internal exam??

[allyk]

i know that when i am in labour i will loose all my dignity however until then i would like to keep it!!!

could you ladies who are 2nd time mums or further along than me, let me know when you would have an internal examination done?? i have this horrible thought that my next mw appt she will want to do one , i also wanna make sure that my lady area is presntable!!!

 

[emilyjade]

no one ever saw my lady bits till i was in labour

 

[superbecks]

They don't do internal examinations routinely as part of antenatal care. You may have one if you are overdue to give you a stretch and sweep, or if not then to assess if you are in labour and then maybe 4hourly whilst in labour to assess progress.

 

[brunette&bubs]

LOL I've already had 3 internals, but that is because I've been in preterm labor.

I don't think your MW really *has* to check you if you don't want to until you are in labor.
Of course you could probably request one whenever.

And don't worry about looking presentable down there....
I don't think my OB even looks at my lady bits when she gives an internal she just shoves her fingers up there.
And if she did, don't worry...they've probably seen worse!

 

[Gemie]

I've already had one b/c I went to hospital with pains at 21 weeks but other than that I've not had an internal and when I had my son I never had one till I was induced.

 

[allyk]

i really thought that they did internals regually, phew glad they dont!!!

Sorry if this sounds really thick but how do they work out how far engaged the babies head is?? a friend of mine says she is 3/5?!?!

 

[brunette&bubs]

I don't really understand that either...
when my OB checks me she will just tell me "Oh your 1 cm dilated and thinning"
never says anything about engagement or % effaced

 

[allyk]

I don't really understand that either...
when my OB checks me she will just tell me "Oh your 1 cm dilated and thinning"
never says anything about engagement or % effaced

EFFACED that was the word i was looking for!! bloomin baby brain, took me ages and i couldnt work out what that word was!!!

Can i ask how does she check you? just feeling your belly or??? ?

 

[emilyjade]

i really thought that they did internals regually, phew glad they dont!!!

Sorry if this sounds really thick but how do they work out how far engaged the babies head is?? a friend of mine says she is 3/5?!?!

they work that out by feeling low in your pelvis to see how far baby had dropped but no internals are needed for that

 

[allyk]

i really thought that they did internals regually, phew glad they dont!!!

Sorry if this sounds really thick but how do they work out how far engaged the babies head is?? a friend of mine says she is 3/5?!?!

they work that out by feeling low in your pelvis to see how far baby had dropped but no internals are needed for that

wow they seem to be able to work out alot through just feeling your belly dont they!!! i'm still amazed at how mw can tell where baby is lying.. i asked her the other day as she said to me oh theres a foot and a bum... her response was that she was a midwife !!! really helpful!!!

 

[emilyjade]

i could feel last time where he was laid but this time i cant feel where she is! annoys me because i want to know if she is still breech!

 

[SimplyRhi]

You dont actually have to have any internal examinations at all. You can decline these. They aren't actually useful at all - unless you want to have a sweep done. But being told you are '50% effaced (which is the thinning of your cervix), and 1 cm dilated' for example, doesn't actually tell you when labour will start. You will go into labour when your body is ready, so an internal exam is pointless really.. feel free to just relax and let nature take its course!

They can feel if baby's head is engaged by palpating your tummy, they can feel the feel in your lower belly and then refer it as '3/5th' palpable etc, meaning that 3/5ths of the baby's head can be felt in your tummy and the other 2 are engaged in your pelvis.. Hope that makes sense!

 

[allyk]

You dont actually have to have any internal examinations at all. You can decline these. They aren't actually useful at all - unless you want to have a sweep done. But being told you are '50% effaced (which is the thinning of your cervix), and 1 cm dilated' for example, doesn't actually tell you when labour will start. You will go into labour when your body is ready, so an internal exam is pointless really.. feel free to just relax and let nature take its course!

They can feel if baby's head is engaged by palpating your tummy, they can feel the feel in your lower belly and then refer it as '3/5th' palpable etc, meaning that 3/5ths of the baby's head can be felt in your tummy and the other 2 are engaged in your pelvis.. Hope that makes sense!

AHHH that does make sense... thanks for that.. can i ask another bit of a stupid question?? What is a sweep? what the difference between a sweep and being induced??

 

[Fabby]

No way, i thought the mw would have to have a feel up there to see how dilated you were! Some women on here have a feel up there to see how dilated they are, so i just thought this is what the Mw does. How about when you are in labour though, they have a feel up there then dont they?? Oh im confussed now! xx

 

[SimplyRhi]

A sweep can only be done if you are 'ripe' which means that your cervix has started to soften and efface a bit and you have dilated enough for the midwife to 'sweep' her fingers around the inside of the cervix seperating the membranes from around the baby and your cervix...... sometimes this can help baby move down, and can help induce your hormones to encourage labour.... but it's not a sure way of setting things off!

P.s You can also decline any internals during labour too, if you dont need to know how dilated you are.. you will get there eventually... so it sometimes doesnt matter if you dont find out where you are at during the process. It can be very empowering to just trust your body to 'do it's thing!'

 

[Fabby]

You dont actually have to have any internal examinations at all. You can decline these. They aren't actually useful at all - unless you want to have a sweep done. But being told you are '50% effaced (which is the thinning of your cervix), and 1 cm dilated' for example, doesn't actually tell you when labour will start. You will go into labour when your body is ready, so an internal exam is pointless really.. feel free to just relax and let nature take its course!

They can feel if baby's head is engaged by palpating your tummy, they can feel the feel in your lower belly and then refer it as '3/5th' palpable etc, meaning that 3/5ths of the baby's head can be felt in your tummy and the other 2 are engaged in your pelvis.. Hope that makes sense!

AHHH that does make sense... thanks for that.. can i ask another bit of a stupid question?? What is a sweep? what the difference between a sweep and being induced??

a sweep is a sweep of the membranes up there. Induced is when you are given the hormone that our bodies are supposed to produce to go into natural labour. xx

 

[SimplyRhi]

Remember - It's your body and your choice.. you can decline ANYTHING you don't feel comfortable with. I personally wont be having anyone put their hands near my hoo ha! My body will eventually dilate enough to birth my baby - i don't need to be told i'm '7cm' etc etc - as this means nothing!?! But it is completely personal choice and we are lucky we live in a society that gives us 'choice'.....

 

[allyk]

i have to say i do not like the sound of a sweep... having mw stick her fingers right up my bits and move them round... i really didnt think that was what it was!!!

Lots of people talk about having sweeps i thought it was something medical... Oh my God...

there is alot of emphasis on how many cm dialted you are.. not sure if it makes things worse knowing or not knowing... i guess i'll have to wait and see but thanks for telling me about sweep!!!

 

[whoops]

I had an internal a few days ago - it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. I was given privacy to get half-undressed and had a white sheet to put over me so I didn't feel exposed. The consultant was very professional and afterwards she left me in peace to clean myself up and wash my hands etc, and didn't talk to me again until I was fully dressed and sitting back across the desk from her.

For such an undignified process, you really don't lose your dignity that much at all. It's much better than a smear test, definitely!

 

[Terangela]

You likely won't get an internal, but you will likely get your group b swab done. They use a large cotton swap and swish around just inside your vagina and in your rectum.