Does anyone know how to check the cervix to see how far it is dialated and what you are supposed to feel for?
2007-07-30 19:25:01 · 6 answers · asked by Annabell 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
Okay -- dilated, not "dilated." Makes it easier to Google, I promise...
One answer:
""I think it's a good and empowering thing for a woman to check her own cervix for dilation. This is not rocket science, and you hardly need a medical degree or years of training to do it. Your vagina is a lot like your nose- other people may do harm if they put fingers or instruments up there but you have a greater sensitivity and will not do yourself any harm.
"The best way to do it when hugely pregnant is to sit on the toilet with one foot on the floor and one up on the seat of the toilet. Put two fingers in and go back towards your bum. The cervix in a pregnant woman feels like your lips puckered up into a kiss. On a non-pregnant woman it feels like the end of your nose. When it is dilating, one finger slips into the middle of the cervix easily (just like you could slide your finger into your mouth easily if you are puckered up for a kiss). As the dilation progresses the inside of that hole becomes more like a taught elastic band and by 5 cms dilated (5 fingerwidths) it is a perfect rubbery circle like one of those Mason jar rings that you use for canning, and about that thick.
"What's in the centre of that opening space is the membranes (bag of waters) that are covering the baby's head and feel like a latex balloon filled with water. If you push on them a bit you'll feel the baby's head like a hard ball (as in baseball). If the waters have released you'll feel the babe's head directly."
http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/archive_posts.asp?imboard=79&imParent=2978220
But, uh -- why??
"Many people try to use the information that is gathered from a vaginal exam to predict things like when labor will begin or if the baby will fit through the pelvis. A vaginal exam simply cannot measure these things...
Okay, so there's not really a great reason to have a vaginal in exam done routinely for most women. So are there any reasons not to have vaginal exams? There sure are.
Vaginal exams can increase the risks of infection, even when done carefully and with sterile gloves, etc. It pushes the normal bacteria found in the vagina upwards towards the cervix. There is also increased risk of rupturing the membranes. Some practitioners routinely do what is called stripping the membranes, which simply separates the bag of waters from the cervix. The thought behind this is that it will stimulate the production of prostaglandins to help labor begin and irritate the cervix causing it to contract. This has not been shown to necessarily be effective and does have the aforementioned risks."
http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/interventions/a/vaginalexam.htm
2007-07-30 22:24:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't know... but, I would venture to say how ever many fingers passed 2 you can fit in...would prolly tell u close... So if can get 3 fingers in ur about 2 or 3 cm dialated... but, that is purely a guess!!
I wouldn't recommend you doing it... but, if you were just wondering...that's what I would think!!!
YAY Congrats!! I am very Happy for you!!!
2007-07-30 19:35:35 · answer #2 · answered by Reagan's Mommy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are heavily pregnant then this would be very difficult to do!
But I wouldn't recommend it - you could easily injure yourself if your cervix is soft and ripening.
It takes midwives and doctors awhile to learn how to do this properly and you have to do it quite a number of times under supervision, with a thorough knowledge of gynacological anatomy, to correctly understand and interpret what you're feeling. There's more than just dilation to be checking for.
It also risks introducing infection and this is the last thing you need in late pregnancy.
Leave it up to the professionals, please.
2007-07-30 19:34:07 · answer #3 · answered by SydneyMum101 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Checking your cervix should be left up to a medical professional.
2007-07-30 19:40:31 · answer #4 · answered by ♥Instantkarma♥♫ 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I would not suggest you do it, we are not experts.
I read in a book that you just use your fingers and that tells you how far you are dialated.
If you are going to do it, make sure you wash your hands.
I suggest you don't do it, im scared for you.
2007-07-30 19:35:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
i'm not sure you can tell if your not trained to know-- lol I would love to know though!
2007-07-30 19:31:04 · answer #6 · answered by Just Another One 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋