Labor and Delivery

Apparently I am "long and closed" whatever that means... should I even be worried about this? This is my first actual delivery (DD#1 was a c/s) I am pretty sure that I am just being paranoid and that I could just start dilating at any time, but I would just like someone to tell me that. ;-) This is really unknown territory.... I didn't even have Braxton-Hicks contractions with my DD!

Thanks for calming my fears (I hope! ;))

Valerie

I just want to say that your little girl is gorgeous!

And no, you have nothing to worry about.  Your little baby is not yet "ripe", and your cervix will soften, start dilating and you will go into labor when the baby signals to your body that the baby is ready to be born.

I know you are probably sick of hearing this, but every pregnancy and labor/delivery is different!  I am pregnant with my 7th child, and there were times I was dilated 3cm for over 2 weeks, and times when my cervix was long and closed the day before I went into labor! 

I know you are nervous and want to have this baby, but please don't be too nervous (some healthy nervousness is good---it is the way your body knows to prepare itself for the upcoming labor/delivery).  What I mean is, don't be nervous in the panicky, frightened sort of way.  It will happen soon, and you will be holding your baby in your arms in the next week or two.  No amount of worrying is going to change that happy fact, so stop wasting your time and energy worrying and focus on the happiness that you are going to be flooded with not too long from now!    :)

Blessings to you for a calm and healthy labor and delivery!

Hi Valerie,

I wouldn't be worried - it's not mandatory to be dilated in order to go into labor!  While some women can be a few centimeters dilated a few weeks before giving birth, there are women (myself included)  who don't dilate before labor starts, and then go into labor on their own with no problems - 41 weeks with my first and 38 weeks with my second.  Things can change very rapidly in late pregnancy, you can go into labor without having had any signs the day before.  Not all women dilate at all before labor starts.

Good luck and I hope these last days/weeks of pregnancy pass smoothly and comfortably.  I hope that we'll be seeing a birth announcement from you soon. Please keep us posted