Cervix checkers share your wisdom!

[kismetbaby]

I just checked my cervix today at 35 weeks 5 days and thought I'd get some feedback from all you BTDT mamas.

I never even checked my cervix before TTC (I know, isn't it weird you can make it to be a 30something, educated woman and not know what your cervix feels like or even that you could be checking it yourself?). . .and TTC didn't take very long for us and then I stopped checking after getting my BFP. So. . .I am not the most experienced at this.

But today I found it 1) very hard to reach (much farther back/up than I ever remember) and 2) very soft (again much, much softer than I remember from before). Didn't feel any dilation or effacement, but I'm not sure how easy that is to feel. Does this sound about "normal"?

I think its supposed to move down and forward as you get closer to labor? But I took the softness as a good sign anyway. . .

[winnie]

Okay, not an expert here, but...

Mine has gone from feeling like a hard, sorta cone-shaped thing to just a squishy doughnut-shaped clump of flesh. lol. I'm sorry I'm having trouble coming up with the right descriptive words here. Also, found that when I started to dilate a little bit, it felt like there was a very thin elastic around the outside - however I realized that this is just the outer part, and when it is truly dilating, the whole thing opens up.

I bet that didn't help at all.

Erin

[octobermoon]

i'll go check mine and report back! LOL! we can compare notes.

[octobermoon]

can't find it!!! guess it's too high. i think i do feel the baby's head and i 'm pretty sure it is in the way of me finding my cervix.

anyways i'm all ears on wisdom here.

[2boyzmama]

It's normal for a cervix to move posterior (towards your back) when pregnant, as you get closer to labor, it will move more anterior (towards your front). I can just barely reach mine right now, two weeks ago I couldn't find the opening, only the side, because it was so posterior. Remember the angle you're coming in from is different than before, you've got a monster belly in the way.

If your dh is used to feeling it, and isn't grossed out by it, ask him. He might be able to reach it better.

Your's probably has to move mroe anterior before you'll find the opening, right now if all you're feeling is squishiness, it's probably the side you found. My opening feels dimpled a fingertip, so I'm not really dilated much yet (at least, as of Monday).

As an aside...I didn't become familiar with my cervix until this pregnancy I never thought to check mine before, the first time I officially "checked" was when I was in labor with Connor, and I was shocked. I had felt inside my vaginal canal before (during sex, masturbation, putting in tampons, etc) and my cervix had always been hard and cone shaped (although I didn't really realize that's what I was feeling, you know?) but in labor with Connor it was very easy to reach (I mean it was *right there*!) and although I didn't know how to guage dilation, I could tell it was open.

[kismetbaby]

Originally Posted by octobermoon

can't find it!!! guess it's too high. i think i do feel the baby's head and i 'm pretty sure it is in the way of me finding my cervix.

anyways i'm all ears on wisdom here.

Glad to compare notes octobermoon! We can be cervix buddies.

Wow, your babies head. I didn't even think of that when checking--for some reason that just sounds intense. . .like I could feel my baby right now from the inside! But next time I will see if I can feel it.

My cervix was really hard to find. But I was (just) able to feel the "dimple". . .didn't seem open at all like I said, just all of was super soft and squishy. I could just put my fingertip in the dimple--like you described 2boyzmamma.

I'm curious to see what others have to say about checking and what they could feel. Also, if you've felt something that definitely meant "gearing up" for labor. (Even knowing its different for all of our bodies and every labor.)

[winnie]

I can feel baby's head quite easily. It's pretty amazing to know that I'm touching the head (well, through lots of tissue that is). :

If you can reach where the dimple is on your cervix, try just pressing a bit on either side (maybe an inch or two to the side), and see if you feel something really hard. If baby is low or engaged, it should be right there!

Erin

[confustication]

Great, you all inspired me to check! lol

I found that I'm very soft, well effaced, and between 4-5cm with bulging amniotic sac. Sounds promising right? Then I remembered that I stall at that point for AAAAAGES until the membranes are artificailly ruptured or I have pitocin. Grr.

[hipmummy]

Originally Posted by confustication

Great, you all inspired me to check! lol

I found that I'm very soft, well effaced, and between 4-5cm with bulging amniotic sac. Sounds promising right? Then I remembered that I stall at that point for AAAAAGES until the membranes are artificailly ruptured or I have pitocin. Grr.

Think positive! Not every birth is the same. Will your cervix to open...and it will.....

[rebeccajm]

I just checked mine. I'm surprised at how far back it is, wow! I thought I wasn't going to be able to reach it at all. (I was squatting over the toilet.) When I actually sat down on the toilet, relaxing those muscles allowed me to feel it. It is very soft and squishy, and all I feel is the dimple. So I guess I'm not dilated at all yet? I can't tell about the effacement, though. I can't tell how "long" it is. It feels like there is no length to it at all, just a squishy round thing with a dimple. When I did cervix checks while TTC, I remember it being much harder and long, almost like the neck of a bottle.

[rebeccajm]

I found some pretty good info here...

http://www.birthingnaturally.net/bir...ress/exam.html

[kismetbaby]

Originally Posted by rebeccajm

I just checked mine. I'm surprised at how far back it is, wow! I thought I wasn't going to be able to reach it at all. (I was squatting over the toilet.) When I actually sat down on the toilet, relaxing those muscles allowed me to feel it. It is very soft and squishy, and all I feel is the dimple. So I guess I'm not dilated at all yet? I can't tell about the effacement, though. I can't tell how "long" it is. It feels like there is no length to it at all, just a squishy round thing with a dimple. When I did cervix checks while TTC, I remember it being much harder and long, almost like the neck of a bottle.

This describes it for me exactly. . .

[darcytrue]

I asked this in another thread but what does it mean for your cervix to be soft and low? I can reach mine fairly easily and it's soft but I'm not dilated.

[deymm]

I dunno....stuck my fingers up there and couldn't figure out what I was feeling. LOL

This babe is low and pushing on EVERYTHING so it's all squishy.

[turtlemamameg]

I so badly want to check myself after reading this thread, but I cannot. My mw is only doing sterile exams b/c of possible pprom...and besides, she just checked me on sunday because I was having bloody show and said my cervix was still slightly posterior, but super soft and one cm. I bled some more that night after my exam...and I really want to make it to tuesday, which is 36 weeks, when I can birth at home, so I don't want to screw anything up by messing with my cervix too much. Maybe I will ask for a sterile glove at my next exam and feel what I can for myself. It just seems so interesting to me.

[AbiSolsticebaby]

Yes be careful if you do check yourself, gentle! Whenever I check myself I get contractions because just like sex you are bumping the cervix which can realease prostagladins and start labor(don't get excited it probably won't push you into labor unless you are ready).

But I think it is so important for women to check themselves especially if their provider is checking them(less likely for you to give yourself an infection or cause pain because it is your own body). I talk to so many women who have painful exams and then bleed and their provider tells them they will probably go into labor soon, well ladies thats because he or she was probably stripping your membranes or too rough.

Sorry to rant but I get so excited about women learning about their own bodies and checking themselves as opposed to acting clueless and just going with the flow.

Ok 2 days ago my cervix was posterior so I only felt the squishy side of it, it is very soft. I checked myself before labor with my last but never when I was in labor because it was just too intense but I am really hoping to feel it this time
I think I will check myself again tonight because I have been having lots of contractions since 2 days ago. I find squatting and leaning back on something to be a good position.

[octobermoon]

sheesh i still can't find mine, it's so strange how different things feel up there these days. i have never had this much trouble.

[BekahMomToOliver]

I don't want to jinx myself, but I noticed a huge change in my cervix today. (I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow.) This morning it was still very posterior, I could only *just* reach the side and it was very smushy. I checked again after lunch, and it was way anterior, like it's only a couple of inches in and I can feel the entire thing. I'm shocked at how quickly its changed! So don't give up hope yet, ladies!
I can't tell if I'm dilated, but if I am it's only a CM or so.
Last night I had 3 hours of sleepless prodromal backachiness. Mild contractions every 2-5 minutes that were just irritating and frequent enough to keep me from sleeping. I've been noticing lots of BH today, so I'm going to have a warm bath, a huuuuuuge mug of RRL tea and then hit the hay when DS does. Hopefully this babe is as eager to get here as I am to meet her! I know, I know, I've probably got 3 weeks to go, but at this point a girl's gotta have hope, lol!

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by BekahMomToOliver

I don't want to jinx myself, but I noticed a huge change in my cervix today. (I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow.) This morning it was still very posterior, I could only *just* reach the side and it was very smushy. I checked again after lunch, and it was way anterior, like it's only a couple of inches in and I can feel the entire thing. I'm shocked at how quickly its changed! So don't give up hope yet, ladies!
I can't tell if I'm dilated, but if I am it's only a CM or so.
Last night I had 3 hours of sleepless prodromal backachiness. Mild contractions every 2-5 minutes that were just irritating and frequent enough to keep me from sleeping. I've been noticing lots of BH today, so I'm going to have a warm bath, a huuuuuuge mug of RRL tea and then hit the hay when DS does. Hopefully this babe is as eager to get here as I am to meet her! I know, I know, I've probably got 3 weeks to go, but at this point a girl's gotta have hope, lol!

You just inspired me to check mine again I last checked on Monday (or was it Sunday?) so almost a week ago. Baby has been causing a lot of LOW pressure since then, maybe he's been causing some change??? One can hope

[texaspeach]

I haven't been able to reach since around 26 weeks. I'm still trying though I did manage to feel it once about a week ago, and that was just like oh hey, there it is! I couldn't actually feel enough of it to tell h ow thin or open it was, but I could tell that it was open. Baby is still pretty high (-2 last week, no VE this week) so I can't feel head either. I've got short arms, short fingers and a huge freaking belly in the way. I've tried in a bunch of different positions - even squatting I can't reach!

I'm hoping to notice a change like BekahMomToOliver did - a posterior cervix isn't one that is in labor. When it moves forward that's good news!