This “dilation chart” shows how large the cervix gets during labor, and it’s going viral for the best reason
Women are literally superheroes. Earlier this month, the SCV Birth Center in California shared a photo on Facebook of a birthing tool they use to help women visually understand what 10 centimeters look like. During labor, a woman’s cervix opens at a steady rate, and once the cervix is around 10 centimeters dilated, it can accommodate the size of most baby’s heads. Most people know this fact, but it’s rare that you see a visual representation of just how large 10 centimeters actually is.
The photo of the wooden dilation board went viral, and sure, there were a number of “yikes” in the comment section, but most people were sharing the photo to marvel at the wonder of the female body. In the diagram, the cervix is shown at one centimeter—roughly the size of a Cheerio—and finally at 10 centimeters, which the SCV Birth Center illustrated by holding a newborn baby’s head near the fully dilated opening. Never has 10 centimeters looked so…huge.
The post actually didn’t go viral until one woman, Steffanie Christi’an, shared it on her Facebook with the very astute comment, “This is what 10cm of dilation looks like. This is why we deserve all the things.”
A woodworker named Jennifer Compton creates and sells these wooden dilation boards on Etsy and considers it both “a learning tool and piece of artwork.”
"It also is a beautiful representation of birth, pregnancy, and womanhood," Compton writes in her Etsy description.
Women are the new Avengers.
