"Failure to progress" in labor, which is also called labor dystocia and most frequently leads to a C-section delivery, is defined as occurring when there is no fetal decent of cervical change (with adequate contractions) for more than two hours.

According to Dr. Orlandis Wells, an OB/GYN in Henderson, Nev., the cervix in women who haven't had children previously should dilate 1.2 centimeters per hour. In women who have had a previous delivery, the cervix should dilate 1.5 centimeters per hour and fetal descent should be 2 centimeters per hour.

Failure to progress can occur at any level of cervical dilation, including at 10 centimeters, which would commonly mean labor is about to progress to pushing.

"My labor was fairly textbook at first," says Bronwyn Saglimbeni of San Jose, Calif. "[My] water broke in the middle of the night [with] mild contractions from there. I hung in there as long as I could without the epidural and finally gave in about seven hours in." However, when checked by the nurse, Saglimbeni was found to only be dilated 0.75 centimeters. "I was amazed and completely embarrassed," Saglimbeni says. "For some reason, there's a badge of courage to see how far you can progress without drugs, so I was devastated that I wimped out before I even hit 1 centimeter!"

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.