36 weeks

One. month. left. I know…ahhh!!! Right?!

And now, a lesson in cervical exams. Honestly, it is not entirely clear to me, so pretending to be an expert in this matter is completely laughable. However, allow me to clue you in on what I do know – and, by all means, feel free to comment if you have information to share as well.

From this point forward, I will be seeing my doctor weekly and at each appointment she will be checking my cervix for progress. These exams include three things: dilation, effacement, and station.

Dilation: Dilation is the process of the “mouth” of the cervix opening and widening, which allows the baby to pass through. This is measured in centimeters. Until late in the 3rd trimester, the cervix should stay tight and closed – at 0 centimeters. However, as you near the end of pregnancy, you cervix begins to dilate as it will need to stretch open to 10 centimeters in order to deliever the baby.

Effacement: This is the one that is the most unclear to me. Until late in pregnancy, the cervix is long and thick. As labor nears, it begins to shorten and thin out. This action is referred to as effacement and it is measured in percentage; anywhere from 0%-100% which means not effaced at all to competely effaced and thin. When it is completely effaced, it becomes a part of the uterine wall, allowing Baby to pass through. Station:Baby’s station refers to how far down his head has come into your pelvis. If Baby has dropped, but has not yet settled into your pelvis to begin his decent, it is measured in centimeters at a negative station. This negative measurement goes from -3 to -1. Once Baby has settled into your pelvis, but before he starts the descent to the birth canal, it is referred to as zero (0) station. Once Baby starts heading towards the cervix, it is referred to as a positive station from 1 to 3.

I had my first cervical exam today. I am dilated 1 centimeter, 60% effaced, and at -2 station. The biggest shocker to me was the effacement. It means that my cervix is already over halfway thinned out and that Baby has begun to descend into the birth canal. Crazy! Based on these results, my doctor is predicting that, while Baby may not necessarily be early, he will likely not be very late.

I think this freaked Matt out a tiny bit. After we left the appointment he mentioned that he’d been mentally banking on Baby being late, so he had actually been anticipating another 6 weeks instead of only about 4. He started talking about all of the things he needed to get done at work so he’d feel comfortable taking off for a couple of weeks at the drop of a hat.

I think it’s hard for either of us to truly believe that this little guy could really come at any time.

<jenna>