Ask Me Help Desk - Just wondering for fun

Just wondering for fun

I don't understand everything about pregnancy, but from what I do know, this sounds like total crap to me :)

My husband's ex wife was due last summer and she called him one night to arrange dropping off their kids for visitation. She then went into a whole story, saying she was going to talk to her doctor in the next day or 2 about "inducing labor" because she "had been dilating for 2 weeks already."

I'm sorry... I always thought that if you were dilating, labor had begun? And call me crazy, but I've never heard of anyone dilating for 2 weeks... wouldn't the baby just fall out like a watermelon at that point? LOL

Its not unusual to dialate to 2-3 cm long before labor starts.

And try to push a watermelon out a whole the size of a lemon... it isn't 'just falling out' ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevetcg

Its not unusual to dialate to 2-3 cm long before labor starts.

And try to push a watermelon out a whole the size of a lemon... it aint 'just falling out' ;)

No, she didn't say she was 2cm. She said she had been dilating for 2 weeks. Not to mention this was her 6th pregnancy(if she is to be believed when she said she had 3 miscarriages); I thought your labor tended to progress faster with each pregnancy..

And trust me, I've done the watermelon-out-of-a-lemon deal ;)

It's a pressure thing. Take a waterballoon with a tiny hole in it and turn it so the hole is down. It dialates.

My fiancée was at 4 cm at about week 24. 0 at 28. Who knows. I blame it on the pregnancy hormones. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevetcg

Its a pressure thing. Take a waterballoon with a tiny hole in it and turn it so the hole is down. It dialates.

My fiancee was at 4 cm at about week 24. 0 at 28. Who knows. I blame it on the pregnancy hormones. :)

Oh, that is just weird... I don't think I could handle all the opening and closing :)

Are you sure your doctor wasn't just a moron? LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by this8384

Oh, that is just weird...I don't think I could handle all the opening and closing :)

Are you sure your doctor wasn't just a moron? LOL

No. :)

Of course none of it really mattered since our daughter was born by planned C-section. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevetcg

.... Our daughter was born by planned c-section. ;)

*jealous* :D

Have you given birth yourself? There is nothing fun about it. If you're needing information on all the things that can happen during a child-carrying time, including pre-labor dilation, there are resources available. Having fun at someone else's expense? Isn't that like someone expounding on, they know not what,on the legal board?

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Originally Posted by this8384

*jealous* :D

She was very happy about it. Not so happy about the emergency C section of our son that necessitated the second C...

Quote:

Originally Posted by simoneaugie

Have you given birth yourself? There is nothing fun about it. If you're needing information on all the things that can happen during a child-carrying time, including pre-labor dilation, there are resources available. Having fun at someone else's expense? Isn't that like someone expounding on, they know not what,on the legal board?

I don't think you understood my question. Yes, I have given birth and I did so vaginally. I wasn't making fun of anyone, and certainly wasn't making fun of delivery.

I was wondering because this woman has a history of making things up; I just wanted to see how accurate it was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by simoneaugie

Have you given birth yourself? There is nothing fun about it. If you're needing information on all the things that can happen during a child-carrying time, including pre-labor dilation, there are resources available. Having fun at someone else's expense? Isn't that like someone expounding on, they know not what,on the legal board?

Where do you see this as having fun at someone else's expense?

And I don't understand the comment about the legal board - at all.

Some women begin dilating a month before and some don't dilate until the delivery. So it's possible that she could have started dilating 2 weeks earlier but it could be at a very slow, gradual rate. Some people say that subsequent pregnancies are easier but some say it's not different; all depends on the woman. With multiple pregnancies, the woman may recognize the different pregnancy stages and signs of labor a little quicker. Maybe that's what she was doing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikosmom

Some women begin dialating a month before and some don't dialate until the delivery. So it's possible that she could have started dialating 2 weeks earlier but it could be at a very slow, gradual rate. Some people say that subsequent pregnancies are easier but some say it's not different; all depends on the woman. With multiple pregnancies, the woman may recognize the different pregnancy stages and signs of labor a little quicker. Maybe that's what she was doing?

No idea. This is the same woman who claimed worrying caused her to break out in hives, as well as telling us that we needed to reimburse her for taking the kids to a doctor visit that they never went to... that's why I was wondering :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by this8384

No idea. This is the same woman who claimed worrying caused her to break out in hives, as well as telling us that we needed to reimburse her for taking the kids to a doctor visit that they never went to....that's why I was wondering :)

Reading her story is making ME break out in hives so maybe it's possible. On the other hand - ?

Oh, and for those who don't know my story as well as JudyKayTee does:

Same woman who - when they were still married - showed up at HIS work, walked behind the counter screaming at the top of her lungs in front of customers, got charged with disorderly conduct... and says it's HIS fault that it's on her record :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by this8384

No idea. This is the same woman who claimed worrying caused her to break out in hives, as well as telling us that we needed to reimburse her for taking the kids to a doctor visit that they never went to....that's why I was wondering :)

Hey, I've heard of people breaking out in hives from worrying and stress... so I guess it's possible. I don't know anything about hives though. :rolleyes:

I've had hives from worrying.

As to the original question. When a woman has braxton hicks it's possible that she is dilating, so yes, it's possible to dilate for two weeks prior to birth.

I was 3 centimetres dilated at my last doctors appointment for my daughter Sydney, she arrived a week later. I have quick labors, she was born 3 hours after I went in and was not in active labor when I arrived at the hospital.

I thought my water had broke, it hadn't, they checked me, I was 3 1/2 centimetres, they told me to walk around, nothing. The doctor came in, said "you're 4 centimetres but not in labor, we can send you home or I can break your water and we commit to having this baby today", I told him to break my water and 3 hours later I had my little girl.

Wow, memories. :)

But if she truly had been dilating for 2 weeks, why would they need to induce labor? I don't get the whole "your body does this just because" thing :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by this8384

But if she truly had been dilating for 2 weeks, why would they need to induce labor? I don't get the whole "your body does this just because" thing :)

Some women never get to labor naturally. You can dilate without labor, so she's not necessarily in labor. If it's past the 40 week mark and the doctor determines that the womb is no longer hospitable for the baby, they will induce labor.

I was almost induced with my son Jared, he was 4 days past his due date but the fliud level was going down, so was his heart beat. I went in for a non stress test, I was 2 centimetres dilated. They determined that I would have to be induced no more then 3 days later for the health of the baby.

I went into labor that afternoon, so thankfully I didn't have to be induced. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by this8384

But if she truly had been dilating for 2 weeks, why would they need to induce labor? I don't get the whole "your body does this just because" thing :)

It's possible that it came to a standstill.
How's this for a kicker- I never dilated at all but lost my mucus plug. (unless like Steve's wife I'd dilated unknowingly and closed back up)
As for the "just because" thing... only God knows :)