checking ur own cervix

aj_mommy · #1 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 02:24 PM

I have herd of some women checking there own cervix has anyone ever herd of this? and if so how do u know if ur dialted?

dancincuti · #2 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 03:20 PM

I remember hearing that it's physically impossible to check your own cervix. You could have your DH try. I think that one fingertip = a cm dialted?? I could be wrong though.

Ronnielynn · #3 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 03:30 PM

* lurking *

Its not physicaly impossible. Just really hard to do being 8 months pg with a big ol belly

I have charted for years and know my body all too well lol. I also checked my cervix from time to time during my last pg, mainly because I was so used to it being done in my other pg's during every visit , and the doc I had my last baby at didnt check at all until 39 weeks. And I just had to know

. Take caution and make sure your extra extra extra clean . Now probably isnt really the best time to learn what and where your cervix is if you havent ever felt it before. And DO NOT I repeat DO NOT stick your fingers into your cervix and go digging around. Thats just foolish and asking for trouble. But I honestly dont see anything wrong with exploring. ( dont flame me about my opinion please, your finger is not any dirtier then a penis , and really probably cleaner if your cleaning yourself like you should before you even begin to venture down there). And if you should feel anything down there your are unsure of STOP dont try and figure it out. Just a warning you can never be to sure whats going on down there until you get there. With my last I was probably at least 5 cm dilated with a bulging bag of waters , i say probably because I was not stupid enough to mess with it once I felt the water bag so cant be sure . All I can say is im glad for myself that I did check otherwise I would not have made it to the hospital in time. I wasnt even sure I was in labor and only made it to the hospital with 19 mnutes to spare!

Just be careful whatever you do !!!

rnjsmom · #4 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 03:45 PM

Never heard of checking your own cervix. I think I would be too scared to try. I will leave it up to the doc.

dutchielover · #5 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 03:58 PM

honest just let the doctor do it..
you do no want to do anything like strip your membranes..
I know you are getting close but you will still have a preemie, and trust me, as much as I love my baby, having a preemie can be hard.

paulinefc · #6 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 04:17 PM

I would leave well enough alone... you could get an infection or anything... Anyway with restricted movement you might do some damage.. I myself can't imgine being able to reach it properly!!!

aj_mommy · #7 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 06:28 PM

yeah im not lol too scared =/ after hearing all that yikes!!!!

skellee · #8 (**permalink**) 07-05-2008, 06:39 AM

I've tried in the past...but never until I was fullterm...40 weeks. But I was never able to feel anything...just could not get the angle down and dh would never do it for me

Hess · #9 (**permalink**) 07-05-2008, 06:56 AM

My DH and my twin sister have checked me before (in several of my pregnancies)...they always wore surgical gloves and never before 37 weeks.

I've never been able to reach to check myself. I've known girls who have though.

ehs919 · #10 (**permalink**) 07-05-2008, 07:45 AM

I defintely wouldnt check!! Leave it up to the docs. First off, you don't want to introduce any bacteria up there that doesn't need to be there and second, you don't want to hurt anything up there if you can...At this stage in the game, we go every 2 weeks, why not just wait??

Colleen27 · #11 (**permalink**) 07-06-2008, 03:55 PM

I can't imagine it would be easy to check during the last weeks of pregnancy, and if you've never checked when you aren't pregnant, you aren't really going to have a good understanding of what you're feeling anyway. I thought about checking when I was 2 weeks overdue with DD, because I just had to know and I was getting rather desperate to go into labor to avoid induction, but couldn't get the mechanics quite right when I was that big. And I'm used to checking, because we use NFP both to get pregnant and to avoid pregnancy, so I've been checking/charting cervical position for quite some time!

Personally, I don't think bacteria is a big concern in a normal, healthy pregnancy. If DTD is still safe, it seems pretty common sense that gently checking with a clean hand should be too.