I need help about checking your own cervix

[ladybugamber]

I've been having contractions all day... off and on and I've had leakage throughout today...

So... DH come home and I asked him to check to see if he could tell if I was dilated. He checked... and this is what he says...

There is a hole and he can put only the tip of his middle finger in it.

I'm confused as to what this means. I would only assume that if I were dilated 1CM he would be able to put more than just the tip in...

Anyone know more about dilation and what it feels like inside when your dilated???

This may save me a dreaded trip to the doctors office tomorrow... Which would be AWESOME considering I'm not to fond of that place.

*** Plus, hubby is MUCH better at checking my cervix than my doc!! ***

[mum2tori]

Sounds like you are slightly dilated... maybe a 1. Did the edge feel like a full lip or thinner edge. Even at 1cm if you aren't effaced at all it will feel smaller. I wouldn't get to worried unless you really start to leak a lot (especially with contrax) and/or your contrax start to get really regular and closer together. Take a warm bath... that can help to ease pre-term if you aren't dilated much, once you get past 4-5 a warm bath can really kick start the labor. Drink more water and put your feel up.

[bibomommy]

If you are leaking amniotic fluid...please don't check your cervix without gloves...it can introduce bacteria and if you aren't in full blown labor you don't want to do that. Ditto the bath....it's fine to be in a bath once contractions start and you know you are in labor but if you have a slow leak or labor is getting ready to start but hasn't you want to keep the area as clean as possible to prevent introducing bacteria. Your mw/doc will usually do a STERILE exam to check and see if it's amniotic fluid and you just can't do that at home so I'd just leave it be for now and see if labor starts up...if you are full term. If not...I'd call and have them check. Not to be an alarmist or anything it's just you don't want to end up with an infection...it leads to all sorts of intervention you really just don't want.

Cypress

[Wolfcat]

Originally Posted by ladybugamber

I'm confused as to what this means. I would only assume that if I were dilated 1CM he would be able to put more than just the tip in...

Anyone know more about dilation and what it feels like inside when your dilated???

1 cm dilated means that the circle is 1 cm around the hole, not across. A fingertip is a good 1-2 cm.

HTH

[happeeevraftr]

If you are leaking amniotic fluid...please don't check your cervix without gloves...it can introduce bacteria and if you aren't in full blown labor you don't want to do that. Ditto the bath....it's fine to be in a bath once contractions start and you know you are in labor but if you have a slow leak or labor is getting ready to start but hasn't you want to keep the area as clean as possible to prevent introducing bacteria. Your mw/doc will usually do a STERILE exam to check and see if it's amniotic fluid and you just can't do that at home so I'd just leave it be for now and see if labor starts up...if you are full term. If not...I'd call and have them check. Not to be an alarmist or anything it's just you don't want to end up with an infection...it leads to all sorts of intervention you really just don't want.

Actually, it's not just the problem that your hands aren't sterile without gloves. The problem is putting ANYTHING up there, because it gives any bacteria in your vagina a free ride to your cervix. Bacteria aren't like sperm--they don't swim, so they don't normally go UP. But putting your hand in there, gloved or not, can take bacteria up.

The other thing about not getting in the tub--I'm not sure how I feel about that. Your vagina isn't a straw--you don't just fill up with liquid everytime you get in the bathtub. I don't think there's really much of a risk of infection from getting in the tub, even if your water has broken, because your vagina doesn't just suck up the water.

Just my 2 cents.

[bibomommy]

I just know the advice I hear given over and over (moms a MW) and once water has broken until you are in active labor the tub is off limits. They let you go 3 days with broken water at our BC as long as there is no fever....if bacteria gets up there and you run a fever...you need to be induced and the baby is more likely to need to be monitored. The glove issue...that's why it's a sterile exam to check if waters have broken...sterile gloves not regular gloves. And definitely no bare hands/fingers...no way to be clean enough no matter how hard you wash.

Cypress