QuestionI am sure there is no general response for this question, but if you can help me with a bit of a clue that would be great. I went to the Dr and this is my third baby, my first was 6 days late, my 2nd was induced 3 days early. I am only 1cm dilated but was wondering how long I could go at this stage, would it be a week, or less, or more. I was hoping that as this is my third child that it might go quicker to get to 10cm. Or could I sit at 1cm for a few more weeks even though its not my first.
Thanks for your response
Sally
AnswerYou could indeed stay dilated to 1cm for weeks. Dilation and effacement are no predictors of when you will go into labor or how fast your labor will be. You could be dilated to 4cm for weeks and go on to have a very long labor, or you could be completely closed and then be holding your baby in just a few hours.
Generally speaking, labors get shorter and babies are born earlier in second and subsequent pregnancies. However, positioning can have more of an impact than anything else. A small fourth baby in a bad position can take days to be born, while a large first baby in a good position can be born in hours.
There are just so many variables that it is impossible to predict anything about labor with any certainty. So be patient!
