[C13 (meaning heap of firewood): perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse hraukr rick 1] ruck (rÊk) n. a wrinkle, crease, or fold. vb (usually foll by up) to become or make wrinkled, creased, or puckered [C18: from Scandinavian; related to Old Norse hrukka] ruck (rÊk) n. slang a fight [C20: short for ruckus] ruck (rÊk) n (Military) military slang a rucksack
As your baby's birthday gets close, your cervix begins to dilate, or open up. Dilation is checked during a pelvic exam. It is measured in centimeters, from 0 (no dilation) to 10 (full dilation) Typically, if you're four centimeters dilated, you're in the active stage of labor.
If this is your first labor, you can probably wait until your contractions are about five minutes apart to call the doctor. But be sure to go over this as your due date approaches, as she may have a different protocol. If this isn't your first labor, call your doctor when your contractions are 10 to 15 minutes apart.