Most of us learn about pregnancy for the first time in school. And by pregnancy, I mean the nitty-gritty of what goes on in a female body when there's a bun in the oven. I'll never forget being shown half an avocado and being told that's what the inside of a womb looks like. Little did I know it then, but that was a bad lesson.
While we're on the subject of Easter, check out this molten creme cheesecake:Female bodies consistently change throughout pregnancy, and from the time of conception, a fetus grows from a microscopic ball of cells up to anything the size of a, well, a tub of chicken at the 40-week mark!
To put exactly what female bodies go through during pregnancy into context, a maternity hospital has compiled a guide to cervix sizes DURING birth using the aptest spring objects to hand - Easter eggs!
Behold - the Easter egg cervix dilation chart!
And before you ask, yes, once the cervix is the size of the largest egg shown, the time has come to push.
When a cervix has opened by 10cm, it is fully dilated and therefore large enough to birth a child.
Prior to this happening, the cervix opens at a steady rate, a process which, for many, is notoriously painful. One mom wrote on Baby Centre that it feels like "a stabbing pain in the vagina."
Royal Devon and Exeter Maternity Services accompanied their chart with the following caption on Facebook: "For all the chocoholics out there - a good way of knowing how dilated the cervix is in labor."
These are some of the best reactions from social media:
So, when you tuck into a chocolate egg this Easter, spare a thought for everyone who has ever given birth. Sure, the human body is amazing, but it really does put moms through their paces during labor!
