is different, most women will agree that by the end of their 40-week pregnancy, they’re more than ready to meet their baby-to-be. And once labor begins, they’re really ready to clear the final hurdle.

So what can be done to speed up the process? Is it possible to somehow dilate faster during labor, so that you can hold your new baby sooner?

Understanding more about dilation and the stages of the birth process may give you some answers.

What is dilation?

Dilation is a term used for the opening of the cervix. Both dilation and effacement, which refers to the thinning of the cervix, take place to provide an opening from your uterus to the birth canal so that your baby can be delivered.

For a vaginal delivery, the cervix needs to be 10 centimeters (cm) dilated and 100 percent effaced.

While cervical dilation is necessary for labor to progress, being dilated isn’t necessarily a sign that true labor is starting.

In some cases, women will dilate a few centimeters weeks before their due date. Others will dilate much faster, in just a few hours, and transition quickly between the stages of labor.

What are the stages of labor?

There are normally three stages of labor during childbirth.

Stage 1

Stage one is the longest stage, and it’s broken down into three parts. During early labor, the cervix dilates to 3 cm. Active labor occurs between 3 and 7 cm dilated. The transition phase is between 7 cm and full dilation at 10 cm.

Stage 2

Stage two is after full dilation until the baby is born.

Stage 3

During this stage, the placenta is delivered.

During your month 9 of pregnancy, your doctor will begin looking for signs that your body is preparing for labor. These prenatal visits may include internal exams to check your cervix. Your doctor will confirm whether your cervix has dilated and effaced.

Other things happen during the dilation and effacement process. You’ll lose the mucus plug, which has sealed the opening of your cervix during your pregnancy.

You may notice this in your underpants or the toilet. You could lose the mucus plug anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks before labor begins.

You may also notice bloody show, a term that refers to rupturing capillaries in your cervix. This can streak vaginal mucus pink or red.

You’ll know you’re moving into active labor (phase two of the first stage) when you begin feeling contractions that become steadily stronger and remain no matter how often you change positions.

Is there a way to dilate faster during labor?

If your due date is still a couple of weeks away, the best thing you can do is wait for nature to take its course: Let your cervix prepare in the most efficient and comfortable way possible for you and your baby.

But there may be medical reasons to speed up the process of dilation and kick-start labor. Medical intervention may be a good idea if:

you’re almost two weeks past your due date, and labor has yet to begin
your water has broken, but you aren’t experiencing contractions
you have an infection in your uterus
your baby isn’t growing at a steady pace
there isn’t enough amniotic fluid around your baby
you experience placental abruption, when the placenta peels away from the uterine wall before delivery
you have a medical condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure, that is dangerous for you or your baby

If any of these scenarios apply to you and your cervix has yet to begin dilating and effacing, your doctor has a few options:

Medications: Your doctor may apply the hormone prostaglandin topically to your cervix, or insert a prostaglandin suppository into your vagina. This hormone causes the cervix to soften and contractions to begin.
Stripping the membranes: If your amniotic sac is still intact, membrane stripping may trigger labor. Your doctor or midwife will use a finger to swipe against the membranes connecting to the amniotic sac, which can trigger the uterus to release prostaglandin.

A synthetic form of the hormone oxytocin is another option your doctor may consider, especially if the prostaglandin gel or suppository isn’t working. It’s administered through an IV, and it usually brings on contractions within about 30 minutes.

Does nipple stimulation help you dilate faster?

Check with your doctor before trying nipple stimulation. It should be avoided with high-risk pregnancies.

Nipple stimulation is a natural way to induce labor because it triggers the release of oxytocin, which can cause contractions. While it isn’t directly linked to dilation, anything that starts labor will help.

You could stimulate your nipples manually, with a breast pump, or have your partner participate. Just don’t overdo it: Stick to one breast at a time (about five minutes apiece) and take a break during contractions.

Next steps

While speeding up dilation is possible with medical intervention, it’s a decision that should be made with your doctor’s advice. Allowing your body time to prepare by itself is usually the best course of action.

You’ve made it this long, hang in there! Soon, you’ll be holding your newborn in your arms.

Q&A: Induced labor at home

Q:

Is it safe to try to induce labor at home?

Anonymous patient

A:

Most
caregivers would agree that almost any method of inducing labor at home is ill-advised.
Inducing labor instead of waiting for it to come naturally (by whatever means)
can increase risk during delivery, particularly for cesarean deliveries.
Induction of labor should probably be left to the hospital setting with experienced
labor and delivery physicians and nurses.

Dr. Michael Weber

Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

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Last medically reviewed on July 15, 2016

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How we reviewed this article:

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Cervical effacement and dilation. (n.d.)
mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/multimedia/cervical-effacement-and-dilation/img-20006991
Mayo Clinic staff. (2014, June 20). Inducing labor: When to wait, when to induce
mayoclinic. org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/inducing-labor/art-20047557?pg=1
Stages of childbirth: Stage 1. (2015, August)
americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/first-stage-of-labor/

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Jul 15, 2016

Written By

Jessica Timmons

Edited By

Nizam Khan (TechSpace)

Medically Reviewed By

Michael Weber, MD

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Medically reviewed by Michael Weber, M.D. — By Jessica Timmons on July 15, 2016

What will help in childbirth - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"

Vovk Lyudmila Anatolyevna

Reproductologist, Obstetrician-gynecologist

Lapino-1 Clinical Hospital "Mother and Child"

We walk and dance

If earlier in the maternity hospital, with the onset of labor, a woman was put to bed, now, on the contrary, obstetricians recommend that the expectant mother move . For example, you can just walk: the rhythm of steps soothes, and gravity helps the neck to open faster. You need to walk as fast as it is convenient, without sprinting up the stairs, it’s better to just “cut circles” along the corridor or ward, from time to time (during the aggravation of the fight) resting on something. The gait does not matter - you can roll over like a duck, rotate your hips, walk with your legs wide apart. It is worth trying and dancing, even if you think that you do not know how. For example, you can swing your hips back and forth, describe circles and figure eights with your fifth point, sway in a knee-elbow position. The main thing is to move smoothly and slowly, without sudden movements.

Showering and bathing

For many people, water is a great way to relieve fatigue and tension, and it also helps with painful contractions. You can just stand in the shower, or you can lie down in the bath. Warm water will warm the muscles of the back and abdomen, they will relax, and the birth canal will relax - as a result, the pain may decrease. Well, if it does not decrease, then in any case, the water will relieve stress and at least for a while distract from the pain. So if there is a shower or jacuzzi bath in the delivery room, do not be shy and try this method of pain relief for contractions. The only thing is that the water should not be too hot, even if it seems that heat helps to better endure contractions.

Swinging on the ball

Until recently, fitball (rubber inflatable ball) in the rodblock was something outlandish, and today is found in many maternity hospitals. And if you find a fitball in your rodblock, be sure to use it. You can sit on the ball astride and swing, rotate the pelvis, spring, roll from side to side. You can also kneel down, lean on the ball with your hands and chest and sway back and forth. All these movements on the ball will relax the muscles, increase the mobility of the pelvic bones, improve the opening of the neck, and reduce the pain of contractions. And while the woman is sitting on the ball, her partner (usually her husband) can massage her neck area for additional relaxation.

To be more comfortable, the ball should be soft, slightly deflated, and large, with a diameter of at least 75 cm.

We hang on a rope or wall bars

When the contractions become very strong and painful, you can take poses in which the stomach is, as it were, in a “suspended” state. Some advanced maternity hospitals have wall bars and ropes attached to the ceiling for this. During contraction, you can hang on them, as a result, the weight of the uterus will put less pressure on large blood vessels, and this will improve uteroplacental blood flow. In addition, in the “suspended” position, the load from the spine will be removed, which will also reduce pain.

Do not hang on a rope or a wall only if there is a desire to push, and the cervix has not yet opened and the efforts must be restrained.

Lying comfortably

If during childbirth a woman wants not to move, but, on the contrary, to lie down, then, of course, she can lie down. In modern maternity hospitals, instead of traditional ones, there are transforming beds: you can change their height, lower or raise the headboard or foot end, adjust the tilt level, push or push some part of the bed. There are also handrails in transforming beds (to use them to rest or even hang on them), and leg supports, and retractable pillows, and special backs - in general, everything in order to fit the bed under you and take it with it comfortable position. Moreover, this can be done without any physical effort - using the remote control.

We use everything we have

In any road block, even if it is minimally equipped, you can still find something useful. For example, if during a fight you want to take a position with a support, you can lean forward and rest against something that turns up under your arm - a table, a headboard, a window sill. The main thing is that the support must be very stable. You can also get on all fours in the “cat pose” and focus on your hands, and to make it more convenient, put a pillow and a folded blanket under your chest. If you want to hang on something (and there is no rope or wall) and your husband will be nearby, you can use postures that allow you to transfer body weight to him: for example, hang on your husband’s neck. In general, it is worth showing imagination and adapting any item in the rodblock to your needs.

And don't be afraid to look stupid during childbirth. No one in the delivery room cares about how you move or lie down as long as it helps you get through your contractions, so calmly find your comfortable position.

Giving birth in an uncomfortable position is both difficult and inefficient. So memorize and rehearse some poses beforehand, and if there are any fixtures in the rodblock, try using them. Something of this will definitely help you to comfortably and easily survive childbirth.

When we move, take various postures, the blood supply to the uterus improves, as a result, it contracts better, and the cervix opens faster. In addition, uteroplacental blood flow improves, and therefore the baby does not suffer from hypoxia

strength to push

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Induction of labor or induction of labor

The purpose of this informational material is to familiarize the patient with the induction of labor procedure and to provide information on how and why it is performed.

In most cases, labor begins between the 37th and 42nd weeks of pregnancy. Such births are called spontaneous. If drugs or medical devices are used before the onset of spontaneous labor, then the terms "stimulated" or "induced" labor are used in this case.

Labor should be induced when further pregnancy is for some reason unsafe for the mother or baby and it is not possible to wait for spontaneous labor to begin.

The purpose of stimulation is to start labor by stimulating uterine contractions.

When inducing labor, the patient must be in the hospital so that both mother and baby can be closely monitored.

Labor induction methods

The choice of labor induction method depends on the maturity of the cervix in the patient, which is assessed using the Bishop scale (when viewed through the vagina, the position of the cervix, the degree of its dilatation, consistency, length, and the position of the presenting part of the fetus in the pelvic area are assessed). Also important is the medical history (medical history) of the patient, for example, a past caesarean section or operations on the uterus.

The following methods are used to induce (stimulate) labor:

Oral misoprostol is a drug that is a synthetic analogue of prostaglandins found in the body. It prepares the body for childbirth, under its action the cervix becomes softer and begins to open.
Balloon Catheter - A small tube is placed in the cervix and the balloon attached to the end of the tube is filled with fluid to apply mechanical pressure to the cervix. When using this method, the cervix becomes softer and begins to open. The balloon catheter is kept inside until it spontaneously exits or until the next gynecological examination.
Amniotomy or opening of the fetal bladder - in this case, during a gynecological examination, when the cervix has already sufficiently dilated, the fetal bladder is artificially opened. When the amniotic fluid breaks, spontaneous uterine contractions will begin, or intravenous medication may be used to stimulate them.
Intravenously injected synthetic oxytocin - acts similarly to the hormone of the same name produced in the body. The drug is given by intravenous infusion when the cervix has already dilated (to support uterine contractions). The dose of the drug can be increased as needed to achieve regular uterine contractions.

When should labor be induced?

Labor induction is recommended when the benefits outweigh the risks.

Induction of labor may be indicated in the following cases:

The patient has a comorbid condition complicating pregnancy (eg, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, or some other condition).
The duration of pregnancy is already exceeding the norm - the probability of intrauterine death of the fetus increases after the 42nd week of pregnancy.
Fetal problems, eg, fetal development problems, abnormal amount of amniotic fluid, changes in fetal condition, various fetal disorders.
If the amniotic fluid has broken and uterine contractions have not started within the next 24 hours, there is an increased risk of inflammation in both the mother and the fetus. This indication does not apply in case of preterm labor, when preparation of the baby's lungs with a special medicine is necessary before delivery.
Intrauterine fetal death.

What are the risks associated with labor induction?

Labor induction is not usually associated with significant complications.

Occasionally, after receiving misoprostol, a patient may develop fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, and too frequent uterine contractions (tachysystole). In case of too frequent contractions to relax the uterus, the patient is injected intravenously relaxing muscles uterus medicine. It is not safe to use misoprostol if you have had a previous caesarean section as there is a risk of rupture of the uterine scar.