This ‘Dilation Chart’ Helps People Understand That Giving Birth Is Not Just Painful, It’s Hardcore
There’s something about the word ‘dilation’ that makes me irrationally uncomfortable; it suggests a widening, a swelling, an engorging of bodily fluids to facilitate the smooth passage of something into, or out of, the human body.
Image credits: scvbirthcenter
The example that first comes to mind is, of course, the miracle of childbirth. During labor, the midwife keeps mom-to-be updated on the status of cervix dilation to give an idea of how far the process is coming along. From 1cm, the size of a cheerio all the way to 10cm, the size of a bagel, the change is incredible and is vividly illustrated with this handy ‘dilation chart.’
Image credits: scvbirthcenter
A photo of the wooden chart was originally shared by SCV Birth Center, a pregnancy care clinic in Santa Clarita, California. The chart helps women to visualize what the midwives are telling them during labor because well, why not, right? It’s also a handy educational tool for midwives and doctors.
Image credits: etsy
If you wanted to get your hands on one of these beautifully-made wooden charts for yourself, perhaps as a discussion piece for your wall or coffee table or simply a reminder of the power of your vagina, you can find them for sale on Etsy here.
Image credits: Steffanie Christi’an
Facebook user Steffanie Christi’an saw the post by SCV Birth Center and shared it along with the caption “This is what 10cm of dilation looks like. This is why we deserve all the things.” Her post quickly went viral as women all over the world were confronted with the stark and impressive realities of childbirth.
Image credits: etsy
What do you think? Does the chart help to put things into perspective? Does it scare you at all? How was your experience of giving birth? Let us know in the comments!
Image credits: etsy
Here’s how people responded to the eye-opening chart
I had two babies and I found this interesting. During birth I didn't had that much of a view on my vagina ;) And to be honest: yes, it hurts. But it is not the biggest pain I ever had. You get a lot of happy-hormones and a baby. That's worth it :D
I think it's more of a natural pain, as I've heard it described. For me, pain is when something is horribly wrong but I think childbirth is a natural pain, just a part of life, and I think it's beautiful, but I still want to adopt rather than give birth. Not because I'm scared of my body changing, but because I had a harsh childhood and I think everyone deserves a chance with a good home and there are so many kids struggling out there.
Load More Replies...Ouch! My sister’s hips weren’t built for childbirth, but her doctor gave her the Okay to give natural birth. It nearly killed both her and her daughter. I know it’s natural for our bodies to do this — dilation I mean —, but the thought of this happening to me just makes me ‘oof’.
Extra note: when my sis gave birth, her daughter was stuck, and they had to literally cut her vaj to bits to get the kid out. I think there were 16 stitches. 20? More? This is part of why I hope to have a c-section if I ever end up pregnant. But others are certainly welcome to give natural birth. It’s a great accomplishment, I think, to shove a small human through your body. So yes, ten centimeters is one hell of a lot.
Load More Replies...I'm European so I was very well aware of how much 10 cm is, thank you... But I'm still not doing this s**t! No kids for me! No! No! No!
You sure Noez? You could always have it cut from your belly instead.
Load More Replies...So I've had four babies naturally and even with my 11 pound 1oz son, I never really considered how big 10cm really is, I just worried about having the baby without using any drugs if I could. This is definitely an eye opener! Wow.
I'm not sure 'horrifying change' is the best way to describe what happens to pregnant women to be honest.
I think it's beautiful, the stretchmarks, like who cares, right? It's so human and beautifully raw and natural.
Load More Replies...There are no words to describe how much that 10 scares me.... I flinch just thinking about it...
I was only a six or seven when my preemie decided she had enough and delivered herself on the hospital bed. I had preeclampsia and at 34 weeks. Dr gave me double pitocin and magnesium. Baby wanted OUT
Lil' girl couldn't wait to meet her momma, huh? How is she doing now?
Load More Replies...Omfg. My first baby was off the chart. A few nurses who came to take care of me after the destruction of my private parts would silently gasp and ask "oh... are you okay". I was under a lot of anesthesia, because the peridural had wornoff during the travail, so I didn't feel a lot while in the hospital. When I got home, however, it hurt to sit and to pee. So, I'm glad I gave birth during the new millenium, because 60 years ago, I or my baby or both could have died.
Wow, looking at this chart is amazing. In the first place, my son weighed almost 10 pounds and looked a month old when I brought him home from the hospital (I kid you not!) I only dilated to 4 centimeters, and they had to do a Cesarean delivery. No way that "little head" was getting through that! Lol
Every woman should carry one of these so whenever a man tries to give them s**t they'll just whip that bad boy out and remind them how women are the true warriors.
Oh it certainly doesn’t tickle. It feels like your being ripped apart from vajayjay to arsehole when the baby starts crowning. My son tore me to shreds coz he came out with his fist on his face. He had a bruised forehead for about a week. My daughter not so bad, just needed 2 stitches.
The fact that some women actually do tear from vaj down is horrifying to be honest.
Load More Replies...Many people are confused here. It is not the vagina that dilates, it's the opening in the uterus called the cervix. It's like a drawstring purse, with dilation being the slow opening of the purse.
I heard that if the mother is very relaxed, without fear, and in a calm environment, sometimes childbirth can actually be quite pain-free and easy!! So if you research how to try and achieve this kind of birth, pain is not a given. (Which you wouldn't think given what we see on tv/films would you?!!)
Mine was C section because my body would NOT dilate past 4 - Doc left me in labor 12 hours before he decided that just "maybe" he should DO something. I SO wanted him natural :'( but.......... such is life and I'm super grateful to have him, as well as my elder adopted son. He was 8 lbs 11 oz and couldn't ask for healthier, more perfect <3
I found childbirth intense, but I don't believe the intense sensations need to be classified as painful. Some people find it euphoric. I think it is a disservice to speak only in terms of pain, especially if natural childbirth is desired if possible.
For some women, it's more than intense. It's seriously the most agonising pain they've ever experienced. I was led to believe childbirth could be pain-free and I went in to labour with no fear of what was to come. What came was 35hrs of back-to-back 5 min long contractions that had me screaming in pain. I was pushing for 2hrs, and thought I was splitting in half. 3rd degree tears, lots of stitches, and a big haemorrhage. My second childbirth experience was shorter, but WAY more intensely painful. I thought I was losing my mind with every contraction. It is a disservice to people like me to try to make women believe that childbirth should not be painful. To speak like that downplays the trauma other women have legitimately experienced. Let's just admit that everyone is different and will have a different experience. :) I think we need to have more discussions about how varied labour can be, rather than trying to classify it one way or another.
Load More Replies...Mom of five daughters. For me it was pressure, not so much pain. I know I am very fortunate and I appreciate them every single day.
That babies head cant fit through there! Its too hard. Because its WOOD! Are your insides made of hard unyielding substance too?
I never made it past 4cm with my son, despite being induced for far longer that should have been allowed. His poor little head looked like an ice cream cone after an emergency C-section.
No thanks. This fills me with a sense of terror. I am never having children.
Yeeks! Had I seen that bad boy before I had my two there would be "0" in my home right now! No matter the pain at the time, memory fades and I have two grown kids, 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren! It's all a beautiful circle.
Yes it's beautiful after to have had you and your true loves children. Your body in your 50's look like the rubber body suit of Mrs. Doubtfire. And your boobs' look like two fried eggs or a couple of wind socks you can tie in a knot. You can tuck them in your pants or throw them over your shoulders. So women make sure you have a prenup that your body is to be returned to what it looked when you married. Why You ask? For when he walks off and leaves youyou s
Also -- worth noting, when they say a "bagel" they mean a Lenders or Thomas's English muffin bagel. A real NYC bagel is 34 cm in diameter and would be an upgrade. 10 Centimeters would be the size of your credit card if you had an extra 4 digits on it. I was confused at first thinking "the size of a bagel, that's way bigger than a baby's head!" lolol
I want to point out the misinformation presented here: giving birth is not necessarily painful, for many it is not. Midwives do not always keep track of how far you are dilating because it is not necessary in a normal birth and doesn’t tell you much till the end. Also, comparing the cervix to a hard piece of wood is misleading, picture more a rubber band. If the board was stretchy it would be more accurate.
This is very interesting, but when I was giving birth, both times, I wasn't interested the glory of the 10cm, at that moment I just wanted my babies to get the H out of my body! Maternal came when they were OUT, whooooo👶🏼❤️💋
My firstborn had a larger than 10-cm head. It was the labor from hell, I had all kinds of drugs, and after 20 hours of labor, 3 hours of pushing, 4 epidurals, and forceps, they told me his head circumference in inches. I mentally converted to metric, divided by pi, and said "That's more than 11 cm!" It was 11.67 cm. Which completely explains the labor from hell. I went on to have two more. Shows how much mothers love their babies, that we'll do it more than once.
It should be their in every classroom to show what unprotected sex do...
Wouldn't free birth control for young people be more effective?
Load More Replies...I wish I had one of these in the 70's when I was giving birth it would have explained a lot when the doctor told me I was only 5cm etc
People claiming they love giving birth are liars. No one likes going through that. They like the results but no one likes the process
Some women genuinely do enjoy it. Some get pleasure from pain and some even orgasm.
Load More Replies...Ouch!!!! Even though a c-section is still a massive surgery, 10cm is reeeaaally big and natural birth just seems too painful.
From onset of labor to delivery was about 10 hours for me. The worst pain came when he got hung on my pelvis, but with a little help from the forceps, he popped right out. That pain last only about 10 minutes while he was hung up. The only pain killer I had - or even needed - was a single shot for the episiotomy.
Holy mother of God!! My vagina hurts just looking at this. It's only been 4 years since I gave birth and holy hell!! I had NO idea what 10 cm actually looked like.
That's a small head. Try dilating 10 centimeters then 2nd degree tearing to get that dratted head out. That was unpleasant. I compared it to trying to poop a watermelon.
As I woman, I just say Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Sure, I our bodies are made for pushing out babies, but we were supposed to start pushing them out in our early teens, when the bodies tissues are far more flexible.
No, no no...birth in early teens are far more complicated, much more chance for problems like fistulas, where your bladder breaks through to your vagina.... remember that a long time ago nutrition was not so great, girls didn't start menstruation until mid teens
Load More Replies...so glad i don't remember any details except non-binary first-born didn't want to make their entrance until I told the really annoying doctor to get his stinking hands off my bits and let me get into the position I needed. Sadly, doc relied on awesome partner to diagnose first-born's hip dysplasia and arrange for their three surgeries and stints in body casts {since partner was transcribing for a pediatric orthopod at the time. There was no pain involved ~~ just lots of hard work. What did we get out of it? Not much. First-born was an amazingly violent and unlikable child. So glsd hey found other relative to inflict themself on.
Bored Panda and it's antinatalist campaign. Is Soros paying you?
How could a babies head Possibly fit through that hole?! Because your vagina isnt made out of WOOD or some other inyielding substance. DERP
I had two babies and I found this interesting. During birth I didn't had that much of a view on my vagina ;) And to be honest: yes, it hurts. But it is not the biggest pain I ever had. You get a lot of happy-hormones and a baby. That's worth it :D
I think it's more of a natural pain, as I've heard it described. For me, pain is when something is horribly wrong but I think childbirth is a natural pain, just a part of life, and I think it's beautiful, but I still want to adopt rather than give birth. Not because I'm scared of my body changing, but because I had a harsh childhood and I think everyone deserves a chance with a good home and there are so many kids struggling out there.
Load More Replies...Ouch! My sister’s hips weren’t built for childbirth, but her doctor gave her the Okay to give natural birth. It nearly killed both her and her daughter. I know it’s natural for our bodies to do this — dilation I mean —, but the thought of this happening to me just makes me ‘oof’.
Extra note: when my sis gave birth, her daughter was stuck, and they had to literally cut her vaj to bits to get the kid out. I think there were 16 stitches. 20? More? This is part of why I hope to have a c-section if I ever end up pregnant. But others are certainly welcome to give natural birth. It’s a great accomplishment, I think, to shove a small human through your body. So yes, ten centimeters is one hell of a lot.
Load More Replies...I'm European so I was very well aware of how much 10 cm is, thank you... But I'm still not doing this s**t! No kids for me! No! No! No!
You sure Noez? You could always have it cut from your belly instead.
Load More Replies...So I've had four babies naturally and even with my 11 pound 1oz son, I never really considered how big 10cm really is, I just worried about having the baby without using any drugs if I could. This is definitely an eye opener! Wow.
I'm not sure 'horrifying change' is the best way to describe what happens to pregnant women to be honest.
I think it's beautiful, the stretchmarks, like who cares, right? It's so human and beautifully raw and natural.
Load More Replies...There are no words to describe how much that 10 scares me.... I flinch just thinking about it...
I was only a six or seven when my preemie decided she had enough and delivered herself on the hospital bed. I had preeclampsia and at 34 weeks. Dr gave me double pitocin and magnesium. Baby wanted OUT
Lil' girl couldn't wait to meet her momma, huh? How is she doing now?
Load More Replies...Omfg. My first baby was off the chart. A few nurses who came to take care of me after the destruction of my private parts would silently gasp and ask "oh... are you okay". I was under a lot of anesthesia, because the peridural had wornoff during the travail, so I didn't feel a lot while in the hospital. When I got home, however, it hurt to sit and to pee. So, I'm glad I gave birth during the new millenium, because 60 years ago, I or my baby or both could have died.
Wow, looking at this chart is amazing. In the first place, my son weighed almost 10 pounds and looked a month old when I brought him home from the hospital (I kid you not!) I only dilated to 4 centimeters, and they had to do a Cesarean delivery. No way that "little head" was getting through that! Lol
Every woman should carry one of these so whenever a man tries to give them s**t they'll just whip that bad boy out and remind them how women are the true warriors.
Oh it certainly doesn’t tickle. It feels like your being ripped apart from vajayjay to arsehole when the baby starts crowning. My son tore me to shreds coz he came out with his fist on his face. He had a bruised forehead for about a week. My daughter not so bad, just needed 2 stitches.
The fact that some women actually do tear from vaj down is horrifying to be honest.
Load More Replies...Many people are confused here. It is not the vagina that dilates, it's the opening in the uterus called the cervix. It's like a drawstring purse, with dilation being the slow opening of the purse.
I heard that if the mother is very relaxed, without fear, and in a calm environment, sometimes childbirth can actually be quite pain-free and easy!! So if you research how to try and achieve this kind of birth, pain is not a given. (Which you wouldn't think given what we see on tv/films would you?!!)
Mine was C section because my body would NOT dilate past 4 - Doc left me in labor 12 hours before he decided that just "maybe" he should DO something. I SO wanted him natural :'( but.......... such is life and I'm super grateful to have him, as well as my elder adopted son. He was 8 lbs 11 oz and couldn't ask for healthier, more perfect <3
I found childbirth intense, but I don't believe the intense sensations need to be classified as painful. Some people find it euphoric. I think it is a disservice to speak only in terms of pain, especially if natural childbirth is desired if possible.
For some women, it's more than intense. It's seriously the most agonising pain they've ever experienced. I was led to believe childbirth could be pain-free and I went in to labour with no fear of what was to come. What came was 35hrs of back-to-back 5 min long contractions that had me screaming in pain. I was pushing for 2hrs, and thought I was splitting in half. 3rd degree tears, lots of stitches, and a big haemorrhage. My second childbirth experience was shorter, but WAY more intensely painful. I thought I was losing my mind with every contraction. It is a disservice to people like me to try to make women believe that childbirth should not be painful. To speak like that downplays the trauma other women have legitimately experienced. Let's just admit that everyone is different and will have a different experience. :) I think we need to have more discussions about how varied labour can be, rather than trying to classify it one way or another.
Load More Replies...Mom of five daughters. For me it was pressure, not so much pain. I know I am very fortunate and I appreciate them every single day.
That babies head cant fit through there! Its too hard. Because its WOOD! Are your insides made of hard unyielding substance too?
I never made it past 4cm with my son, despite being induced for far longer that should have been allowed. His poor little head looked like an ice cream cone after an emergency C-section.
No thanks. This fills me with a sense of terror. I am never having children.
Yeeks! Had I seen that bad boy before I had my two there would be "0" in my home right now! No matter the pain at the time, memory fades and I have two grown kids, 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren! It's all a beautiful circle.
Yes it's beautiful after to have had you and your true loves children. Your body in your 50's look like the rubber body suit of Mrs. Doubtfire. And your boobs' look like two fried eggs or a couple of wind socks you can tie in a knot. You can tuck them in your pants or throw them over your shoulders. So women make sure you have a prenup that your body is to be returned to what it looked when you married. Why You ask? For when he walks off and leaves youyou s
Also -- worth noting, when they say a "bagel" they mean a Lenders or Thomas's English muffin bagel. A real NYC bagel is 34 cm in diameter and would be an upgrade. 10 Centimeters would be the size of your credit card if you had an extra 4 digits on it. I was confused at first thinking "the size of a bagel, that's way bigger than a baby's head!" lolol
I want to point out the misinformation presented here: giving birth is not necessarily painful, for many it is not. Midwives do not always keep track of how far you are dilating because it is not necessary in a normal birth and doesn’t tell you much till the end. Also, comparing the cervix to a hard piece of wood is misleading, picture more a rubber band. If the board was stretchy it would be more accurate.
This is very interesting, but when I was giving birth, both times, I wasn't interested the glory of the 10cm, at that moment I just wanted my babies to get the H out of my body! Maternal came when they were OUT, whooooo👶🏼❤️💋
My firstborn had a larger than 10-cm head. It was the labor from hell, I had all kinds of drugs, and after 20 hours of labor, 3 hours of pushing, 4 epidurals, and forceps, they told me his head circumference in inches. I mentally converted to metric, divided by pi, and said "That's more than 11 cm!" It was 11.67 cm. Which completely explains the labor from hell. I went on to have two more. Shows how much mothers love their babies, that we'll do it more than once.
It should be their in every classroom to show what unprotected sex do...
Wouldn't free birth control for young people be more effective?
Load More Replies...I wish I had one of these in the 70's when I was giving birth it would have explained a lot when the doctor told me I was only 5cm etc
People claiming they love giving birth are liars. No one likes going through that. They like the results but no one likes the process
Some women genuinely do enjoy it. Some get pleasure from pain and some even orgasm.
Load More Replies...Ouch!!!! Even though a c-section is still a massive surgery, 10cm is reeeaaally big and natural birth just seems too painful.
From onset of labor to delivery was about 10 hours for me. The worst pain came when he got hung on my pelvis, but with a little help from the forceps, he popped right out. That pain last only about 10 minutes while he was hung up. The only pain killer I had - or even needed - was a single shot for the episiotomy.
Holy mother of God!! My vagina hurts just looking at this. It's only been 4 years since I gave birth and holy hell!! I had NO idea what 10 cm actually looked like.
That's a small head. Try dilating 10 centimeters then 2nd degree tearing to get that dratted head out. That was unpleasant. I compared it to trying to poop a watermelon.
As I woman, I just say Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Sure, I our bodies are made for pushing out babies, but we were supposed to start pushing them out in our early teens, when the bodies tissues are far more flexible.
No, no no...birth in early teens are far more complicated, much more chance for problems like fistulas, where your bladder breaks through to your vagina.... remember that a long time ago nutrition was not so great, girls didn't start menstruation until mid teens
Load More Replies...so glad i don't remember any details except non-binary first-born didn't want to make their entrance until I told the really annoying doctor to get his stinking hands off my bits and let me get into the position I needed. Sadly, doc relied on awesome partner to diagnose first-born's hip dysplasia and arrange for their three surgeries and stints in body casts {since partner was transcribing for a pediatric orthopod at the time. There was no pain involved ~~ just lots of hard work. What did we get out of it? Not much. First-born was an amazingly violent and unlikable child. So glsd hey found other relative to inflict themself on.
Bored Panda and it's antinatalist campaign. Is Soros paying you?
How could a babies head Possibly fit through that hole?! Because your vagina isnt made out of WOOD or some other inyielding substance. DERP
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