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3rd Trimester
Please school me on internals and the #s
I know what the cm means, but what does the percentage of effaced mean? And the other number (like the -1 below)?
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Re: Please school me on internals and the #s
% of effacement means your cervix is in the process of thinning out. 0% is normal, thick cervix. 100% means it's thinned out as far is it will go.
The -1 is the baby's station. I believe some doctors use a scale of -3 to +3, others use -5 to +5. The negative numbers are when the baby is floating above the pelvis. Zero station is when the baby's head has dropped or engaged in the pelvis on the level of the ischial (I think I spelled that right) spines. The positive numbers are as the baby's head works down the birth canal. +5 is when the baby is actually crowning and you can see the head from the outside.
Sarah - 12/23/2008
Alex - 9/30/2011
"I say embrace the total geek in yourself and just enjoy it. Life is too short to be cool." - Shirley Manson, Garbage
What is effacement?
Effacement is the process by which the cervix prepares for delivery. After the baby has engaged in the pelvis, it gradually drops closer to the cervix; the cervix gradually softens, shortens and becomes thinner. You may hear phrases like "ripens," or "cervical thinning" which refer to effacement.
How is effacement measured?
Effacement is measured in percentages. For example, your health care provider may tell you that you are effaced 50%, which means you are half way to being completely effaced. When you are 100% effaced or completely effaced, your cervix is paper-thin and labor is right around the corner.
How will I know if and when I am effaced?
In your final weeks of pregnancy your health care provider will routinely check for effacement, and as soon as you arrive at your birth location, you will be checked for effacement. If you are a first time mom, your cervix will usually efface before it dilates. If you are a second time mom, your cervix will usually dilate before effacement.
The concept of "station" denotes the degree of engagement of the fetal head as it navigates the maternal pelvis. Station is the relationship
of the presentng part to an imaginary line drawn between the ischial spines of the pelvis. The ischial spines are two bony prominences that demarcate the middle of the pelvis.
Although we assess station during the last weeks of prenatal care (or in the case of preterm labor), its most frequent application is in labor. Progress in labor is assessed by means of several parameters, namely cervical consistency (soft to firm), cervical effacement (shortening), cervical position (posterior, anterior, or mid), cervical dilatation (0 to 10 cm) and station (-4 which is just coming into the pelvis to +4 station which is on the perineum or ready to be born). When the top of the fetal head (or other presenting part as in a breech presentation), arrives at the level of the ischial spines, the baby is said to be at 0 station or "engaged.?