The question "cm dilated how much longer" refers to how much longer it takes to progress in cervical dilation during labor. Here is the detailed explanation:
- Cervical dilation is measured in centimeters (cm) from 0 (closed) to 10 cm (fully dilated).
- In early labor, dilation from 0 to 6 cm can take a few hours up to about 12 hours, sometimes even up to 20 hours.
- During active labor, dilation from 6 to 10 cm usually takes around 4 to 8 hours.
- On average, dilation progresses about 1 cm per hour during active labor.
- Once at 10 cm dilation, delivery generally happens within minutes to a few hours.
The total time left to delivery depends on the current dilation and other factors like whether it is a first or subsequent pregnancy, the position of the baby, and the strength and frequency of contractions. First-time mothers often take longer to dilate compared to those who have given birth before. In summary, if a person is currently dilated to a certain number of centimeters, you can estimate the remaining time to full dilation and birth by considering these average durations, keeping in mind individual variability can be large.
