checking your own cervix for dilation.

[christmasbabygirl]

http://prepforlabor.tripod.com/id14.html

what do u think?? i wud much prefere to be able to do this whilst in labour so i have a better idea of when to go to the hospital without being sent home? also to stop them poking about lol!!! what are your views???

 

[Tasha20]

Lots of women do it to take control over thier own labour, its very hard to reach towards the end though.

I checked it when my waters went, was really interesting

 

[christmasbabygirl]

haha! yeah i think ill need lots of lube lol.
Is is safe, or is there any dangers or anything does anybody know?

 

[Tasha20]

There is risk of infection of course, which is why you must thoroughly wash your hands and/or wear gloves, but saying that dirty willies go up there so whats the harm

Some women are just freaked out about doing that sort of thing, but ive been getting to know mine for a few years.

Some women give themselves sweeps too when they are overdue


I personaly dont see any dangers apart from if your waters haven't gone yet you could make them go yourself by acccident but if your in labour its only what a midwife would do?

If your not freaked out about it and hands clean etc and you want to take control over your own labour then thats fine, but as the labour progresses you will find it hard as its very painful when your being checked.

 

[christmasbabygirl]

i also think its very natural and i would rather poke around myself then have someone else do it! well i just had a feel (im not in labour by the way lol) just to see whgat it felt like but i couldnt seem to find it i did it sitting on the loo and used lots of lube but all i seem to be able to feel is vagina lol?yeah my hands were clean and sterile with puragel lol and they are now too!!

 

[Tasha20]

It might be best to put one leg on the bath/toilet

When you feel it, you will notice its coverd in gooey stuff (your plug) and would be carefull if your not due yet as you can cause the plug to come away, the last thing you want is to start labour if your body isn't ready, it will be long and you probably wont progress easily without aid (last thing you want is the syntocin drip!)


Also i wanted to add, this is my personal opinion! not medical.

Just make sure you do your reasearch.

This is a good site, serach their forum on membrane sweeps etc
http://www.birth.com.au/Info.asp?class=3

 

[Tasha20]

Ohh just seen you are due! so in that case....... poke away

 

[christmasbabygirl]

lmao yeah i sat on loo and had one leg drawn up on the loo and one on the floor .. my fingers just dont seem long enouigh lmao!! well im not giving up yet! yeah im 4 days over, i dont mind going a bit longer and iv got a sweep on sunday with the midwife but i was just curious as to have a feel.

im gonna go for a long walk now and have another go when im home lol ill let u know how i ghet on

 

[Tasha20]

Oh by the way, this may sound gross but I could reach it better when I needed a number 2 as the cervix come down abit then.

 

[abcd1234]

good luck!! I couldn't reach to mine any where near my due date as i was just too big!!!

I asked OH to have a look and he didnt think he could find it either lol

 

[Sherlock]

Sounds like your cervix is still high so nothing will be happening yet.

TBH you can gauge when to go to hospital pretty well by timing your contractions. If they are regular, sticking around and say 3-4 minutes apart then you could get ready to head in. Mind you, it could still be 12 hours till your LO arrives (or longer) from that close together. Maybe sooner. It varies. Also please remember that even if not very far along dilation wise but with contractions closer together it may be your LO will need to be checked to make sure all is well.

I'd personally not want to go poking around up there once contractions have started. Mainly as either way, waters broken or not you run the risk of a) infection if waters broken and b) breaking your waters before they were ready to be broken. I'd leave it to the MW's once contractions start. Even they don't poke around up there unless really needed and then only occasionally to check how far along. My MW only checked me when I was around 3cms and then again as I reached transition and became fully dilated.

 

[christmasbabygirl]

thanks ladies.
yeah i deffo couldnt reach it kinda felt like my fingers wernt long enough lol!!
hmm maybe ill have another poke about later or tomoro.
no i dont think il be examining while im in labour or when contractions start, prob be wayyy too umcomfy anyway!!! thanks again

 

[mummytojess]

hi
I havent posted much on here but this thread caught my eye!
I am only 32 weeks so i dont want to go fiddling about there too much BUT I used cervix position etc when I was TTC so it doesnt bother me having a check up there lol

anyway mine is really squidgy and quite low down facing forwards. I think I cuold get maybe 2 fingers in there - but i didnt try lol

what does that mean!

sophie

 

[christmasbabygirl]

ooh sorry im not sure at all?
but seeing as your a regular cervix poker have u got any tips for me finding mine lol?

 

[mummytojess]

hi
before i was pregnant it was really obvious right there in the middle lol but since i have been pregnant it has gotten so soft it feels like part of the surrounding area! the only way i can tell mine apart from the rest of me is the sort of rough edges of the opening - dotn know if that helps!

maybe mine is just wierd lol

sophie

 

[Melly+2]

i darnt try and poke mine

 

[abcd1234]

TBH you can gauge when to go to hospital pretty well by timing your contractions. If they are regular, sticking around and say 3-4 minutes apart then you could get ready to head in.

LOL i was told this too, pitty my contractions started at 1:30 mins apart and only got closer together, yet i was only 1cm when i got to the hospital!!

However, as said, you can pretty much tell when you need to go to hospital! It was a good job i went when i did as 2 hours later i was 8cms

 

[Julie84]

LOL i was told this too, pitty my contractions started at 1:30 mins apart and only got closer together, yet i was only 1cm when i got to the hospital!!

My lovely hospital said they;d send women home if they turned up and were less than 4cm dilated regardless of the duration or regularity of contractions.

I have a nice midwife though who is willing to assess me at home (home birth plans have been red-taped by the NHS trust but my naughty midwife said she will play it by ear when the time comes...)

I don't think I'd want to check during labour (and it is far too hig for me to have a root round at the moment with a big bump in the way) but just to see if there were any changes, I'd be more than happy too. I have asked Neil to have a feel over the last couple of days (which he seemed rather unwilling about to begin with - gods knows how he thinks the baby got in there! ) and his rather vague descriptions make me think cervix is very high and tightly closed. I think my poor cervix gets more of a battering when we try other means of bringing baby along so I don't think that is really a consideration.

The main reason I wanted to know what my cervix was doing is because my midwife is coming round today and wants to do a sweep and because it's high and closed I think it's going to hurt.

 

[uncle_bens]

I was checking mine for about a week before I went into labour and I was checking whilst i was at the end of labour too, although it wasnt really checking the cervix then, i just wanted 2 c if i cud feel the babys head.

 

[hennaly]

if i had waited for contractions to come 3-4 mins apart before going to hospital i wouldnt have got there in time, i went from 5 mins apart from the first contraction for about and hour and a half to being one on top the other and ready to push.
As for the self examination i wouldnt even try it but thats just me.