I was told on Monday that my OB does not "allow" pregnancies to go
beyond 42 weeks, and while this wasn't news to me it made me antsy
because my first son was so eager to be here he came rushing out the day
after his due date. This one was more than content on staying put.
Induction was set for 730am Friday. My waters broken at 9:18am
and I was told there was meconium in the fluids. This altered my plans
for intermittent monitoring. I would now be hooked up to wireless
fetal heart rate monitors that would dictate the remainder of my labor.
My contractions came on strong and hard, piggy-backing 2 and sometimes 3
without a break in between. I was checked at 11am
and found to be at only 5cm, they began talks of pitocin and
augmentation of labor. This jumped my BP up and I began to panic. I
remembered from all my readings, especially Ina May's words, fear and
panic are the worst enemies of progression in labor. So I dug down, and
found my mantra, "OOOOOPENNNNN".
After being checked again at 1:45
I was found at 7+ fully effaced and baby was at 0 station - here's what
I had been dreading - transition. I knew it would be painful, but I
didn't know it would be so short this time!! At 2:22pm
I brought my son Henry Earthside in two pushes with the guidance of my
midwife, husband and mother. He was born perfectly healthy, APGAR of 9,
7lbs even 21.5 inches long. And every once a little gentleman.
It may not have been my ideal way to go into birth, and the start of
labor shocked my body so that my contractions were honestly way more
painful than that of a naturally progressing labor, but it was short
sweet and to the point! I labored for 5 hours 4 mins with no
augmentation (other than AROM) no tearing, no medical interventions or
drugs. I'm a birth Amazon 😁
This post was written by Megan from CT. She previously worked in healthcare but is now a SAHM to her two little boys. She plans to be a certified doula by the end of 2014 and her life goal is to become an independent midwife and attend home births. You can find out more about Megan at her blog.
Showing posts with label cervical checks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cervical checks. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Cervical Checks and why I'll forever DENY, DENY, DENY.
*DISCLAIMER: This post is made up of both my opinions and research. The research and reading I did while writing this is cited. Do NOT take this post as medical advice as I am not a doctor and don't claim to be. However, I hope that reading this does make you aware that you have options, and that it's best to do your own research into your options and the consequences of each choice. Remember: if you don't know your options, then you have no options.
A conversation in one of the internet forums I belong to recently turned to routine cervical checks and what I think of them. My exact answer was:
"I'd rather go through my Pitocin augmented, pain med free 46 hour labor again rather than EVER getting another cervical check"
I remember being in labor, thinking I was going to die during the cervical checks. Literally. I was making my peace because I was certain the pain of those checks was going to throw me into shock and my heart was going to suddenly stop beating. The labor was nothing compared to those checks.
Needless to say, I'm not really a fan. But I was in labor, I was scared, and I didn't think I had a choice. BUT I DID. I just didn't know it. Now I do know about my choices, and I can assure you my next pregnancy and labor/delivery will go much differently as a result.
Routine cervical checks (when a doctor does an internal measure of how dilated and/or effaced your cervix is) usually start happening at about the 36 week mark in pregnancy, though they may start as early as 34. The reason your OB gives you that fancy gown to change into at your appointments is to make these tests possible. They check you, give you a number, and possibly make judgements or plans surrounding your birth based on what they find.
Now here's the thing....these figures tell the doctor NOTHING. Some women are dilated to 3cm for weeks and it has no bearing whatsoever on when they'll go into labor or how long the labor will take. Other women are completely shut until the moment they're in labor, and have 5 hours between their water breaking and seeing their baby emerge.Cervical checks are absolutely pointless if you are not in labor.
What about during labor? Well, you might want to know. Your doctor might want to know. But again, your "number" at any given point of labor has no effect on, nor can it predict, how much longer it'll be before you can push. In fact, here's three things I learned about cervical checks during my labor (besides how astronomically they hurt me):
*Firstly, different people have different sized hands and checking for dilation is not an incredibly scientific process. Two different people might check you within minutes of each other and get two completely different measurements.
*Secondly, knowing that number may just discourage you. Imagine being at full on transition strength contractions for 6 hours on Pitocin, only to be checked and have a nurse tell you that you opened up another half centimeter in those whole 6 hours. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails.
*Lastly, checks during labor take the laboring mother out of the flow. It's an interruption that takes you out of whatever space you put your mind in to get yourself through the next contraction, or whatever your focus object is, or the anticipation of meeting your child that helps you get through the pain. Whatever your "happy place" is, you have to snap out of it every time anyone even talks to you, let alone tells you to lie down for one of those checks.
Another thing I didn't know? Cervical checks can lead to infection, especially if your water is already broken. If only I had known that, I would have denied each and every one of those checks right off the bat. You live and you learn, right?
So what am I going to do next time instead? Keep my pants on! Unless the prenatal appointment includes the GBS test, there's nothing that's going to happen at that office that can't happen while I stay in my own clothes. As far as during labor, there are other ways that a medical professional can tell how close you are to being ready to push. If anything, I suppose one could opt for minimal checks and perhaps choose to not be told the "progress" so as to not get discouraged. Plus, minimal to no checks mean less chance for a doctor to pull the "failure to progress" card.
What is your experience with cervical checks? Perhaps they didn't hurt you and I was just lucky ;) perhaps the number encouraged you to keep going when the going got tough...I'd love to hear all opinions and perspectives on this!
Additional Information:
*Stages of Labour and Conclusion
*The Assessment of Progress
A conversation in one of the internet forums I belong to recently turned to routine cervical checks and what I think of them. My exact answer was:
"I'd rather go through my Pitocin augmented, pain med free 46 hour labor again rather than EVER getting another cervical check"
I remember being in labor, thinking I was going to die during the cervical checks. Literally. I was making my peace because I was certain the pain of those checks was going to throw me into shock and my heart was going to suddenly stop beating. The labor was nothing compared to those checks.
Needless to say, I'm not really a fan. But I was in labor, I was scared, and I didn't think I had a choice. BUT I DID. I just didn't know it. Now I do know about my choices, and I can assure you my next pregnancy and labor/delivery will go much differently as a result.
Routine cervical checks (when a doctor does an internal measure of how dilated and/or effaced your cervix is) usually start happening at about the 36 week mark in pregnancy, though they may start as early as 34. The reason your OB gives you that fancy gown to change into at your appointments is to make these tests possible. They check you, give you a number, and possibly make judgements or plans surrounding your birth based on what they find.
Now here's the thing....these figures tell the doctor NOTHING. Some women are dilated to 3cm for weeks and it has no bearing whatsoever on when they'll go into labor or how long the labor will take. Other women are completely shut until the moment they're in labor, and have 5 hours between their water breaking and seeing their baby emerge.Cervical checks are absolutely pointless if you are not in labor.
What about during labor? Well, you might want to know. Your doctor might want to know. But again, your "number" at any given point of labor has no effect on, nor can it predict, how much longer it'll be before you can push. In fact, here's three things I learned about cervical checks during my labor (besides how astronomically they hurt me):
*Firstly, different people have different sized hands and checking for dilation is not an incredibly scientific process. Two different people might check you within minutes of each other and get two completely different measurements.
*Secondly, knowing that number may just discourage you. Imagine being at full on transition strength contractions for 6 hours on Pitocin, only to be checked and have a nurse tell you that you opened up another half centimeter in those whole 6 hours. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails.
*Lastly, checks during labor take the laboring mother out of the flow. It's an interruption that takes you out of whatever space you put your mind in to get yourself through the next contraction, or whatever your focus object is, or the anticipation of meeting your child that helps you get through the pain. Whatever your "happy place" is, you have to snap out of it every time anyone even talks to you, let alone tells you to lie down for one of those checks.
Another thing I didn't know? Cervical checks can lead to infection, especially if your water is already broken. If only I had known that, I would have denied each and every one of those checks right off the bat. You live and you learn, right?
So what am I going to do next time instead? Keep my pants on! Unless the prenatal appointment includes the GBS test, there's nothing that's going to happen at that office that can't happen while I stay in my own clothes. As far as during labor, there are other ways that a medical professional can tell how close you are to being ready to push. If anything, I suppose one could opt for minimal checks and perhaps choose to not be told the "progress" so as to not get discouraged. Plus, minimal to no checks mean less chance for a doctor to pull the "failure to progress" card.
What is your experience with cervical checks? Perhaps they didn't hurt you and I was just lucky ;) perhaps the number encouraged you to keep going when the going got tough...I'd love to hear all opinions and perspectives on this!
Additional Information:
*Stages of Labour and Conclusion
*The Assessment of Progress
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