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Checking
Your Dilation
What many people don’t realize is that measuring cervical dilation is
not an exact science. Two people will often give different
results. For this reason, in a hospital birth, different
nurses might have different opinions of how dilated you are, which is
one reason why they try to have the same person do your exams to keep
their results a bit more consistent.
Now, doctors may learn a different technique but as for midwives, the
typical learning technique is to start by measuring the distance
between the index and middle finger when they are stretched
apart.
On my hand, they are about 6cm apart. This distance will be
different for each of you.
Next, you can start a “guess and check system” :
take common items, such as cans, salt shakers, or anything else you
have handy that’s a small circle. Make a guess, then measure
first with a tape measure, then with your fingers.
Then, when you are guessing correctly more than not, reverse the
order... fingers, guess, then measure.
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