37 weeks and doctor won't check for dialation??

[fantesia28]

Hi All!

I am not preggo yet, but my sister is... she is currently 37 weeks pregnant and just had her doctors appointment today. Last week they told her that they would check for dialation this week and now this week they say they won't check for fear of starting labor too early. Have you ever heard of this?
I think this is the strangest thing that I have ever heard!

My sister is miserable as she suffers from SEVERE headaches and there is nothing besides tylenol that she can take because of being pregnant. Unfortunately tylenol does nothing for her. She is very anxious to have the baby at this point so that she can start back on her medication that actually helps the headaches. The doctor's don't seem to get this though!

I guess I am just venting at this point. Normally I would not be for inducing labor, but in this case she really would be better off to have the baby at this point, plus I am sure that she is far enough along and the baby would do fine outside the womb!

Thank you for listening!

[Amylcd]

I feel bad for your sister, but the doctor checking for dilation isn't going to tell her anything (some women can walk around for weeks dilated to 4+ and others won't dilate at all until they are getting hard contractions). If she hasen't made any progress, it would probably just cause her more stress and worry.

She needs to talk to her doctor about the headaches. There are other pain medications she can take while pregnant.

[MommytoTwo]

If she wanted ti she could have told them to do it - she is the boss, not the dr. But even if they did it it wont mean a whole lot. She could be dialated and go for weeks still.

[the_lissa]

Most caregivers I know don't do it because it does not yield any meaningful information, and has risks, such as infection.

If she is that anxious to know, she can always check herself.

[Amari's Mama]

Well... I would have to say in general that this sounds like a smart doc, although he/she should be giving her more support/advice on how to deal with the headaches.

And my experience has been different than the_lissa's... Most caregivers I know do it EVEN THOUGH it does not yield any meaningful information, and has risks, such as infection.

[fantesia28]

Thanks for the replies!

I think the most frustrating thing for her the entire pregnancy is that they have no sympathy for her headaches and now that she knows the baby would be safe to be born, she is really ready to get things moving along so that she can take something that will help the headaches.

BTW: they have given her some "safe" meds that do nothing for her - she was even on a morphine drip early in her pregnancy. Unfortunately the only drug that worked even before becoming pregnant is not allowed until she delivers. She has been to several specialists for her headaches as well and they have found nothing physically wrong to cause them.

She was thinking about trying to naturally induce by taking castor oil, but I don't think it will work if she's not effaced or dialated at all... then it's not even guaranteed. Plus, I have heard that some think it causes the baby to pass meconium which would definitely not be good for the baby!!

[peacelovingmama]

My doctor doesn't check for dilation until 38 weeks. I'm not sure if that's typical though. Sorry to hear about the headaches -- I had them during the second trimester and they are excruciating!

[annettemarie]

I think the less docs and midwives are all up in your business, the better. As mentioned before, it doesn't yield any real information, can cause false hope, and can raise the risk of infection. The last few weeks can be really, really hard. I know I'm stinking miserable. But sooner or later the baby will come, and unless there's compelling medical evidence otherwise, it's best just to let the baby decide.

[frenchie]

Checking for dialation won't tell her anything, but if and how much she is dialated. She can request to have her membranes stripped at 40 weeks if she's that desperate to have the baby...but stripping won't guarantee that she will go into labor.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by frenchie

Checking for dialation won't tell her anything, but if and how much she is dialated. She can request to have her membranes stripped at 40 weeks if she's that desperate to have the baby...but stripping won't guarantee that she will go into labor.

And (speaking from personal experience) can lead to her believing she's in labor, showing up at the hospital, being induced when she isn't really ready, and causing a cascade of interventions that can lead to a highly medicalized birth.

[katytheprincess2]

First off hugs to your sister. I have suffered from severe migrane disorder since the age of 13 (so 15 years). This pregnancy I have had several migranes and was placed on Loritab 10 mg and Phenergan. Last pregnancy I was actually in the hospital numerous times on pain meds for this. The best advice I can give is if the pain meds don't completely take it away the loritab and phenergan will take the edge off and make her very drowsy and might allow her to sleep through the headache. Unfortunatly when you are pregnant you can't take the meds that get rid of the headache (which I can't take anyway due to a severe allergic reaction). Has she been tried on medications such as Nuerontin? It is one of the safer meds during pregnancy and actually prevents the headaches in some cases. But to this I must add that checking of the cervix will not do anything in the way of bringing her closer to the end and might rather frustrate and stress her if she feels she isn't close to labor. Being dialated doesn't mean you will deliver anytime soon.
My best advice is for her to ask her doctor or MW about some herbal supplements she can take like RRL and Evening Primerose Oil. Good Luck. I have been through this with all 4 of my pregnancies and really just have to do my best to make it through each headache as they come.