Advice on having membranes stripped

Titanium81

Hello Ladies,

Hopefully I'm not repeating a recent post, I couldn't find one like this on the natural birth board.

I'm due on April 26th with my first baby. Today I had an OB appointment and she said that next week I could choose to have my membranes stripped. I will be 39w+4d. Today I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. She said that typically they prefer to let patients go 1 week overdue. I would really like to avoid being induced with pitocin, etc and anything that might interfere with a med-free vaginal delivery. I thought perhaps opting for this would be a preventative measure. Or I could push to wait until the following week to do it? However, I fear she might push for an induction at the hospital at that point. 

Any feedback would be much appreciated. 

Thanks!

margaritachikita

I think membrane stripping is kind of like most other "natural" induction methods - it will only do something if your body and baby are ready. It is a fairly low risk intervention. I had it done at 39 weeks, and had my baby the same day...BUT i had already been having regular painful contractions when my doctor did it.

margaritachikita

And remember you always have the right to say no to any procedure you are not comfortable with.

MamaWombat

I don't think there's a limit on when the membranes can be stripped, is there? So couldn't you ask that this be the first step if labor hasn't started the next week? My water started leaking at 40 weeks, 3 days, and as I couldn't feel contractions yet by 7pm, the MW ruptured my membranes that evening - I was at 4 1/2 minutes apart and 1 min. long by 10:30pm.

MrsBigTime

I was going to be induced at 39 weeks either way, so my MW stripped my membranes once at 37 weeks, and twice the following week (once two days before my induction). I was maybe one centimeter dilated before each of stripping and I didn't have any contractions or anything after any of them. I did lose some of my mucous plug every time, though. All that to say, if your body is ready for labor, stripping your membranes may help get you there, but it's not going to push you into full blown contractions or anything. 

OAHMOM

My OB stripped mine at my 38 week appointment without asking me. I had no idea what he was doing. I had contractions right away and my daughter was born 15 hours later. However, I was already 4cm and way effaced. I probably would have gone within a few days anyway.

KateLouise

I personally wouldn't do it so early unless I was having contractions. I agree with pp that unless your body is ready to go, it's not likely to do much.

My MW stripped mine and I had DD2, 3 hrs later, but I'd been having regular contractions through the night and was at 40weeks and 5 days.