Stripping membranes at 41 week appointment - Page 2

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Mccmama07

Within the anecdotal stories, did their membranes rupture immediately?

My own anecdotal evidence (my own births...I've had three) show no link between membrane stripping and membrane rupture. 2x it did nothing-my membranes were broken during the second stage of labor, and with DD, my membranes ruptured a good 55 hours after a "strip."

I'm just curious as to how you measure stripping membranes with rupture? How close in time proximity do the events need to occur in order to for the rupture to be blamed on membrane stripping?

Just curious.

Most I read ruptured then and there- as in - "oops" They read as though it was intentional...

-Angela

[xelakann]

For those ladies who have had their membranes sweep and it did put them in labor you were at all dilated before?

Sorry to thread hijack here but I am 4-5 cm dilated and almost 41 weeks (though I have been this way since 36 weeks), my midwives haven't brought it up or anything yet, but I admit I am getting curious about it.

[terrabella]

Originally Posted by lovelymama2

My 41 week appt. is this afternoon and I'm considering having my membranes stripped. I have nothing really going on except for a little crampy feeling. My cervix might be too high and closed in which case I won't have them do anything, but if it's opening up a bit, would it be a good idea to get them stripped? I'm getting desperate

I haven't had it done, but I remember each time that I strongly considered it!!!

Originally Posted by alegna

I wouldn't allow it without medical reason for induction. All too often water is "accidentally" broken when stripping membranes.

Babies come when ready. Ds was 43 weeks 5 days.

-Angela

You used acupressure to urge Gregory out, correct? You had an appointment on the afternoon of 6/2/08, and he was born on the morning of 6/4/08. Therefore would you recommend she use acupressure instead? Do you feel that it helped move things along? The timing seems promising.

I must admit, I'm more comfortable with the idea of acupressure, or even acupuncture, than I am stripping. I know striping is generally considered safe, but I personally feel it's rather invasive. Just my own hang up.

I remember when my first baby was late (I went 42weeks, but began labor naturally), I did all sorts of squats and lunges. I think there may have even been some squat jumps in there too.

I'm not that impatient anymore.

[pumpkinhead]

Originally Posted by alegna

Most I read ruptured then and there- as in - "oops" They read as though it was intentional...

-Angela

With respect, I suspect that if the amniotic sac could be ruptured with a gloved finger, it was probably going to break very soon on its own. Most OBGYNs I know are not in the habit of committing their patients to delivery without their consent. I'm sure it happens occasionally, but I don't think it's the gold standard.

Like I said upthread, I had mine *vigorously* stripped twice and my membranes were not ruptured. I actually don't know anyone whose membranes were ruptured during a membrane sweep, but that's anecdotal on my part. I was 41 weeks the first time and 42 the next. I was 4 cm dialated and about 80% effaced. Both times it did absolutely nothing to put me into labour.

[abigail_b]

I had my membranes swept with my first, it wasn't that uncomfortable, I didn't bleed afterward, and I had my baby 4 days later. So I am not sure that it did anything.

I have since discovered that there have actually been multiple randomized control trials done on membrane sweeping. I was looking at the links last week, but I haven't been able to easily relocate. I know that I saw 2 studies, both fairly recent (post 2000), both unfortunately showed no reduction in gestational age in the sweep groups. One showed no increased risk of PROM, one showed an increased risk of PROM if the mother was dilated greater than 2 cm.

[finn'smama]

Originally Posted by xelakann

For those ladies who have had their membranes sweep and it did put them in labor you were at all dilated before?

Sorry to thread hijack here but I am 4-5 cm dilated and almost 41 weeks (though I have been this way since 36 weeks), my midwives haven't brought it up or anything yet, but I admit I am getting curious about it.

Both times I was about 1cm, no more than 2cm for sure. But the second time my water was already broken.

[Lineymom]

Originally Posted by xelakann

For those ladies who have had their membranes sweep and it did put them in labor you were at all dilated before?

Sorry to thread hijack here but I am 4-5 cm dilated and almost 41 weeks (though I have been this way since 36 weeks), my midwives haven't brought it up or anything yet, but I admit I am getting curious about it.

Yeah, you have to be about at least a 2, I think, because they have to get a finger thru the cervix to do it.

As for it hurting, it was not bad at all to me. As soon as I am past 38 weeks and dialated enough, I will get DH to do it again. It worked so well the other two times. Thats 4 weeks from today!!!

[Vespertina]

Assuming Henry doesn't arrive before, my midwife will be sweeping my membranes after DH gets here so he won't miss the birth since he'll only be here for a couple weeks on R&R. I'll be getting acupuncture treatments as well. Sometimes it takes 2-3 treatments. It has a 70% success rate. My midwife doesn't usually sweep her clients unless there's a medical reason, like potentially being risked out of her care due to late onset of PIH. She understands our situation.

With me, sweeping does not start contractions, but it does cause me to dilate pretty far -- 7-7.5 cm without contractions. Once contractions do start my labor is very rapid.

I'm pretty certain the OB I saw with DD1 sweeped my membranes without my knowledge when I was 37 weeks. It was more aggressive than previous exams and the midwife I saw after said that's likely what he did. I was 3 cm when I went in. I went to L&D the next day about the pelvic pressure I was feeling and found out I was 5 cm. Saw my usual midwife five days later and was still 5 cm and my bag was bulging. My midwife sweeped me again. It didn't bring on contractions. I was induced with pit at 6.5 cm. Contractions started when I was 7.5 cm.

With DD2, I went in to see my midwife and was 2 cm and 70% effaced. I was in triage in L&D for a few hours. She checked me and sweeped my membranes just before I left. She said my cervix was mushy and I was 3 cm, easily stretched to 4. She suggested I go walk around the mall for a couple hours and come back. That they'd admit me if I was a solid 4. We did just that. I came back and waited like 30-45 minutes to be seen and was 5 cm. She was puzzled. No contractions. Just a ton of pelvic pressure and lower backache. Was admitted and all that jazz. I walked the halls for a little over an hour trying to get things going and came back. She checked me again and I was 6 cm. Still no contractions. I walked around my room some more and used my birth ball. The next time I was checked I was 7 cm, but still no labor. I didn't start labor until transition after I was done taking a shower.

She later said I have a very pliable cervix that dilates very, very easy with pressure (baby's head) once the membranes is separated from the cervix.

DH planned his R&R around the time he's due. If he wasn't gone or coming home for that time then I wouldn't consider the sweep just shortly after my 'due' date.

[marrymeflyfree]

I am 41 weeks also and chose to have it done at my most recent appointment. For me, the decision was mostly circumstantial...my hubby has to go out of state for 6 weeks soon for a training thing, and I'm fearing that this baby will decide to show up just prior to his leaving. We have a 16mo as well, no family nearby to help out, and its important to me that we all have some bonding and adjusting time before he leaves. I'm really dreading being alone with a newborn and small toddler!

That said, I didn't really expect it to start labor, and it didn't. Hopefully it at least did something for dilation, though. I tried it 3 times with my first pregnancy (which went to a day shy of 43 weeks), and never had any spectacular results. It never started labor. My thought process was that if we really get down to the wire before DH must leave, I will regret having not done anything. Are there risks? Certainly. Everything has a consequence (or potential consequence). Are they low? Most likely, for most women, in normal pregnancies, yes. For me personally in my own circumstance, the risks of attempting to stretch the membranes are less worrisome than doing nothing at all, and ending up recuperating from birth alone with two highly dependent small children.

I think it is unrealistic to say that no woman or practitioner should ever attempt this because it is always problematic...the truth is that it isn't always problematic, and there may be circumstances that make those small risks acceptable. We've all got to weigh those pros and cons for ourselves and make our own decisions.

[ShadowMoon]

I had it done at 41 wks and I immediately went into labor with strong contractions. I didn't ask for them to be stripped, my OB did a "rough" exam and did it because I was absolutely refusing inductions since 30 wks and she was trying to "help" me get my natural birth. Luckily she's not practicing anymore, though she was ok with other things. I digress...
I don't know if I would intentionally have them stripped because, in my case, the contractions came on too fast and too strong. But, it's an individual choice and I can understand why some may choose to do it.

[nashvillemidwife]

Sometimes it's impossible to fully assess dilation without doing some sweeping.

[pumpkinhead]

Originally Posted by nashvillemidwife

Sometimes it's impossible to fully assess dilation without doing some sweeping.

Okay, I'm confused. I thought membrane sweeping meant that you stuck your fingers inside the uterus throught the cervix and swept the amniotic sac away from the lining of the uterus. Why would you need to do that to assess dilation? Do you mean that the sac is buldging through the cervix so you need to push it out of the way?

[nashvillemidwife]

I'm saying that sometimes in order to get your fingers far enough in the cervix to feel the inner os, and then to spread them out to assess dilation, you are bound to dislodge the membranes. The membranes are laying over the cervix, not way up in in the uterus.

[pumpkinhead]

Thanks for the clarification