Can your cervix 'un'dilate?

[Carolyn]

Last Wednesday at my 39 week appointment my doctor checked me for the first time and found I was "a good 2cm" and "beginning to efface nicely", she said with confidence that because this was my first, if I was dilating at all then baby would be here soon and she would be shocked if I made it to my next appointment at 40 weeks, next Wednesday.

However it's Sunday now and I haven't had any signs that baby is soon to make an appearance. None of those things you would expect at all. I'm feeling really down about all this because I was so sure I would go two weeks past my due date, then got all this relief that it would happen soon and now... nothing.

Is it possible that perhaps my cervix closed again?

[invisible_ink]

Sometimes it does fluxuate, but it's more likely that you are still at 2 cm and your body just isn't in labor yet. I was 2 cm for about a month...and then I was induced so I have no idea how much longer it would have been. Your little one will come, I promise! Just remember that most first time moms go past their "due date". It's easier said than done to just chill (believe me, I know! ) but he/she will be here before you know it!

[White Star]

Yes! Sept 10th dilated to 3-4 got sent home because I didn't progress went back to a 2 Sept 18th dilated to 4-5 and on the 22 morning I was induced I'd gone back to a 3-4.

[LALaborRN]

Shay were your exams all done by the same person?

The only time I have heard of/experienced any sort of cervical "regression" is when we rupture a patient's membranes. Sometimes the bulging bag stretches the cervix, and once the bag is popped the cervix "shrinks" closed slightly. As far as I know, true cervical regression isn't physiologically possible? I'll have to ask my OB tomorrow when I see her at my NST.

[White Star]

That could be it. Each exam was done by a different nurse. I'm hard to check anyway because apparently my cervix is up near my belly button. All the nurses complain about how hard it is to check me because it's so high up. I don't know if that's bad or not.

[Laura]

I know that when I was dilated at 33 weeks, the nurse that checked me thought I was 3 cm, and then had four different nurses check (that HURT!) to make sure, since I was in preterm labor. Two of them said 3 cm, and the other two said 4 cm.
They told me that I could stay at 3 cm until my due date, or I could go into the next week. The original nurse told me that she had been at 3 cm dilated for three whole weeks, even though she walked around at her job all day.
I ended up going back in three days later, dilated at 5 cm, and having my baby that day.

My doctor did tell me that if you are more effaced, that you could dilate more quickly; but that it doesn't mean for sure that you will. I was on bedrest at around 30 weeks, because I was already 75% effaced.

[FashionMommy]

I was at 3cm for two weeks with this little one, soooo...

[honaras]

both my doula and my OB said "nope - you can't undilate." like pp said, if different people check you, they might come up with different measurements based on their finger-size, but you're still the same size.