Anyone get checked at 36 weeks for cervical progress? - Page 2

[2+twins]

Originally Posted by thirdchild

I had my GBS culture last week and I did it myself. He gave me the swab and told me how to do it in the washroom. Is this normal??

I don't know if it's "normal" but I've heard at least one other person here on MDC mention it. Sounds like a great idea IMO. What a humiliating test!

[Wittyone]

The birth center where I work offers this option to moms who would prefer to DIY. That's what I plan to do in a couple of weeks

[Stayathomemommy]

I have a hard time not knowing so i always let them check 36-37 weeks. YES, i know it means nothing but its just neat to know.

BUT, BUT, BUT.........this time i will not because i feel getting checked was a very negative thing my last pregnancy. at my 36 week appiontment my m/w was going to check me. i hummed and hawed about it because i didnt really want her to till at least 37 weeks. but curiosity took over and i let her. well i was 6cm dialated and 80% effaced. she told me since my babies were 4 or 5 pounds that i might not need to dialate to a full 10 and that i needed to go strait to the hospital. i was firm about going home and doing a few things. mainly eating a lot of food, since they wouldnt let me eat anything once i got to the hospital and i still had my belly cast left to do. so i stayed home for a few hours. but every hour my midwife would call asking if i was coming yet. i never felt like i was in active labor but eventually i just went to the hospital because i thought i should. in the end being ignorant to how dialated i was may have helped me relax, stay at home a lot longer and maybe even keep them in for a couple more days.

[aweynsayl]

I did my GBS myself. I think it's great, cause you can skip over that whole butt thing.

[jenny-g]

Originally Posted by moosemommy

I did my GBS myself. I think it's great, cause you can skip over that whole butt thing.

*snort* that's hilarious. The "butt thing", for people on here who haven't had it done yet, is just that after the swab they touch it to the outside of the Specific Butt Area, lightly. No big deal. The somewhat harsh scraping inside the vagina was, though, for me uncomfortable. I think it's important that they know if it's in the Butt Area, too, since it just sort of goes everywhere once you have it anywhere.

I would have really liked the option of doing the swab myself- what a great idea. But, it was really no big deal otherwise. My husband was there and I think he was VERY curious about what was going on, but thank god he didnt' get up and come over and look. I told him that would have freaked me out. It's so WEIRD to have him there when getting any sort of vaginal exam, and I'm not usually a shy person by any means. It's just weird.

I did not get a cervical check, and the mw totally agreed with me that it was actually useless and had the potential for freaking me out and making me impatient with the last few weeks of the pregnancy. So that was cool!

[Black Orchid]

We're not doing any internal exams until active labor. And I've already told them not to tell me what they find... I really don't care, it doesn't mean anything and I'm just planning to follow my body's cues for this birth. They have to do it that one time to "check the box" and that's fine and that will be it. I haven't had an vaginal since the beginning and we declined the GBS test as well. I just don't like the idea of introducing anyone's germs to that area and increasing the chances that GBS could be introduced.

[nighten]

Had GBS swab and it was painlesss and to my knowledge there was no butt-ing involved at all. Which was fine with me.

I asked her to check me while she was down there (I can't reach my cervix myself else I'd do it), and though am not dilated at all, I am effaced quite a bit and cervix is no longer posterior.

Not that any of that matters terribly since things can change drastically overnight, but I was pleased to know what's going on with my body.

When we were ttc I checked my cervix for position, firmness, etc., monthly and it has been weird not knowing what's going on down there, so it was reassuring to me to know.

[Carley]

No internal exams here either. That "information" is just not worth it to me & no one but my body knows what it really means anyway. My body will go into labor when it's ready, I don't need to "check" it's progress, especially when no one knows it's time frame.

My midwives have all their mommas swab themselves for GBS with a qtip