# 5+ cm dilated and not in labor



## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

I'm 39 weeks with my second child and I've been having prodromal labor for about a week. Just weak (simple tightening and loosening- like BH) contractions here and there. Sometimes I feel my cervix pulling with them.

I'm also having a ton of sharp stabbing pains with the baby's movement. It feels like he is pounding on my internal organs. This prevents me from sleeping at night, so I've also gone nearly a week with just a few hours of sleep per night. This is the part that's making me frustrated, grumpy, and very emotional.

So, I had my mw come over for an internal yesterday morning and found out I was 5cm dilated and 70% effaced! So not BH contractions after all! However, I've had nothing longer than a few hours of every 15 minute contractions. After that they always stop. They are not strong at all (completely painless) and most are not very long. So it's been nearly 2 days since the midwife checked and it's likely I've dilated even more.

My question is, what are your experiences with this type of labor? How long did you go before "active" labor actually kicked in? Will I just keep dilating like this with these irregular and weak contractions until suddenly my water breaks or I have one or two intense contractions and the baby comes out? We are actually fine with a UC, so I'm not worried about the actual birth. I'm just needing some experiences to read so that I can stop irrationally feeling like this baby is never coming!


----------



## Triciabn (Nov 6, 2005)

first off...congrats on 5cm that you never have to meddle with, lol.
I walked around at 5cm for weeks with my third baby. It was almost entirely because of postioning. Do you know what postion the baby is in? (go to babymapping on spinningbabies).
If position is an LOA or ROA... then I guess you are just one blessed lady, huh?! (if not then get on your hands and knees more)
Sit on a birth ball.
Take stairs two at a time.
Have some good sex.

Its perplexing to be at 5cm with no real labor. I feel ya!
All of this is just my opinion.. I am sure you will evenutally just pop into labor.
Tricia


----------



## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Triciabn* 
It was almost entirely because of positioning. Do you know what position the baby is in?

He's head down and extremely low (confirmed by my mw). I can feel him pushing on my cervix when he squirms around, but she didn't mention if he was posterior or anterior. I would assume she would tell me if he was OP so that I could try and turn him. But, I can check out spinningbabies to see. Dh and I have been doing the BD frequently







and I've been bouncing on the birth ball, walking, cleaning, going up and down our two flights of stairs, and even tried taking a B&B tincture every half hour for 6 hours yesterday. Nothing regular, nothing strong.







But you said you were at 5cm for weeks? ugh.


----------



## Triciabn (Nov 6, 2005)

yes 5cm for weeks.... but what I should have added was that I got to 5cm around 37 weeks and had my son at 39.6 weeks. So unless you had earlier cervical checks or you checked yourself... you could have been this way for weeks too!
My son was in a quirky LOP-Op postion and that is why he wasn't applying enough pressure or whatever.
Tricia


----------



## 4C-mom (Jul 1, 2007)

I was 4-5cm dilated on a friday morning OB appt. no ctx, except maybe an occasional BH. nothing painful.

went into labor on sunday night









to look on the bright side, after 5cm is "typically" the faster phase of dilating. (i say typically b/c not everyone is the same. it took me 7 hours from 7cm to pushing time). So once you get more active labor, it will hopefully be shorter.


----------



## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Triciabn* 
So unless you had earlier cervical checks or you checked yourself... you could have been this way for weeks too!

True... that was my first and most likely only internal check, so I don't really know how long I've been at 5cm. But, I literally just lost my mucous plug, so I'm assuming I'm dilating further! I've also had a few longer and slightly stronger, pulling contractions. So maybe soon!


----------



## hillymum (May 15, 2003)

I started prodermal labor at about 36 weeks. (If memory is correct) By 40 weeks I was 5cm dilated and by 40wks 6days I was 7cm dilated. My waters broke at 41wks 1 day after taking black cohosh. Labor was 1 1/2 hours long.

Good luck!


----------



## gini1313 (Jul 5, 2006)

Well, I walked around at 5 cm for 4 weeks before dd was born so... sorry, but it could take a bit!!! But, things went relatively quickly after labor really started!!!


----------



## Vaquitita (Mar 2, 2006)

i had off and on contractions for 3 days, at my mw appt monday morning i was 7 cm dilated, baby was high (i thought she was low, but it was my bag of waters bulging that i felt) i walked, etc. still my contractions stayed mild and only occasionally got closer than 10-20 min apart. but monday night at 8:30 my water broke, labor switched into high gear and dd was born 1.5 hours later.


----------



## Vespertina (Sep 30, 2006)

I was 5 cm for a week with dd1 before being induced. I made it to 7 cm without being in active labor with dd2. Didn't start labor until transition with both. I started active labor at 5 cm with ds1.

With ds2 I was a stretchy 4 cm-5 cm for about a week. I was induced with CO and the cohoshes. I didn't have much in the way of labor. Contractions kicked in after about the second bathroom trip, but didn't really register with me. 'Real' labor, or at least contractions that felt productive, started about an hour before his birth. Went from 6 cm to birth in 5 minutes.


----------



## xelakann (Jul 30, 2007)

5 cm too from 36 weeks until 41 weeks. Then I had a super fast, very easy labor (thanks for hypnobabies).

It was frustrating being that dilated for so long, thinking I could have the baby any second, but now I'm glad for it because a lot of the hard work was done before labor even started.


----------



## Jaimee (Jun 7, 2007)

Well, had the baby early this morning! About 4 hours of semi-intense, very manageable labor and maybe an hour of intense labor, three pushes and he was out!


----------



## xelakann (Jul 30, 2007)

Yay!!!


----------



## Triciabn (Nov 6, 2005)

Oh that is fabulous!
Enjoy your baby.


----------



## _betsy_ (Jun 29, 2004)

CONGRATS!

I walk around for weeks at 100% effaced and dilating up to 4-5 cms without ever feeling a thing. No BH, no tightening, nothing.

But once the water breaks? LOOK OUT! Had DD1 in 1 hour and 48 minutes, and DD2 in 1 hour and 8 minutes, with the cord wrapped loosely around her neck twice! Very intense, and very fast.

CONGRATS!


----------



## GuavaGirl (May 6, 2008)

I had no idea that labor could progress like this!

Do any of you ladies attribute it to anything different/special that you did or took while pregnant?


----------

