Vaginal Exam for Braxton Hicks?

alan&krysti · October 2013

Hi everyone

This is officially my first post, as I mostly just lurk..but I had a question..

I just hit 25 weeks on Wednesday, and last night realized I was experiencing Braxton Hicks. What I had thought was baby balling up was happening a lot more frequently than usual, and I noticed how hard my stomach was getting from it. Now, I know BH can be completely normal and expected for some, but my midwife was slightly concerned, mostly because of their frequency. She said if it happens again to time how far apart they are and if they are 10 minutes apart or less, they typically recommend going to the hospital to be monitored..just to err on the side of caution.

So here's my question, she had mentioned both a vaginal exam to check for dilation & waters breaking, and also a fetal fibronectin test (swab). I plan to avoid multiple cervical checks during labor because I've researched the risks of infection..but I was wondering if these risks are the same when being checked for preterm labor? Should I worry at all at this point about having a cervical check and swab? This may just be unneccesary worrying, but I figured maybe some of you could provide some insight.

Thanks!

mb314 · October 2013

I would consent to a cervical check in this case because the midwife is checking to see if you're prematurely dilating. that is important information to know, in my opinion. You are only 25 weeks, and dilation or preterm labor at this point is a very serious issue. If you are dilating, there are things they can do to prevent it/reverse it, and help keep your baby safe.

Most people who decline cervical checks decline late in pregnancy when many OBs/midwives routinely do them. People decline them because they are not necessary - knowing how dilated you are at that point doesn't really tell you anything useful (some people walk around at 4 cm for a week, where as I was at less than 1 cm in the morning and had my son in my arms 20 hours later). Likewise, some women decline them during labor because it isn't necessarily a good indication of how fast/slow your labor is going.

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