Originally Posted by
flashy09
Had my cervix checked (which was 10x worse than when I had it checked two weeks ago...tons of pressure and it took a long time) and Dr said it was closed and posterior. Does this mean there is very little chance of giving birth before my due date (12/2) or can things change very quickly?
I had a posterier, closed cervix up until I went into labor with each child - I didn't dilate at all beforehand.
Remember that there is not a 'due date' but a 'due range' that goes from 38-42 weeks. Just like the 'average' woman is 5'5, but the majority of women are a little taller or a little shorter - same goes for gestational length.
Some women carry for longer, some women carry for shorter. I know two women who went into labor with *all* of their children at 38 weeks b/c that's how long their body is made to carry babies (7 babies between them!). I know another two women who go to 42+ weeks with each pregnancy, and in their family history there are a number of women who had 43 week pregnancies.
Then you have moms somewhere in the middle at 40-41 weeks. That is where the majority of moms fall.
I would advise you to decline cervical checks - they will just cause pain (literal pain - those things hurt!) and make you anxious. Your dilation does NOT mean anything. I had a friend walking around a 5cm dilated for two weeks without going into labor. Another who was 3cm for 5 weeks before going into labor!
Yet here I was, 0cm dilated and I went into labor at 39 weeks with each child.
Patience is really hard when you're at the end of pregnancy and just feel 'done', so it might help to reframe your due date from 12/2 to 12/10 to give yourself an extra week of buffer. I used to tell people my due date was "Sometime in _____ month" so that people wouldn't bug me about the exact date .
Mom of 4: Boy (10), Girl (7), Boy (4), Girl (2)