Apparently, I have a firm uterus! ???

[Dot-to-Dot]

I am pregnant and today at my doctor's appt, as we talked about my birth plan preferences, my doctor was looking through his notes from my first birth last year and read that I'd had a very, very firm uterus!  I felt kind of proud...but I have to admit, I don't really know the significance of that.  What does it mean?  I had a long labor - but it was odd, I had a hip thing going on that I call "hip labor" where I think the baby was stuck and that might be why it took so long.  I drank a lot of red raspberry leaf tea to tone the uterus, but because my labor was so long, I had assumed that the tea didn't do me any good.  I'd experienced a moderate amount of braxton hicks contractions but felt like they hadn't done much for me since I still hadn't dilated at all at 40 weeks.  (Baby was born at exactly 41 wks). 

Just wondering if anyone knows the significance of having a firm uterus?  What's the benefit?

[lovebeingamomma]

well it's very beneficial AFTER birth, you want a firm & contracting uterus to prevent hemorrhage.  Otherwise..I don't see how it would matter much.  Never heard of them "noting" it before.  I mean, if every time he touched your belly you were having a braxton hicks and it was firm then I guess they might note that...but otherwise I don't see how they would even know your uterus is especially firm.

[Dot-to-Dot]

For some reason I assumed he knew this from feeling inside...don't know.  I'd never heard of them noting it either, but last year a friend of mine gave birth halfway across the country and she told me how her doctor said her uterus was firm, too.  At the time, I thought, gee I drank all that red raspberry tea and MY doctor never said that about MY uterus.  Ironically, he HAD thought that, though and I just didn't find out until this year.  I don't remember him feeling my uterus via my belly (except during prenatal visits during measurement.  But, his notes about my uterus were regarding the birth and afterward, so I'm pretty sure he wasn't just referring to a firm belly like during a Braxton Hick's contraction.