[Cutie Patootie]

I think I must be alone. It looks like everyone in June DDC is in the cervix checker thread. LOL

Am I the only one who doesn't want to know what my cervix is doing? I figure the less I know, the less anxious I'll be waiting.

The nurses think I am a total weirdo. At every appt. they ask me to put on a gown in case the ob wants to do an internal exam. I kindly decline and they look at me all funny. My sil apparently had an internal exam at *every* single appt. she had.

It doesn't feel necessary to me at all. Maybe after I have been in active labor for 36 hours, I may change my mind, but for now I have it in my birth plan that "I do not consent to internal exams on admission or throughout labor". Not sure how well that is going to go over.

 

[sbsweetpea]

I never had an internal with my midwives, up until I came in, in active labor at 7 1/2cm. I just never cared to know, mainly because I watched others in my birth group get all worked up over their dr's saying 'any minute now' and then watching them agonize for weeks as the baby took its time.
You are not alone! I will be doing it the exact same way with this preg.

 

[swimming-duck]

Dear God no - you are not alone. I refuse to do an internal exam unless there's a medical reason to do so. I had a bazillion of them with my DS, both during prenatal care and during labor. The ones during labor especially were extremely painful and left me feeling traumatized. I will NOT do them unless there's a really really good reason!

 

[LLtheTinkerbell]

I'm right there with you, though my reasons also extend to wanting to reduce the chance of infection. I may be GBS + (not testing) and one of the main ways of passing this on to baby is through vaginal exams.

 

[Smokering]

Yep. I'm declining vaginal exams altogether, unless there's good reason... or possibly if I want to get in the birth pool and we're not sure if I'm far enough along yet. But I'm hoping my MW will be able to figure that out without an internal exam. They don't do 'em prenatally here though - I'm pretty sure if I asked for one at my regular visit, I'd get a strange look in response and it would be very awkward.

 

[redeyedvireo]

Right there with you. I had no internal exams with my first pregnancy and birth, and I plan to have none this time either. I want to avoid infection, and since I know that cervixes (cervices?) can go backwards, and that one woman can be at 6 cm for weeks while another can go from 0 to 8 in an hour, I just don't feel it would give me any reliable information. And I'm just not interested in checking myself during pregnancy, though I think it's kind of a cool skill to have for fertility awareness.

 

[Snowflake777]

Cervical checks are not standard where I live. Until you're in labor, they won't even do it if you ask for it, unless there's a solid medical reason.

I'm going to avoid them during birth too. I had one last time and it hurt like crazy!

 

[prettyred]

My MW doesn't do them automatically. She will if you insist I guess but she doesn't think there is much point. I would tend to agree! Last time I was effaced and dilated for weeks and it just fooled me into thinking labor was imminent.

Yesterday she came over for a check up and offered to check me if I wanted, but said the check could--if I was on the edge--push me over the edge. Normally that would be a good thing but we are moving upstairs and DH is furiously painting!

 

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

Yeah, my midwife doesn't do them at this point unless I request them. I will get one before I decide to head to the hospital. If it's during office hours, she'll squeeze me in; if not, she'll drop by my house. With DS, I went too early and it really stalled me out. I want to make sure I'm super far along with I arrive, like, enough time to get checked in, then push.

 

[BarefootScientist]

It totally depends on the doc/midwife how much they want to check you. I had a check at 35 weeks when I got swabbed for GBS, since I was already bottomless, my doc was already down there, and I was curious. I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced and that was FOUR WEEKS ago so obviously it told me NOTHING! LOL I also got checked when I was at the hospital for a false alarm a week and a half ago (4/5 cm) because they didn't think it was real labor (and I guess it wasn't, obviously). So, yeah, I don't think cervical checks in late pregnancy are really worth anything. All they've done for me is make me think I was going into labor any second...I don't think I'll get another one unless I'm about 41 weeks and want my membranes swept. I HOPE I won't make it to that point.

 

[lookingforaname]

All of my midwives/docs have not done regular cervix checks, and the one or two times it happened, they haven't told me the results. I think this is much better - my sister was walking around at a 4 for THREE WEEKS, and at the first time her OB saw her at a 4, he said, "boy, this baby is coming soon." SO - She called my parents and had them drive down from 7 hours away to watch her other children, and they twiddled their thumbs for THREE WEEKS and then ended up having to get back to their home only 2 days after her baby was born.

I don't want that kinda stress/anticipation. I'm waiting to go into labor to care about how dialated I am.

 

[lookingforaname]

I will add though that I don't mind having internal exams during active labor. . .

 

[kawa kamuri]

The last time I had a professional internal was during transition with my 4yo. I had no idea labour had progressed so quickly so it was great to know I was nearly at pushing. I felt lost and overwhelmed at what I thought was early labour. She was a hospital birth and the nurse never mentioned checking me, I had to ask my MW. I may have one when they arrive at my home this time as we need to make a judgement call on administering antibiotics based on how close I seem to birth. That too is optional and just an assumption on my part as far as the internal exam goes.

I was under the impression that the cervix checkers thread was about mamas taking the checking in their own hands, so to speak, and not putting on an expected paper gown so their OB can shove their hand up there.

 

[amaayeh]

I'm on the cervix checkers thread, but I check it myself. I don't ever plan on having one from my midwife except *maybe* in labor. That's it. I don't want anyone else's hands up there, but mine. For me, I'm not really checking my cervix (I can't reach it), but mostly just making sure baby's head is down and to see how low baby is. I could confirm when I thought baby had dropped and such.

 

[Evergreen]

I check my own and report back to the OBs- not that I think it makes a difference I just get curious! lol

They did offer at 37 weeks when they did my GBS swab and I said sure since they were already in there. I am going to have one this week also because I'll be 40+4 and will possibly ask her to strip my membranes if I'm dilated enough. I go out of work at 41 weeks and I'd rather spend my maternity leave with the baby than pregnant.

 

[kawa kamuri]

Now I'm feeling extremely grateful to have done my last three GBS swabs by myself!

 

[jshannyn519]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kawa kamuri

I was under the impression that the cervix checkers thread was about mamas taking the checking in their own hands, so to speak, and not putting on an expected paper gown so their OB can shove their hand up there.

Yep, that's what it's about! I check my own cervix every so often, but I don't have cervical checks done by my MWs. And I really don't want them done during labor because it hurts and it pulls me out of the head space where I need to be.

 

[erigeron]

I have enjoyed figuring out how to check it myself, just to know what's up and 'cause it's kind of nifty, but I don't think that how dilated I am at any given point means anything about how or when my labor will progress, and I have no interest in getting exams from providers either. My midwives aren't check-happy (and they have us do the GBS swab ourselves in the bathroom) at this point and have given the impression they aren't particularly so in labor either. I'm trying to come up with as many diplomatic ways as possible to decline checks in the hospital, because they've given the impression that they may try to make my life difficult if I don't consent to one in triage, and as far as I'm concerned I should get to choose who has their fingers up in my lady parts at any given time without having somebody give me a hard time about it.

 

[painefaria]

Throughout my my entire pregnancy and birth I had 1 check! That was while in labor. She (Midwife) didn't insist on checking me before I pushed either

Which the hospital required.

 

[Cutie Patootie]

I don't think I could reach mine to check myself. I can hardly reach to wipe on the toileeeeee. (TMI) LOL

I didn't have any checks with my homebirth babies 2 or 3. With baby #1, I did, and during labor it was so terrible it was traumatizing...and while she was checking, she *informed* me that she was going to sweep my membranes while she was down there. I freaked on her and she stopped. It's just so disturbing to me that they don't even ask.