Cervix VERY slow to dialate - Why??

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Had a very long & painful first labour. I was 12 days overdue when contractions started. At 14 days overdue I was 'augmented/ induced' to speed things up. Throughout the whole time my cervix would not dialate. And during 3 days of agony it got to 2cms! The midwife announced my achievement with real congratulations - I just wanted to die and couldn't believe after such a long time that it was only 2cms!
Anyway, DD was eventually born with every medical intervention known to man, but fortunately not having to go as far as a c-section. She was delivered by ventouse.

What I really want to try and understand is why was I not dialating?
I definitely want another baby one day but hope not to go through the same level of trauma.

According to Ina May Gaskin, women can be very sensitive to their surroundings/ people who are attending birth etc and this can impact on progress of labour. Could thishave been the case with you? Her books are brilliant - maybe check them out.

Did your team mention anything about head positioning? I ask because with both my boys I was VERY slow to dilate, even with Syntocinon etc. In my case it was because their heads weren't descending properly (due to both inheriting their dad's wide forehead ), and therefore not pressing correctly on the cervix. With DS1, it meant labour didn't start naturally, while with DS2 it did but I took eons to dilate and then eventually he got stuck

A midwife told me that any kind of malposition of baby as they call it can cause cervix to dilate slower than usual because not enough of the right kind of pressure on it from baby's head - could be back to back or head on one side or any number of positions that cause this.

Awful isn't it! You feel like you've been through about 3 labours' worth of contractions already before you've even got to establshed labour! But if it's down to position of baby, the hope is that it might not happen with no. 2 (that's what I'm also hoping!)...will let you know in a couple of weeks.....

My labour was similar to yours - after nearly three days of very painful contractions I was 3 cm dilated and finally allowed onto the labour ward and got some gas and air.

I then had syntocin but still took another 22 hours to get to 10cm

Found out that DD was positioned badly - back to back and trying to come out forehead first. So like whatfreshhell this caused labour to be slow.

I eventually had an EMCS as DD never descended into birth canal so that I could start pushing and she was too high up for forceps (she was well and truly stuck).

Same thing here although I ended up with EMCS.From reading my labour notes the baby was in a bad position and this is why I didn't dilate (probably).So this is definitely a possible reason for the cervix not to dilate so well.
Just to add I did do all the things to get the baby in a good position so don't know why she wasn't!

Just to echo the other posts, this was my experience as well. Five days and nights of awful contractions only to get to 3 cm, stall, and require augmentation. Just as the other posters say, my baby was also large and back-to-back, so the head wasn't placing enough pressure on the cervix for it to dilate efficiently. If it's any consolation, I've heard (both from friends who have had further children, and from researching this) that even if further babies are large and malpositioned they tend to be easier, as the baby finds it easier to get into position more quickly as everything has been stretched. I also eventually had an assisted delivery (missing a c section my the skin of my teeth!), but have been told that that's a good sign as it means further births should now be a lot easier as the baby made it out the exit eventually! I'm due my second in about 3 weeks, so we shall see!

i've not given birth (due in 6 weeks) but have been reading the obstetrics books I have from when I was at medical school (a long time ago- I am NOT an obstetrician!) and the main reasons I think are as malposition as mentioned above -for example if the baby is back-to-back, or if her head was not bent forwards- or if your contractions are "disorganised". This does not mean you are a disorganised person generally (!) but that your contractions start in the middle of the uterus rather than the top, travelling down. I think if it continues to bug you should ask your GP or midwife to review your notes and discuss with you what happened. Sometimes however, there may not be a single answer that they can give you.
Good luck with your new baby!

Thank you so much for all your replies. It sounds like maybe DD was most likely in an awkward position. I think to make sure I might apply for my maternity notes.

Have you ever had LLETZ / laser treatment on your cervix? My cervix wouldn't dilate despite a hefty labour as a couple of years before I had had dodgy cells removed. It's called cervical stenosis IIIRC. Very rare though. I ended up with an m cs then a planned cs for my second baby.

No never had any laser treatment etc

Re. Misspeek and her obstetrics books. What is it about obstetrics terminology and pregnant women - all the nomenclature seems so derisory: incompetent cervix, failure to progress, disorganised contractions, the list goes on. Are they trying to make us feel useless or what? Let's have a bit more positive language there all you health professionals!

I had this with DS, two days of extremely painful contractions before I reached 'established' labour. Eventually he arrived with the help of syntocin and forceps. I still don't know why it happened.

I was terrified of having the same experience again, but in the end DD was delivered in three and a half hours start to finish. And the contractions never seemed as painful, even at the end, as they had been when I was only 2 cm with DS.

I know everyone is different, but hopefully this is some reassurance!

My first labour was like this - it took about 12 hours of contractions to get to 4cm and a further 24 hours to get from 4cm to fully dilated. Ended up with a forceps delivery - I was probably too tired to push her out. BUT second labout was only an hour and 10 minutes it doesn't have to be the same the second time round! Good luck!

Wow - those last two posts are really reassuring. Thanks!

Did you take raspberry leaf tea tablets or drink the tea? I swear that is what made me dilate quickly with both dd and ds. Assuming there are no medical reasons for slow dilation it would be worth a try.

Thanks for your reassuring comments, hopefully the 2nd will be easier & quicker!

Eddas - i did try raspberry leaf tea & tablets but unfortunately to no effect.

hello, thought i'd add my pennysworth
1st baby - induced a couple of days early (they thought v large baby). Prostin (and lots of it) and 24hours of very painful prostin pains before they would contemplate pain relief or synto drip. drip put in at 10am next day, dd1 born 16 hours later.
Thought nothing of this....until...
2nd baby: had a show early hours of my due date. BHs all day. Contractions started properly that night. Got more and more regular overnight. Completely died off by 6am. 2nd day of labour off and on contractions. By evening of 2nd day they were 1min30 long and every 5 mins. Off to hospital. Internal exam showed a 'non labouring cervix at 2cm" and i'm sent home (in tears). Last few hours of day 2 of labour spent in a LOT of pain with regular cx (but of course i don't think i'm in labour )
1am i'm back in the hospital. At 4cm dilated.
Baby born 40 minutes later .

In a nutshell, I had a long latent phase, but a very fast established labour. So second time around, once you do get to established labour it can still be very quick.

As and when we do it again (if...) i hope to be prepared for a long long latent phase. I think it was the not knowing this time around that was so demoralising. At least you'd be prepared? is what i mean

Hope that makes sense.

My DS was back to back and brow presenting, meaning the correct pressure is not put on the cervix in the right place, so I didn't dilate on my own beyond 4cm. After syntocin, I got to 10cm for a while, but then it started closing back up and I had emergency caesarean. But it was totally about his position and am going for a VBAC this time. If they have not said so, then there is no reason why it should happen again to you, it was probably about the baby's position, and perhaps also the fact you were induced.

I hope you're both right MummyElk & DomesticGOddess.
I did try all those exercises of 'getting the baby' in to the right position. I guess it's just luck whether it works. These baby's have a mind of their own.
I was told that I had a 'tilted' cervix but was also told it would make no difference to my labour.

Could be position of the baby - with DD I was in labour for 10 hours and when i got to hospital 1cm dilated - same as I'd been two days earlier when i had sweep - but when midwife was checking me she said head not pressing down on cervix hence reason I wasn't dilating - she managed to move her head and my water went in the process and I dilated quickly after that.

I really recommend Ina May Gaskin's book - spiritual midwifery - she has lots of ideas why labour might be slow to progress - its a bit happy clappy but worth a read if this is something you are worried about.

And it should be quicker and easier this time anyway...