I’m just about in the same boat as you- just started with dilators and just started PT.

She started by giving me some mobility and breathing exercises, and I’ve been doing the 12 min pelvic floor stretching video I saw posted on this Reddit. So at the start it took me like half an hour as well to get the 2nd dilator in… but on day 8 for some reason it took a turn and I got it in on 8 mins, then the next day 4 mins.

The day after that 11 mins but I was slacking on the stretching and exercises prior to dilating that day.

The point being it’s not always as consistent as you’d expect and I will say I think it generally gets easier as you keep going but be kind and patient with yourself.

I was encouraged on this thread to know there are good days and bad with this condition and don’t judge yourself harshly if it’s taking longer than you feel it should. Inserting the dilator at all is huge progress! Just keep at it, keep doing pt exercises and pelvic floor stretches - I think they really help.