What does "open fingers" mean?

Friends who are familiar with the childbirth process know that generally, for a normal birth, you have to wait until the cervix is ​​fully dilated before you can give birth to the baby, and you can only give birth after the cervix is ​​fully dilated. Therefore, the process of waiting for dilation is very painful, and you have to wait until the cervix is ​​fully dilated before you can give birth.

Dilation is the opening of the cervix, also known as cervical dilation. Under normal conditions, the cervix is ​​open to about the distance of a fingertip. As the labor process stops, the cervix gradually expands until it opens to allow a normal-sized fetus to pass through, that is, the diameter is 10 cm. The whole process is called dilation. The cervical canal is about 2 cm long and is a muscular canal connecting the vagina and the uterine cavity. Before delivery, the mother's uterine contractions intensify, which promotes the expansion of the muscles and fibrous tissues around the cervix. At the same time, the fetus enters the pelvis, causing the cervix to gradually expand, and the cervical canal will become shorter or even disappear. The increase in the number of dilations also means that the pain coefficient is increasing. This process varies from person to person. It takes an average of 8 hours from labor pains to cervical dilation of 3 cm, and an average of 4 hours from cervical dilation of 3 cm to 10 cm. During this process, mothers have to endure the pain.

In short, opening ten fingers = having a baby.

The whole process of childbirth is divided into 3 stages, also known as 3 stages of labor. The first stage of labor is the dilation of the cervix; the second stage of labor is the delivery of the fetus; the third stage of labor is the delivery of the placenta, which refers to the process from the delivery of the fetus to the discharge of the placenta. The process of opening the cervix is ​​relatively slow. Usually, the cervix gradually flattens in the second week after the 9th month of pregnancy, which is also the process of cervical achievement. The size of the cervix is ​​a few fingers wide, but it has a lot to do with when the baby is born. When the cervix is ​​1 finger wide, it means that the expectant mother is in labor, but has not really given birth yet. Pay attention to changes in fetal movements and go to the hospital at any time if there are any abnormalities. Generally speaking, when the cervix is ​​3 fingers wide, the expectant mother can enter the delivery room; it usually takes a relatively long time from 3 fingers to full opening; when the cervix is ​​10 fingers wide, the expectant mother has entered the rhythm of giving birth. Generally speaking, the first stage of labor for mothers who give birth to their first child will be relatively long, basically around 12 hours, and the cervix will open relatively slowly. This is the stage that many expectant mothers fear, because the dilation of the cervix is ​​accompanied by labor pains, and the gradual increase in labor pains means that the cervix "index" is increasing.

The doctor uses his fingers to check how big the cervix is ​​dilated. Usually, one finger is 1 cm, and ten fingers dilation means that the cervix is ​​10 cm dilated. In fact, most people's fingers are wider than 1 cm, and the width of a palm is usually close to 8-9 cm. The so-called ten fingers dilation does not mean putting all ten fingers at the cervix to measure. Generally, when it is 3 fingers dilated, the expectant mother will enter the delivery room. It usually takes a long time to dilate from 3 fingers to 10 fingers. The process of dilating the cervix requires the efforts of the pregnant mother herself, otherwise the fetus will be held in the stomach all the time! When the parturient has symptoms of labor and the uterus has regular contractions, the doctor will perform a digital examination on her. Wearing sterile gloves, the doctor will insert the finger from the vagina, put the finger at the cervix, and measure the dilation of the cervix with the finger.

1. Walk back and forth

If the pregnant mother is in good condition, there are handrails on the walls of the obstetrics department, and you can walk back and forth, which is very helpful to speed up the opening of the cervix!

2. Rub nipples

It sounds so embarrassing, but if you don't do it, the nurse will use more force than you, so just do it yourself! Stimulating the nipples can strengthen uterine contractions and make the cervix open faster. You're about to become a mother, so just bear with it!

3. Delivery health ball

There is usually a yoga ball in the delivery room. You can move left and right under the guidance of the medical staff. The most important thing is to open your legs and use a little strength instead of sitting on your husband's lap!