It could. In a first time mom effacement is often the slowest part of labor and you are already half way there!
Once labor starts you will start dilating and finish effacing. When you begin - your cervix may still be closed tight or it could be a "finger tip" meaning slightly less than 1 cm or you may start dilating before labor and walk around at 3 cm or more for a week or two.
Once you are 10 cm and completely effaced you will start pushing and your baby will make his or her grand entrance. Congratulations!
I spent 2 months that way... sorry, but it could be tomorrow, or weeks/months away =/
Not necessarily
Any moment now.
Today
Not necessarily. It's the dilation that is important, just as much as effacement. You will need to be 100% effaced plus 10 cm dilated in order to give birth.
If your contractions are three min. apart then you probably already are in labor especially if you are already dilated and 80% effaced. If the contractions aren't regular then you aren't in labor but if it turns out that your not then you will most likely be going into labor really soon.
if you are 3 weeks pregnant, and your effaced 90% i'd say that you need to go get that checked out? 3 weeks prego means you have ur entire 9 months left to go!! if you go into labor soon, you probably wont be delivering a fullterm healthy baby
== == Theoretically, as long as you are past the point where the fetus is viable, active labor can begin any time in any pregnancy, no matter how much you are dilated or effaced. This means you could go into active labor in four minutes, four days, four weeks, etc. There's really no way to tell.
The baby probably isn't ready yet. Where I went to the hospital if you were 5cm dialated they would keep you and induce labor. you can be zero dilated and be in labor. As soon as your muscles start contracting you are in labor and have pains.
I was put on bed rest and Nifedipine at 29 weeks. I was dialated to 1 1/2 and 50% effaced. I am now 38 weeks. I have been off of Nifedipine for 1 week now and am 60% effaced and not dialated. You could very easily make it to you due date.
Especially if this is your first pregnancy, your body could take an unpredictable amount of time to get ready for labor. Generally, loss of the mucus plug means labor will start soon, but it could still be several days or more. It is not uncommon for a woman to be 2cm dilated for at least a few weeks at the end of pregnancy.
It could happen any time. Try taking a walk.
There's really no way to tell. You can be slightly dilated for weeks before going into true labor. On the other hand, you might not be dilated at all and then go into labor closer to your due date. It's oddly not a very reliable way of telling when you'll deliver, until you are in active labor.