Checking yourself??

mrskeyte9 · August 2013

This may entertain some of you fellow insomnia/feeding Mama's!!

So I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, she just had a baby in March and was on a BMB (not TB but I'm not sure which one exactly). We were talking about cervical checks and she said lots of women on her board continuously talked about doing their own cervical checks. Um??? Huh? She said they would go into detail on squatting in the shower and feeling themselves. I CANNOT imagine doing this for several reasons!! We just laughed and said those women were "cray cray" (I don't use that phrase but it somehow felt appropriate for the situation) but then I thought...how common is this shit?!?! If at all. Any of you ladies heard of this craziness?!

I by no means am supporting this, have attempted this, or are even thinking of attempting this...I just am curious if this is like an "underground club" thing?? Good lord I hope not

HBirdie · August 2013

WTH. Weird.

Sorry, it was really hard deciding which one to use...

happybride 276 · August 2013

Wow. I am so glad this post wasn't about you checking yourself. That is crazy. No, I have not and will not check myself. Ha! Just the idea makes me laugh.

mrskeyte9 · August 2013

@HBirdie--Those are perfect! I kinda feel like they go in order of if someone attempted to check themselves! Like a before, during, and after!

mrskeyte9 · August 2013

happybride 276 said:
Wow. I am so glad this post wasn't about you checking yourself. That is crazy. No, I have not and will not check myself. Ha! Just the idea makes me laugh.

Haha! I could see how the title may be misleading! I told my friend "I can barely reach around the belly to wipe after I pee...how in the crap do you get up to your cervix?!?"

Shenique12 · August 2013

What the crap? It is absolutely gross just thinking about it. I am trying to imagine how someone can do this. I can barely put on my own undies ; this one is just MIND BLOWING!!!

mrskeyte9 · August 2013

Shenique12 said:
What the crap? It is absolutely gross just thinking about it. I am trying to imagine how someone can do this. I can barely put on my own undies ; this one is just MIND BLOWING!!!

I got my foot stuck sideways in my sweat pants earlier and had to yell for DH because I couldn't reach...if I'm having that bad of problem with my pants, how in the crap do you get up into your cervix?! Lol.

msronzio · August 2013

nope nope nope nope nope

jlbhz2275 · August 2013

How in the world could anyone manage to do that? I can't even get down there to tidy up so how do you do manage a self check? Weird!

HBirdie · August 2013

mrskeyte9 said:
@HBirdie--Those are perfect! I kinda feel like they go in order of if someone attempted to check themselves! Like a before, during, and after!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA you're so right! Completely unintentional! That's hilarious.

beckyandmiles · August 2013

Whoa. No way I'd ever check myself. It's not pleasant when someone else does it & I'd have no freaking idea what I was doing.

CutieBean79 · August 2013

I totally remember a post on the bump with a woman checking herself, but it was a while ago and I'm not sure which board. She was totally flamed. It's so unsanitary!

Mama3+1 · August 2013

That's weird and sounds equal parts unsanitary and uncomfortable. That being said, my SIL and I were pregnant at the same time last time, and she actually had my BIL check her. Ew. My husband has no business rooting around in there either. Apparently she didn't feel the same. Not sure why she bothered considering she was always in l&d thinking it was time.

happybride 276 · August 2013

I don't get how they know what to check for. I think they are liars. Maybe it makes me feel better to feel people are just as uninformed and inflexible as I am.

imakeeff0rts · August 2013

Uuuugggghhhh...FFS.

smh.

MrsLaurenAsh · August 2013

no no no no... I can barely wipe myself or hold my pee cup in the right spot at the doctor's office anymore, lol...

Kristonita12 · August 2013

I've actually read about this being suggested by some midwives. Apparently, if they train you on how, it can be less stressful than having a doctor do it (ha! I imagine I'd be super stressed trying to figure out how and what I'm even looking for), and releasing less stress hormones can help keep labor from slowing down. This was for during labor....I'm with you guys, all I could think was wait a minute, so I'm in LABOR and supposed to figure out how to finagle myself in a way where I can reach my own cervix?! No.

kat81again2 · August 2013

I've never heard of this, but have been able to feel my own cervix before. So I guess if you were really curious you could feel up in there and estimate the dilation...not something I will try, though!

Skalbrecht · August 2013

Yeah no. Don't know what to look for plus that's just akward if you can even reach.

scm306 · August 2013

Wouldn't it invite potential infection????

Shanmarie1083 · August 2013

Well there's no way in hell I could even reach it even if I wanted to, but I don't really think its that gross, I mean it's your own body. It's pretty much the same thing as checking cervical position when TTC, which I did every month during our TTC journey. You wash your hands before and after, nbd. I wouldn't do it because aside from the fact that I can't reach, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing and I'd probably become obsessive about checking after every contraction.

EMLYNNLERETTE · August 2013

@Hbirdie Best gifs. Perfect. If I could love them twice I would!

LnR70707 · August 2013

Someone on this board told me to check my own a few months ago when I first started dilating. I did not take her advice.

smlowe9311 · August 2013

I would never even attempt it. I'm not that big so I don't have some of the size complications some of you ladies do BUT I would be to concerned about introducing infection. Plus, how would I know what I'm "looking" for?!? I don't know what my cervix feels like before being effaced or anything and I'm terrible at knowing what 2 centimeters verses 6 would feel like.

SweetPeaK26 · August 2013

I'd don

Loppy19 said:
I have checked my cervix before when I was charting ovulation. A lot of women do that. However, my cervix is so high when I am pregnant that the OBs have a hard time finding it... I'm not about to do it myself and risk infection.

I'd done it for ovulation. But I couldn't reach now If I wanted to! I wouldn't be worried about infection though... My washed hand is cleaner than dh's penis. And that still goes up there!

Shanmarie1083 · August 2013

If your water is still intact and your hands are clean then there is little risk of infection. You trust your OB to go up there, so what's the difference?

devilglrk7 · August 2013

I wouldn't be so concerned with checking myself, I just would have no idea what to look for. And again, it doesn't really matter at this point... When it happens it will happen.

Albertsgirl1982 · August 2013

mrskeyte9 said:

What the crap? It is absolutely gross just thinking about it. I am trying to imagine how someone can do this. I can barely put on my own undies ; this one is just MIND BLOWING!!!
I got my foot stuck sideways in my sweat pants earlier and had to yell for DH because I couldn't reach...if I'm having that bad of problem with my pants, how in the crap do you get up into your cervix?! Lol.

OMG!! Thank you for this! I'm picturing you stuck in your pants and yelling. That totally made my day.

OpheliaChem · August 2013

This post sort of makes me giggle. If you squat over a toilet, you can get up there. Maybe not to your cervix, but you can at least get a finger or two in there. As long as your membranes are intact, infection is minimized for LO. Some women have low cervices, which means they can feel theirs. Others have higher cervices and they can't feel theirs. As for what to do when you get up there, you have to know cm with your fingers - not something most untrained women can do. I agree that even if I was able to feel my cervix, I'm not sure I could tell how dilated I was. Plus, is it going to change anything? Nope. FWIW - its easier for your OB/MW to check you because of the angle they are "going in" at - much different from the selfie angle!

Nukke · August 2013

Shanmarie1083 said:

Well there's no way in hell I could even reach it even if I wanted to, but I don't really think its that gross, I mean it's your own body. It's pretty much the same thing as checking cervical position when TTC, which I did every month during our TTC journey. You wash your hands before and after, nbd. I wouldn't do it because aside from the fact that I can't reach, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing and I'd probably become obsessive about checking after every contraction.

This. I checked my cervix multiple times when TTC. It's not gross, (really? Do that many people find their bodies gross?) But I'm not the type to attempt this while pregnant. Though my midwife did tell me what to feel for (I particularly liked the analogy of the marshmallow-like softening of the cervix!) But again, I'd probably check all the time and cause myself undue worry.

leighzlou · August 2013

Why is everyone so concerned with infection?? If sex is safe, why would your hand not be? That said, there is no way I could reach.

heaven22tw · August 2013

A lot of people do it. remember not everyone deals with OBs some women deal more holistically and want a 100 percent connect with thier pregnancy...and that includes cervical checks. I on the other hand dont even let my Dr do it lol.

SweetPeaK26 · August 2013

@nukke. I think it's gross, even when I did it I found it gross. I know it's my own body and I shouldn't find it gross, but I do.

OliveMom3 · September 2013

If I felt that it wouldn't cause me undue stress I would do it. I know what my cervix feels like and i would wash my hands before. I'm not grossed out by my body.

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