08/21/2026
Reposted Audrey Ross
Here’s the thing: the cervix is a dynamic, sensitive organ of the body. It responds not only to physical touch, but also to the thoughts, feelings, and emotions we’re experiencing.
And when it comes to dilation of the cervix - (which, physiologically, actually the knitting of the fundus matters much more than a dilation number) - the opening and closing of the cervix has much to do with how safe, undisturbed, and protected a woman feels.
This is why women often labor beautifully at home, only to arrive at the hospital and be told they’re “only a 3 or a 4.” In reality, it’s very likely that their dilation dropped because they left their safe environment and walked into an unsafe one-where strangers will violate them, insert their hands into their va**na (the most sacred part of their body), and prod around inside their cervix.
The cervix can open quickly.
The cervix can close quickly.
To think that “progress” in labor only moves in one direction is absolutely false. Women can move forward in labor, only to regress the moment they enter an environment that doesn’t feel safe.
And the more a cervix is poked and prodded-via cervical exams, membrane sweeps, artificial rupturing of membranes, etc.—the more likely it is to become angry, inflamed, and closed.
So yes... that video of a sea anemone opening and closing? It’s actually incredibly accurate. Because the cervix behaves very much the same way when a woman no longer feels safe, or when fear enters the space.
