All your doubts have been answered.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 4, 2020. It has since been updated.
Pregnancy can be as daunting as it can be wonderful. It is a time of eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new member of the family but it can also be difficult. Plus, there are always a lot of questions in the mind of the mother, especially if she is giving birth for the first time. These questions may range from things like the food they should have to the kind of care they should provide for their not-yet-born baby. And one of the questions that also crosses the mind is about the process of giving birth itself. They are growing a human being inside them, and that thought alone can be overwhelming.
Yes, you would be bringing a baby to the world but what really happens? When are you ready to give birth? How much does the cervix need to be dilated for the birth to be possible? What does it look like? How do the doctors decide? Well, to answer these questions, the Royal Devon and Exeter Maternity Services released a simple manual that shows the different levels of cervix dilation during the process of childbirth, using Easter eggs.
The maternity ward shared the image with the caption, "For all the chocoholics out there a good way of knowing how dilated the cervix is in labour."
As reported by The Sun, "At the start of labour when dilated by just 1cm, the cervix is the size of a mini egg. The mum-to-be then progresses through to 2cm - the size of a Lindt chocolate egg before reaching 3cm - represented by a Dime egg. The later stages of dilation were illustrated using a Milkybar egg for 7cm, followed by a Button egg to represent 8cm dilated."
The maturity arrives at the dilation of about 10 cm, that is approximately the size of a Cadbury egg, and it is at this time that the mother-to-be starts pushing out the baby and the crown starts emerging.
Needless to say, the post went viral and was shared almost 6,000 times on Facebook and more than 15,000 people commented on the post. The responses were anywhere between amazed to traumatized as they felt that the image ruined chocolate for them.
One woman responded, "I don't think I'll ever look at a chocolate egg the same way again." Another said, "Well, Easter is ruined now." However, there were many women who understood just what the post was about. Especially this woman, "But a water melon has to get through the Cadbury’s egg... slight size difference." Some women tagged their pregnant friends to help them understand their body better. "so much easier to understand the potential size of [her] cervix".
The maternity ward has been sharing some very useful manuals on its Facebook page dealing with almost all stages of motherhood. They shared an extremely informative guide on staying healthy and active during pregnancy that had information about how one should be during the three trimesters.
They also shared a manual about what to do if you observe a low fetal activity.
You can visit their Facebook page for more information in easy-to-understand manuals and of course, enjoy the funny and relatable way in which they are doing their bit to help.
References:
https://www.facebook.com/RDEmaternity/photos/a.871124306281318/2194579073935828/?type=3&theater
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/8827400/maternity-ward-shares-guide-cervical-dilation-easter-eggs/
https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/09/maternity-service-uses-easter-eggs-show-far-cervix-dilated-9140335/
Cover Image Source: Facebook | Royal Devon and Exeter Maternity Services
