Help, confused, in hospital - can cervix regress??

[MaryannM]

I'm 39wks+6 and this is my first baby. Due to medical reasons I am being induced (in hospital now).

I came in yesterday (Wednesday) to be induced using the Propess pessary. Since Saturday I've had 3 sweeps to try and get going to avoid being induced.

So, on Friday last week, my first sweep - my midwife prepares me to expect nothing or very little to happen and basically she didn't want me to get my hopes up. Much to her (and my) surprise, my cervix was favourable and she said it was thinning, and that I was 1-2cm dilated. Membranes bulging and she could feel the baby's head.

Had another sweep on Sunday, midwife quite optimistic as I'd been having strong tightenings and cramps since sweep no 1 and lost my plug too. On Sunday she said I was 2-3cm dilated.

Sweep no. 3 on Tuesday morning, midwife was very pleased as she described my cervix as paper thin and said I was 3-4cm dialated. She warned me that as I was that far dialated cervix thin and membeanes bulging, it was likely I'd skip the pessary and have my waters broken.

So I come in to hospital for my induction and the midwife that examined me at 11am, said I was about 1 cm dialated and that my cervix was a bit thick, certainly by no means paper thin. So the propess pessary was inserted rather than having waters broken.

Forward to 6.30pm and the same midwife examined me and said she was really pleased as I was 2-3cm dialated and cervix a lot thinner so all looking good and likely to have waters broken in the morning.

Now, I went to the loo an hour ago and the pessary fell out so the night midwife examines me again in order to put in a new pessary. She tells me I'm barely 1 dialated.

I'm so confused by all this. Can a cervix regress?! I feel so disheartened. I've been having stop start labour since Saturday and incredibly intense contractions all day long today and was hoping that things were progressing.

Does anybody else have experience of this happening?

Thanks for reading my long story x

In answer to your question, I don't know.

I just didn't want you to be by yourself at stupid o'clock in the morning! Good luck with your induction. It's frustrating, all the stopping and starting.

Am not a MW so take this with a pinch of salt! - but from what I've read think examinations of how far you've progressed can be unreliable unless they are all done by the same hcp, i.e dilation is a bit subjective.

That said, Ina May Gaskin talks about the cervix closing in certain cases where the woman is frightened and DM says it happened to her!

Try not to be disappointed. Your baby knows when it wants to be born and will be with you soon I got sent home at 1cm and was at 10cm three hours later so might ramp up quickly for you too.

Good luck btw!

Although we are taught that cervical dilation only progresses or stays the same?..in practice I have observed regression occasionally. Very frustrating for all concerned.

I have seen it at a home birth. The woman transferred in and had an epidural and then progressed normally. I think she was tense and anxious.

That's interesting Mayhew: DM says with her first birth she got to the hospital and they said she was 8cm, then she got scared because the midwives tried to shave her without her consent (this was 30 odd years ago) and she stopped contracting completely and when examined again was only 3-4cm. DCs #2 and #3 she was much less anxious and the midwives more sympathetic and she delivered in under 2 hours - eek!

OP I hope you are having newborn cuddles by now!

Thank you everybody for your replies, I am very happy to say I have had a very healthy little boy on Friday morning. Over the moon! :-)

As for labour, I'm still confused, since my post, my cervix dialation was back and forth and the midwives didn't even believe me when I told them this baby was coming - and soon. I'd gone from 1cm to 6cm to 2cm to fully dialated in about the space of 2 hours in the early hours of Friday. I had been very anxious about childbirth but didn't realise just how much and I think this might have been a contributing factor.

All went well though and we are happy and healthy :-).

Thank you again for taking the time to reply. I do appreciate it :-) xxx

Congratulations

Yay! Was wondering how it went. Congratulations

Congrats! What's he called?

We have called him Dexter :-) thank you for your well wishes xx

Lovely name of your newborn cuddles!

Awh yes and me too, newborn cuddles are amazing