My doctor likes to do checks at 36 weeks when he does the GBS swab. He said it wasn't necessary to have anymore unless I go past my due date but that I can have them weekly. At 36 weeks he said I wasn't dilated at all but that the baby's head was very low. I didn't get any info about effacement. I left feeling a little bummed becuase I had been having lots of cramps and wondered if those might have caused progress.
When my doula palpitated to feel the baby a few days later she felt that his head was rather high. I thought this was strange because my doc had commented that his head was low and somewhat engaged.
So my question is this: Should I get checked at my 37 week appointment tomorrow? It will be a different doctor since mine will be out of town, not that that matters a ton. I'm so dang curious to see if my continued cramps have made any progress yet, to ask about effacement, and to see if his head is still very low. But on the other hand, I'm nervous that zero progress will just discourage me. What would you moms do?
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Re: Cervical check? WWYD
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You are probably totally right. I think that's what I needed to hear. I'm just going to resist the temptation!
This. I'm declining all cervical checks anyhow, unless I'm going overdue or "failing to progress in labor" and need to make a medical decision on how to proceed.
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I didn't get any checks last time and don't plan to this time. I don't want to get discouraged at no progress. I don't want to get my hopes up at progress that isn't labour. I don't like hands in my vagina poking my cervix.
The way I figure it, I'm pretty unlikely to go into labour at 36 or 37 weeks no matter what they tell me, so why bother? Once I pass 40 weeks - if I do - I might consider it then just to be able to know my options regarding possible induction. I never made it that far last time, so it was a non-issue.
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I would decline further checks.
I had exactly one cervical check during my pregnancy. It was in L&D triage when I was insisting that I was having.my.baby.right.now. and the midwife did not believe me because I had only been in labor for about 8 hours. (I was at 10 and DD was born 90 minutes later).
we must have had the same midwife! lol. i would refuse the check... i'm a big believer that ignorance is bliss. knowing how much progress you made isn't gonna tell you when you're actually going to go into labor, so it's not super important information to have, kwim?
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This. My OB insisted on one at 39+ weeks and all the info of "0cm and 0%" did was discourage me. 48 hours later I had a baby in my arms.
One way or the other, dilated or not, they don't tell you anything about when the baby is coming.
When your baby is ready, the baby sends out a chemical signal that starts your body into labor. Some people drop early, some drop during labor... so all these things are interesting facts, but not necessarily meaningful. All you can really do is wait!
Personally, I wouldn't do it. Like others have said, it's not going to tell you when you're going to go into labor. It's just going to make you more uncomfortable and whatnot.
If the new doctor offers to check you without saying anything, I would consider, but I wouldn't ask for it.