Stripping Membranes?

[treereach]

Hey, y'all. I didn't know where to post this so I came in here .
During labor, (loong one) a doc, who said she was just going to check my cervix, stripped my membranes without warning. I was just wondering. Did anyone else who has had this done bleed like crazy? I think I filled like three of those massive pp pads in an hour (sorry tmi). Is that normal?

I'm just wondering because I have had some weird problems w/AF and it just occured to me that she might have actually damaged my cervix (long nails!).The nurse afterward said, 'don't worry, we only worry about bleeding when you are filling a couple pads in an hour', then I showed her and she just kind of frowned and left the room.
What are anyone else's experiences with membrane stripping?

[flapjack]

My experience was that when during labour, I lost very little extra bloody mucous. I had it done with the last pregnancy as a way of trying to get the baby to come before ds1's birthday (didn't work) and had 6 hours of soaking a pad per hour.
I'd be inclined to get hold of your notes, given the nurse's response. There's probably some interesting reading in there.

[heathenmom]

I had my membranes stripped (twice in 1 appointment) and went into labor within 12 hours. I don't remember bleeding at ALL! Something doesn't sound right about what happened to you. I agree with pp ... I'd check my records if I were you.

[treereach]

Hey, thanks.
Also, is it normal for that procedure to be excessively painful? And, can you check your records like that? Do they really keep detailed records about everything, including what they think is going on? How would I get them? Will they give me a hard time about it?

[pbreffe]

Stripping the membranes hurts like h***! But I didn't bleed like that...

[heathenmom]

Maybe I'm just having a mental block? I don't remember it hurting that badly. Then again, labor was so freaking painful that maybe it just overshadowed everything else. As far as what will be in your records and whether you'll be able to get them ... won't know until you try. Now that we're ttc#2, I'm more and more curious about getting my hospital & prenatal records. I SO want to know what they said about me!!

[angelpie545]

I think that it's atrocious that your doctor didn't tell you first! That would have made me very upset. Even though you were already in labor, you still have a right to know what is happening to your body and what procedures are performed on you.

That said (sorry! : ) I did allow my membranes to be stripped when dd#2
in the face of being almost two-weeks post dates, and a low fetal heart rate. It was VERY painful but I didn't bleed very much. However, I did go into labor within 24 hrs, since at the time she stripped I was already 4cm dilated.

[PancakeGoddess]

Had it done (at my request) on Sunday and had my baby Monday. It hurt but not nearly as much as I thought, and I didn't bleed. Just started having light bloody show a few hours later.

[treereach]

I wondered what the heck was going on right afterward. I had never heard of the procedure and she didn't say anything. I couldn't figure out why her exam hurt so bad. It was only after reading a thread on TBW that i realized what she did had a name. I bled like crazy, huge clots and everything. I kept asking the nurse if everything was ok.

I wonder if she damaged my cervix somehow. I actually kind of feel like AF isn't passing through my cervix (I know, TMI) Is that possible? *sigh* I guess I need to find a OB anyways, might as well find one and go in and ask. Hey, OT, do midwives do paps? And are they covered by insurance?

[treereach]

Happy Baby Day, BTW.

[mary3mama]

I know there are a pair of midwives here (CNMs) who do all sorts of 'well woman' stuff, including paps...check around.

As for damaging your cervix...it is possible. Make sure you ask and ask and ask until you get some real answers. A damaged or traumatized cervix is not something you want to have as an unknown in any successive pregnancy. I lost a baby due to cervical failure at 21 weeks and I didn't have any prior cervical trauma.

Why do some practitioners feel it's ok to assault our bodies anyway?

[supakitty]

I found an interesting link where Midwives in the UK debate this issue:

http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/sweep.htm

[treereach]

It is interesting to read what they are saying. They seem really professional.
Maybe I'll be finding myself a midwife..

I was already on pitocin and they refused to give me the gels like I was asking. I told the doc that I went into labor really fast with the gels and pit last time and that I didn't think the cervadil (?) was working. She just gave me this look and said 'well, I'll check you again and put in one more (the 5th!) and we'll see what happens, if nothing, then we'll do gels'.

In retrospect, she must have heard something like the midwives were talking about, that it brings on labor and she was thinking that she wouldn't have to use the gels or the cervadil because the stripping would start me.

Of course, it didn't and the next day when the next doc was on, I talked the nurse into doing the gels and started right in..

At least this time I'll know what it is called so I can request against it. It hurt so bad! But maybe she just got her fingernail stuck or something. I've never bled that much in my life.

[cfiddlinmama]

My CNM with my third did it without my permission. I was 37 weeks and went in for a prenatal. She did an exam and it really hurt and when she pulled her fingers out they were bloody. She very proudly said "You'll be in labor by the weekend." : I didn't occur to me until later what she had done. I had light pinkish spotting for the 2 days before I delivered. I've never heard of that much blood from membranes getting stripped. It doesn't make any sense. All they're doing is loosing the amniotic sack from the cervix so there shouldn't be much blood. Any blood would probably be from the cervix. Bleeding at that rate sounds more like hemorrhage. Definately look at your records. Maybe your placenta was low lying?