(2010/07) July 2010 MTB
- Thread starter crystal~07
- Start date
M
minibean
Guest
pink: placenta ageing? what does that mean?
re disposable panties: do we really need to buy? I mean, disposable panties will not be able to 'hold' the pads easily when we have our lochia right? I have not even gotten any! sigh
re disposable panties: do we really need to buy? I mean, disposable panties will not be able to 'hold' the pads easily when we have our lochia right? I have not even gotten any! sigh
It means not functioning very well and baby is not getting nutrients from the placenta. If baby is not gaining weight in the next appt, i will have to admit and induce.
Will be 38weeks next week but rather uncomfortable with the word "induce". So just wondering if anyone also face the same problem as me.
Will be 38weeks next week but rather uncomfortable with the word "induce". So just wondering if anyone also face the same problem as me.
M
minibean
Guest
pink: you mean gynae can scan and see if the placenta is ageing? hmm is baby gaining weight at all from the last visit?
don't worry so much. at week 38, baby is safe enough to be out already. what is baby's weight now at 37wk?
don't worry so much. at week 38, baby is safe enough to be out already. what is baby's weight now at 37wk?
yoyoblue
Member
Placenta will be start to age slowly once it reach week 35. If it age faster than the bb growth week, it means it will stop passing nutrient to the bb. Thus doctor will induced or c section the bb.
That why by week 37 we can actually deliver BB safely as there is noting much left for the BB except to gain more weight.
BB is only seperated from the world through the birth canal after week 37 onwards.
That why by week 37 we can actually deliver BB safely as there is noting much left for the BB except to gain more weight.
BB is only seperated from the world through the birth canal after week 37 onwards.
atomickitten
Member
hi pris : thankew [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
Pink : like what CT said, placenta will start to degenerate at abt 37 weeks. Its normal.That's why by 40th week..doc will induce rather than wait for labour to happen. But hor,how did your gynae tell huh?
Pink : like what CT said, placenta will start to degenerate at abt 37 weeks. Its normal.That's why by 40th week..doc will induce rather than wait for labour to happen. But hor,how did your gynae tell huh?
atomickitten
Member
i'm getting very anxious leh... since maid not here yet.. I was busying cleaning up the place to welcome bb gal home. I do housework until I get so frustrated and emo again! Coz nobody helped me! My hubby juz sit and relax and watch tv! Even when I feel BH I still didnt stop. Now my back aches so much.. sigh.. tomo then I mop the floor. boo boo
jellypurin
New Member
morn mommies
pink
placenta ages as we carry bb into full term. in ur case, induction is necessary because when the placenta ages, bb is unable to absorb all the nutrients like u describe and the other thing is of course, ur amniotic fluid will go down and hence, leaving bb in ur tummy too long will be dangerous for bb.
induction is not scary. best is that u r already dilated. induction will be quite fast, esp if u r on drip. can take between 4-12hrs for bb to pop and it is safe. i induced my #1 and also may follow suite for #2.
ak
gyn can tell on ultra sound. it sorta look shrinked up bcos at some pt, gyn will take a rough measurement. mine does it every visit by looking at my cervix, fluid and placenta now. that is why i dun hv anymore pictures of bb after every visit [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/sad.gif]
hsewk is gd for u but dun break ur back! ask ur hubby to move his bum and help u!
pink
placenta ages as we carry bb into full term. in ur case, induction is necessary because when the placenta ages, bb is unable to absorb all the nutrients like u describe and the other thing is of course, ur amniotic fluid will go down and hence, leaving bb in ur tummy too long will be dangerous for bb.
induction is not scary. best is that u r already dilated. induction will be quite fast, esp if u r on drip. can take between 4-12hrs for bb to pop and it is safe. i induced my #1 and also may follow suite for #2.
ak
gyn can tell on ultra sound. it sorta look shrinked up bcos at some pt, gyn will take a rough measurement. mine does it every visit by looking at my cervix, fluid and placenta now. that is why i dun hv anymore pictures of bb after every visit [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/sad.gif]
hsewk is gd for u but dun break ur back! ask ur hubby to move his bum and help u!
M
minibean
Guest
AtomicKitten: don't give yourself too much stress eh! Have u set the date for you c section? You should rest more since tummy so heavy and you're so nearing to seeing baby girl!
jellypurin
New Member
vernie
i had epi right from the start but i did not start epi right away. i only did that when i feel my contractions was kicking in quite hard. also, if i dun remember wrgly, i was on drip and the drugs that was IVed into my body was also controllable hence, i was able to "control" my labour in a way... but hvg said that, if contractions come in hard means bb will be out soon too! pros and cons... i guess
i had epi right from the start but i did not start epi right away. i only did that when i feel my contractions was kicking in quite hard. also, if i dun remember wrgly, i was on drip and the drugs that was IVed into my body was also controllable hence, i was able to "control" my labour in a way... but hvg said that, if contractions come in hard means bb will be out soon too! pros and cons... i guess
Good morning ladies.
I feel so tired this morning. Had a restless sleep last night. Dunno why. Going to see gynae at 11am. Hopefully BB is ok.
Today I am officially 36wks.. so glad I make it to this point. At least I need not worry much abt BB coming out now and his lungs being not fully developed.
AK: Dun overexert yourself. Do what you can. If your hubby is not willing to help, get in a part time cleaner first to help you to mop the floor. My hubby also hate doing the housework so that's what we did and we share the cost. But for your hubby's case, I think he should pay everything.
Aisha: I was also looking at beansprout pillow the other day too. I think you might be referring to this website lei. http://www.beansprout-pillow.com/contact/
I feel so tired this morning. Had a restless sleep last night. Dunno why. Going to see gynae at 11am. Hopefully BB is ok.
Today I am officially 36wks.. so glad I make it to this point. At least I need not worry much abt BB coming out now and his lungs being not fully developed.
AK: Dun overexert yourself. Do what you can. If your hubby is not willing to help, get in a part time cleaner first to help you to mop the floor. My hubby also hate doing the housework so that's what we did and we share the cost. But for your hubby's case, I think he should pay everything.
Aisha: I was also looking at beansprout pillow the other day too. I think you might be referring to this website lei. http://www.beansprout-pillow.com/contact/
jellypurin: I see...so in a way we can still "control". Coz I read from the June's thread, one mummy was induced but did not take epi from start, she was so exhausted and almost wanted to give up and go for emerg c-sect. I shall heed my gynae's advice and do what he thinks is best for me. Not going to be gung-ho!
jellypurin
New Member
vernie
i opted for "walking epidural"... u can google this term. it was good for me because for a first timer trying epidural, i din know i could get so drugged and had such bad side effects but i was able to decide for myself if i wanted more drugs in my body but not totally overcome by the pain of the contractions.
i opted for "walking epidural"... u can google this term. it was good for me because for a first timer trying epidural, i din know i could get so drugged and had such bad side effects but i was able to decide for myself if i wanted more drugs in my body but not totally overcome by the pain of the contractions.
jellypurin
New Member
carol
no, if ur gyn nv mention anything dun worry abt it. remember, sm bbs mimic their parents genes, so if you are small and so is hubby, bb could be small too [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
no, if ur gyn nv mention anything dun worry abt it. remember, sm bbs mimic their parents genes, so if you are small and so is hubby, bb could be small too [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
carol: My bb weigh 2.57kg at Week 37, 4 days. He gained only about 170gm in 2 weeks. Very similar to your bb. Gynae also said bb is well, amniotic fluid level is good. So if your gynae never say anything, all is well. Small bb easier to push too. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
atomickitten
Member
minibean: I'm very anxious now coz I'm checking into hosp tomo after midnight! D-day will be on sat! I cant wait..but feel so unprepared & scared heehee.Haven't decided if going for Epi or GA..
jelly,fazzy,phy,ann: I decided not going to mop floor today liao. yesterday hubby washed his car..told him if he can wash car then he can mop the house la.
Carol : Abt 2-3 weeks ago hor, my bb only gain 100g in 10 days! Then I start eating steak everyday and drink lots of milk... last visit she put on abt 240g in 5 days. She was 2.7kg at 37+ weeks. But my doc never say anything abt the placenta leh... tho i did ask her why my placenta like not working very well like that..hehee
jelly,fazzy,phy,ann: I decided not going to mop floor today liao. yesterday hubby washed his car..told him if he can wash car then he can mop the house la.
Carol : Abt 2-3 weeks ago hor, my bb only gain 100g in 10 days! Then I start eating steak everyday and drink lots of milk... last visit she put on abt 240g in 5 days. She was 2.7kg at 37+ weeks. But my doc never say anything abt the placenta leh... tho i did ask her why my placenta like not working very well like that..hehee
morning mummies
RE: Placenta aging
That's something new i learned tdy. actually my BB only gained abt 200g from Wk 32-Wk34...wondering if that's cuz my placenta is starting to age
Next gynae visit is next Fri, hopefully BB has gained a little more weight. 2.6kg-2.8kg birth weight is good for me cuz I'm small size.
HB kept asking me to eat more & I told him NO NEED! So irritating at times lah. If BB is not absorbing most of it, the weight goes to me leh.
RE: Placenta aging
That's something new i learned tdy. actually my BB only gained abt 200g from Wk 32-Wk34...wondering if that's cuz my placenta is starting to age
Next gynae visit is next Fri, hopefully BB has gained a little more weight. 2.6kg-2.8kg birth weight is good for me cuz I'm small size.
HB kept asking me to eat more & I told him NO NEED! So irritating at times lah. If BB is not absorbing most of it, the weight goes to me leh.
AK: ya, u dun mop the floor, so dangerous..few more days to go, u can ask ur CL to mop for u after that..my CL said she ll mop the floor for me everyday, then wash toilet once a week, maybe u can ask ur CL to do for u during ur confinement oso..
hehe,i think this sat is a good date, many ppl choose for C-sect on that day, wish you have a smooth deliveery [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
hehe,i think this sat is a good date, many ppl choose for C-sect on that day, wish you have a smooth deliveery [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
jellypurin
New Member
junie
not yet leh.. call her? i think ur appointment confirmation more impt.
not yet leh.. call her? i think ur appointment confirmation more impt.
atomickitten
Member
carol : thanx..wow yr CL so nice to be willing to mop floor everyday. Mine said she'll mop once a week nia! heehee. But my maid should becoming in 1-2 weeks later ba.
Mrslong : I opposite of you leh. COz i C-section ma so I dun mind if bb is on the bigger side in case my milk comes in late..then she got more reserves to "tong" lonnger! hee hee I keep telling my hubby I must eat more and he keep asking me to control!haha.. The funny thing is I start to lose weight when I started eating more!
In fact hor I gained 5kg in first tri and another 5kg in 2nd trim but my 3rd tri like never gain much leh. Where got pple doesnt gain weight in 3rd tri one!?! I gained abt 1-2kg then during last visit.. I lost it again leh. But I ve been eating alot lor... o strange. Maybe bcoz I was on diabetic diet during 3rd trimester that's why lose weight ba. As long as bb healthy.. I 'll contented le [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
Mrslong : I opposite of you leh. COz i C-section ma so I dun mind if bb is on the bigger side in case my milk comes in late..then she got more reserves to "tong" lonnger! hee hee I keep telling my hubby I must eat more and he keep asking me to control!haha.. The funny thing is I start to lose weight when I started eating more!
In fact hor I gained 5kg in first tri and another 5kg in 2nd trim but my 3rd tri like never gain much leh. Where got pple doesnt gain weight in 3rd tri one!?! I gained abt 1-2kg then during last visit.. I lost it again leh. But I ve been eating alot lor... o strange. Maybe bcoz I was on diabetic diet during 3rd trimester that's why lose weight ba. As long as bb healthy.. I 'll contented le [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
morning ladies!
babyweight: please remember the way of measuring baby's weight through ultrasound is not accurate at all.. so mommies don panic! Not a good idea to request for induction since it can cause emergency c-sect if u're unlucky (baby nt willing to come out even after u induce and break water bag etc). Trust your gynae and leave it to them [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
Ak: You should try not to do any house work now already... just relax~ don go and care so much =D Do it for baby!!
babyweight: please remember the way of measuring baby's weight through ultrasound is not accurate at all.. so mommies don panic! Not a good idea to request for induction since it can cause emergency c-sect if u're unlucky (baby nt willing to come out even after u induce and break water bag etc). Trust your gynae and leave it to them [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
Ak: You should try not to do any house work now already... just relax~ don go and care so much =D Do it for baby!!
I am super impatient for baby to come out too..! Ever since doc did the VE for me on monday and said baby can come out anytime even this week, hubby and i have been on 'standby' mode. Our bags are in the car already! Then I came home and read this article.. and realize, even with 2-3 cm dilation.. baby can still come out only at my due date (another 2weeks+ more). So really no point lah.. just slowly wait. I cut n paste the article for u ladies
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CERVICAL EXAMS: WHO NEEDS THEM?
Internal cervical exams….a rant. Okay, so I know I’m about to get a whole slew of doctors upset at me – but you know what? I’m big…I can take it.
Lets start at the beginning…not the beginning of the pregnancy, but the beginning of the debate over internal exams which starts at around 36-38 weeks of pregnancy. Usually I will have a client of mine ask me sometime between 36 and 38 weeks if we’re going to check her cervix to see what it’s doing.
My response is always – WHY?
I’m not just asking why she wants to check as in, “what do you want to find out”….but I’m also asking why she wants to check as in, “why do you feel the need to know?”
What do you want to find out? How far dilated you are? You’re 38 weeks…what does it matter? Oooohhhh… you hoping that someone (me) could tell you how much longer you will be pregnant? I BET YOU ARE!! That is the million dollar question, and one that I wish I could find out the answer to – because I would be one rich midwife if I could!! If I had been the Divine creator and designed our bodies, I would have put that belly button to use and make it glow bright green 24 hours before labor was going to begin! When will labor begin…yes, that’s an excellent question. How very unfortunate for all concerned that that is impossible to answer. I have seen women be not dilated or effaced at all and slip into labor and have their baby hours later. I have also seen women be 7cm dilated and not in labor!! That’s more of an extreme (in 15 years I’ve only seen 3 women do that), but it does go to show that where your cervix is TODAY has absolutely no bearing on what it’s going to do tomorrow.
Okay, so it won’t tell you when you will go into labor…but surely it will tell you how your labor will go! The further dilated you are now surely means that you will have a faster and easier birth? Again, how I wish that were the case…but, again, it sadly is not. Checking your cervix now does not tell us what it is going to do, it only tells us what it has done! You might get to 4cm with absolutely no extra pressure and feeling no vita mutari (if you don’t know what that means, please see my blog post titled “vita mutari”) – and then you might feel enormous vita mutari in order to birth your baby, and it might take many many hours!
Now lets address the reason you WON’T tell me when I ask you why you want an internal exam – but the reason that is almost always universally there….the need for reassurance that your body “works”. If you are dilated, then it’s proof positive that your body knows what to do and is functional. As you probably have gathered by now, that’s just not the case.
So checking your cervix does not tell us: when you will go into labor, how fast your labor will be, or how easy or challenging your labor will be.
Ah, but checking your cervix prenatally DOES do SOMETHING!! It ruins the end of your pregnancy.
If you are not dilated yet, then that means you will begin doubting your body, feeling broken, doubting that this baby will “ever be born”. Please be reassured, the longest human pregnancy ever recorded was not “forever”. These moms who find out that they aren’t dilated leave my office discouraged, often looking beaten down and sad. What a terrible thing to feel when you are right on the cusp of having your baby! (Sometimes you’re only hours away from labor!) Your body has known how to conceive this baby, it has (without our assistance) been able to grow from a teeny tiny egg mixed with an even teenier sperm into an entire person!! A full grown baby with toes and hair and the cutest butt cheeks you’ll ever see!! It’s done this miraculous thing…and now, based on a stupid cervical check, you will lose a huge amount of faith in its ability to finish the job it started so perfectly? SHAME ON YOU! Your body is amazing, incredible, creating life! It deserves our utmost adoration…now is not the time to start doubting it! What has it done to deserve your skepticism of its perfection? Nothing…absolutely nothing!
If she is dilating…then celebration and feelings of accomplishment and she will then often run home and tell everyone that the baby is going to come at any moment! She quickly puts all of her affairs in order making sure everything is ready for the baby…and then she waits….
…..
…..
And she waits…
And I see her at the office a week later…and she’s smiling….sort of. Why isn’t the baby here? And another week goes by (that’s a long time to hold your breath) and she’s still pregnant. It is only her estimated due date (which is a whole other blog post rant for me to tackle) and yet she FEELS 2 weeks late because she thought the baby was going to come 2 weeks ago when we did an internal exam on her. This is the mom that usually wants to start talking about inducing at home because her cervix is “favorable” and because she feels 2 weeks late.
So if we hadn’t checked these women’s cervix prenatally, the not dilated mother would have gone into labor and had her baby on her baby’s good time, and the dilated mother would have gone into labor and had her baby on her baby’s good time. What did we accomplish here?
So why do so many care providers do routine internal exams on every mother late in their pregnancy? I think that’s an excellent question for you to ask your care provider…and if there is an answer, I am very curious to hear it – because I can’t think of a good reason at all!
*************************************
What about in labor?
I get the call.,…vita mutari has begin and is growing, we’re ready for you to come. I head over to the family’s home and she wants her cervix checked. And again I wonder…why? Is it to prove to me that she’s in labor? I believe her…and I doubt that’s the main reason. The main reason women want their cervix checked in labor is to prove to THEM they are in labor! They can’t just let it be what it needs to be…and my question would be this – what does it matter? What you are feeling is valid and real, and what is going to be is what is going to be…
I don’t care where your cervix is when I arrive! I’m not going anywhere,…I’m here until this stops or we have a baby. The only time I can see the value in an internal exam is if labor doesn’t seem to be progressing in a way that we would expect, and I may want to check to see if there is an answer I can find (such as a baby’s head being crooked in there, for example). It is not to see how fast your progressing, really…as long as you are moving forward, I do NOT care how fast it is going! Take your time, have your baby in your own time…so long as everything is healthy. But for a normal labor, I don’t care how long it’s taking, I don’t care what your cervix is doing…I accept your labor is what it is and will take as long as it needs.
What about to see how much longer you will be in labor? I’ve seen women go from 4cm dilated to birth in an hour! I’ve also seen them take 12 hours to go from 8cm to birth. Okay, so that doesn’t help.
What about when you feel the need to push? Here is where I’m going to get the biggest chair-squirming from nurses and OB’s (and even a bunch of midwives). When you begin pushing your baby out, do I need to check your cervix to make sure it’s “okay” to push because we’ve made sure you’re fully dilated? (you know, to make sure you don’t ‘swell your cervix’) No, I don’t. Usually women don’t start pushing by all of a sudden full-on full body pushing…usually you hear a catch in their voice during the contraction, a grunt, a tightening. Rarely does this happen when she is fully dilated, it’s almost always in transition…and I’ve never seen little grunty pushes swell a cervix. What about when she does those full-body pushes? For the first 15 minutes or so my response is “YOU GO GIRL!” After that I look (externally…but LOOKING at the mother) for signs that the baby has moved down and therefore she’s fully dilated. Yes…you can actually see signs on the outside without touching mom! If she’s pushed for a while with no external signs, then and ONLY THEN will I ask if I may slip ONE finger in and see where the head is and if there is cervix I can find.
This past year I did 8 births in a row…with a total of 1 internal exam (because the mother said that with her previous babies she was “stuck at 8cm” for hours until her water was broken artificially and she felt for the last couple of hours that she was again “stuck”. This being her forth baby, I believed her…checked her cervix, she was, indeed, 8cm and we broken her water and she had her baby 15 minutes later. Did I mention that I have a HUGE amount of respect for the wisdom of mothers?? I’m always humbled by it..) I actually feel sorry for my apprentices – because cervical checks is going to be the LAST skill they master with me…because I just don’t do them very often.
Sometimes I will see a woman that loses all confidence in her body and the process for no reason other than societal anxieties and fears that everyone has given her that birth is scary and doesn’t work 32% of the time (our current cesarean rate). Sometimes that mother needs to regain her confidence and that can sometimes be accomplished with an internal exam that shows that her cervix is blossoming open. It’s wonderful to be able to help a woman regain the trust in her body! (also runs the risk of finding out she’s not as open as she hoped and having her completely give up…even though her cervix could blossom open quickly and at any moment!)
So let me summarize my position on this subject:
REASONS NOT TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE PREGNANT: it won’t tell you when you will go into labor, or how your labor will be.
REASONS TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE PREGNANT: because you want to become frustrated with your body or want to wait with baited breath at the end. (note: the one GOOD reason to do an internal is if you are looking to induce labor – that is the only medically indicated reason to do an internal exam)
REASONS NOT TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE IN LABOR: to make sure you’re really in labor, to see how much longer it will be before the baby is born, to make sure it’s “okay” for your to push.
REASONS TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE IN LABOR: to make sure (after given ample time) that things are progressing (no matter how slowly) and that there aren’t issues that need to be addressed.
And my question to you is: Why do you need external validation that your body is perfect? And why is it that I respect the phenomenal perfection that is your body more than you do?
Link: http://www.whattoexpect.com/forums/february-2010-babies/topic/dilation-effacement-amp-cervical-checks-read-this
I cut n paste the article for u ladies ---------------------------------------------
CERVICAL EXAMS: WHO NEEDS THEM?
Internal cervical exams….a rant. Okay, so I know I’m about to get a whole slew of doctors upset at me – but you know what? I’m big…I can take it.
Lets start at the beginning…not the beginning of the pregnancy, but the beginning of the debate over internal exams which starts at around 36-38 weeks of pregnancy. Usually I will have a client of mine ask me sometime between 36 and 38 weeks if we’re going to check her cervix to see what it’s doing.
My response is always – WHY?
I’m not just asking why she wants to check as in, “what do you want to find out”….but I’m also asking why she wants to check as in, “why do you feel the need to know?”
What do you want to find out? How far dilated you are? You’re 38 weeks…what does it matter? Oooohhhh… you hoping that someone (me) could tell you how much longer you will be pregnant? I BET YOU ARE!! That is the million dollar question, and one that I wish I could find out the answer to – because I would be one rich midwife if I could!! If I had been the Divine creator and designed our bodies, I would have put that belly button to use and make it glow bright green 24 hours before labor was going to begin! When will labor begin…yes, that’s an excellent question. How very unfortunate for all concerned that that is impossible to answer. I have seen women be not dilated or effaced at all and slip into labor and have their baby hours later. I have also seen women be 7cm dilated and not in labor!! That’s more of an extreme (in 15 years I’ve only seen 3 women do that), but it does go to show that where your cervix is TODAY has absolutely no bearing on what it’s going to do tomorrow.
Okay, so it won’t tell you when you will go into labor…but surely it will tell you how your labor will go! The further dilated you are now surely means that you will have a faster and easier birth? Again, how I wish that were the case…but, again, it sadly is not. Checking your cervix now does not tell us what it is going to do, it only tells us what it has done! You might get to 4cm with absolutely no extra pressure and feeling no vita mutari (if you don’t know what that means, please see my blog post titled “vita mutari”) – and then you might feel enormous vita mutari in order to birth your baby, and it might take many many hours!
Now lets address the reason you WON’T tell me when I ask you why you want an internal exam – but the reason that is almost always universally there….the need for reassurance that your body “works”. If you are dilated, then it’s proof positive that your body knows what to do and is functional. As you probably have gathered by now, that’s just not the case.
So checking your cervix does not tell us: when you will go into labor, how fast your labor will be, or how easy or challenging your labor will be.
Ah, but checking your cervix prenatally DOES do SOMETHING!! It ruins the end of your pregnancy.
If you are not dilated yet, then that means you will begin doubting your body, feeling broken, doubting that this baby will “ever be born”. Please be reassured, the longest human pregnancy ever recorded was not “forever”. These moms who find out that they aren’t dilated leave my office discouraged, often looking beaten down and sad. What a terrible thing to feel when you are right on the cusp of having your baby! (Sometimes you’re only hours away from labor!) Your body has known how to conceive this baby, it has (without our assistance) been able to grow from a teeny tiny egg mixed with an even teenier sperm into an entire person!! A full grown baby with toes and hair and the cutest butt cheeks you’ll ever see!! It’s done this miraculous thing…and now, based on a stupid cervical check, you will lose a huge amount of faith in its ability to finish the job it started so perfectly? SHAME ON YOU! Your body is amazing, incredible, creating life! It deserves our utmost adoration…now is not the time to start doubting it! What has it done to deserve your skepticism of its perfection? Nothing…absolutely nothing!
If she is dilating…then celebration and feelings of accomplishment and she will then often run home and tell everyone that the baby is going to come at any moment! She quickly puts all of her affairs in order making sure everything is ready for the baby…and then she waits….
…..
…..
And she waits…
And I see her at the office a week later…and she’s smiling….sort of. Why isn’t the baby here? And another week goes by (that’s a long time to hold your breath) and she’s still pregnant. It is only her estimated due date (which is a whole other blog post rant for me to tackle) and yet she FEELS 2 weeks late because she thought the baby was going to come 2 weeks ago when we did an internal exam on her. This is the mom that usually wants to start talking about inducing at home because her cervix is “favorable” and because she feels 2 weeks late.
So if we hadn’t checked these women’s cervix prenatally, the not dilated mother would have gone into labor and had her baby on her baby’s good time, and the dilated mother would have gone into labor and had her baby on her baby’s good time. What did we accomplish here?
So why do so many care providers do routine internal exams on every mother late in their pregnancy? I think that’s an excellent question for you to ask your care provider…and if there is an answer, I am very curious to hear it – because I can’t think of a good reason at all!
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What about in labor?
I get the call.,…vita mutari has begin and is growing, we’re ready for you to come. I head over to the family’s home and she wants her cervix checked. And again I wonder…why? Is it to prove to me that she’s in labor? I believe her…and I doubt that’s the main reason. The main reason women want their cervix checked in labor is to prove to THEM they are in labor! They can’t just let it be what it needs to be…and my question would be this – what does it matter? What you are feeling is valid and real, and what is going to be is what is going to be…
I don’t care where your cervix is when I arrive! I’m not going anywhere,…I’m here until this stops or we have a baby. The only time I can see the value in an internal exam is if labor doesn’t seem to be progressing in a way that we would expect, and I may want to check to see if there is an answer I can find (such as a baby’s head being crooked in there, for example). It is not to see how fast your progressing, really…as long as you are moving forward, I do NOT care how fast it is going! Take your time, have your baby in your own time…so long as everything is healthy. But for a normal labor, I don’t care how long it’s taking, I don’t care what your cervix is doing…I accept your labor is what it is and will take as long as it needs.
What about to see how much longer you will be in labor? I’ve seen women go from 4cm dilated to birth in an hour! I’ve also seen them take 12 hours to go from 8cm to birth. Okay, so that doesn’t help.
What about when you feel the need to push? Here is where I’m going to get the biggest chair-squirming from nurses and OB’s (and even a bunch of midwives). When you begin pushing your baby out, do I need to check your cervix to make sure it’s “okay” to push because we’ve made sure you’re fully dilated? (you know, to make sure you don’t ‘swell your cervix’) No, I don’t. Usually women don’t start pushing by all of a sudden full-on full body pushing…usually you hear a catch in their voice during the contraction, a grunt, a tightening. Rarely does this happen when she is fully dilated, it’s almost always in transition…and I’ve never seen little grunty pushes swell a cervix. What about when she does those full-body pushes? For the first 15 minutes or so my response is “YOU GO GIRL!” After that I look (externally…but LOOKING at the mother) for signs that the baby has moved down and therefore she’s fully dilated. Yes…you can actually see signs on the outside without touching mom! If she’s pushed for a while with no external signs, then and ONLY THEN will I ask if I may slip ONE finger in and see where the head is and if there is cervix I can find.
This past year I did 8 births in a row…with a total of 1 internal exam (because the mother said that with her previous babies she was “stuck at 8cm” for hours until her water was broken artificially and she felt for the last couple of hours that she was again “stuck”. This being her forth baby, I believed her…checked her cervix, she was, indeed, 8cm and we broken her water and she had her baby 15 minutes later. Did I mention that I have a HUGE amount of respect for the wisdom of mothers?? I’m always humbled by it..) I actually feel sorry for my apprentices – because cervical checks is going to be the LAST skill they master with me…because I just don’t do them very often.
Sometimes I will see a woman that loses all confidence in her body and the process for no reason other than societal anxieties and fears that everyone has given her that birth is scary and doesn’t work 32% of the time (our current cesarean rate). Sometimes that mother needs to regain her confidence and that can sometimes be accomplished with an internal exam that shows that her cervix is blossoming open. It’s wonderful to be able to help a woman regain the trust in her body! (also runs the risk of finding out she’s not as open as she hoped and having her completely give up…even though her cervix could blossom open quickly and at any moment!)
So let me summarize my position on this subject:
REASONS NOT TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE PREGNANT: it won’t tell you when you will go into labor, or how your labor will be.
REASONS TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE PREGNANT: because you want to become frustrated with your body or want to wait with baited breath at the end. (note: the one GOOD reason to do an internal is if you are looking to induce labor – that is the only medically indicated reason to do an internal exam)
REASONS NOT TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE IN LABOR: to make sure you’re really in labor, to see how much longer it will be before the baby is born, to make sure it’s “okay” for your to push.
REASONS TO DO AN INTERNAL WHILE IN LABOR: to make sure (after given ample time) that things are progressing (no matter how slowly) and that there aren’t issues that need to be addressed.
And my question to you is: Why do you need external validation that your body is perfect? And why is it that I respect the phenomenal perfection that is your body more than you do?
Link: http://www.whattoexpect.com/forums/february-2010-babies/topic/dilation-effacement-amp-cervical-checks-read-this
M
minibean
Guest
hehe so funny! now everyone is concern abt placenta ageing!
i agree with jaclyn about baby's weight. it is not really accurate altho gynae tries to provide a close estimate during scan. like i mentioned before, my #1 was scanned at 3.1kg at 37week but 5 days later when he was out, he was 3.48kg! dun worry too much!
AK: I just came back from gynae check up. My D-day is tomorrow, one day before yours! so I got to start preparing everything today! I cant wait to hold baby in my arms!
i agree with jaclyn about baby's weight. it is not really accurate altho gynae tries to provide a close estimate during scan. like i mentioned before, my #1 was scanned at 3.1kg at 37week but 5 days later when he was out, he was 3.48kg! dun worry too much!
AK: I just came back from gynae check up. My D-day is tomorrow, one day before yours! so I got to start preparing everything today! I cant wait to hold baby in my arms!
jellypurin
New Member
junie
correct
correct
haha,Jaclyn, the article is interesting..
no wonder when i asked my gynae to check whether i have dilated or not last week, he asked me "y u want to know?", haha,then i answered "if dilated alr then i don't walk too much, cos i want cancerian bb..hehe"
minibean, sure you will be very excited..wish you have a smooth delivery oh!!
no wonder when i asked my gynae to check whether i have dilated or not last week, he asked me "y u want to know?", haha,then i answered "if dilated alr then i don't walk too much, cos i want cancerian bb..hehe"
minibean, sure you will be very excited..wish you have a smooth delivery oh!!
yoyoblue
Member
Carol, bb is exercising prepare for labour.
If really want to pop out, water bag leaks or burst or contraction attack from back to the front those cannot control ones. Sit, stand, lie down, walking also never stop and each timing is getting nearer than u in labour lor!
If the pain can be bearable you feel the pain but when you change your position walking or standing etc than pain go off than it is BH lor!
If really want to pop out, water bag leaks or burst or contraction attack from back to the front those cannot control ones. Sit, stand, lie down, walking also never stop and each timing is getting nearer than u in labour lor!
If the pain can be bearable you feel the pain but when you change your position walking or standing etc than pain go off than it is BH lor!
jellypurin
New Member
ct
recently i hv...
recently i hv...