37 Weeks Pregnant: 3cm Dilated - What to Expect & Labor Timing

Question
Hello, I'm 37 wks. with my first child i went to the Dr. yesterday i am 3cm and 50% dilated, is this normal, will i deliver before dec. 5th, also what will help to go into labor early?  
Now the hard part i had sex the the middle of February with another man not my boyfriend is there anyway that its not my boyfriends

Answer
Dilation and effacement mean nothing regarding when you will deliver.  Some women can walk around 3cm, as you are, for weeks before going into labor.  Others can be completely shut, and give birth within hours.  It is just not a good predictor of when birth will happen.  Remember that 40 weeks is only an average.  Normal gestation lasts from 37 to 42 weeks, and 50% of women will give birth after their "due date."

If you want to help encourage things along, there are a number of things you can do.  Walking, lots of walking, is good, because it provides you exercise to help get in shape for labor, and it wiggles the baby around and encourages the baby to engage and get into a good position.  Sex is good because semen contains prostaglandins, hormones which help soften and ripen the cervix and stimulate mild contractions.  Orgasms and nipple play can also stimulate contractions.  Evening primrose oil is a natural supplement often recommended by midwives during the last few weeks of pregnancy.  It contains prostaglandin precursors, again to soften and ripen the cervix, and can be taken orally or used as a vaginal suppository.  Finally, some people swear by certain foods, including eggplant parmesan, pineapple, and curry.

My personal prescription for going into labor is to find a nice hotel with a heated indoor pool and spend a night there with your partner.  The swimming and the pampering will help relax you and can help you slip into labor.  This worked for me and several friends I know.

As for determining paternity, this is difficult to do.  If you had an early first-trimester ultrasound, prior to 10 weeks, this would help determine your date of conception.  Any intercourse within a week of the estimated date of conception would be a candidate for fatherhood.  If you cannot pin down one possible father using this method, you will have to wait until after the birth, and rely on looks or genetic testing to determine the father.