why do some people avoid internal exams when pg?

[biscoffcookies]

Dec 12, 2012 16:41:34 GMT -5 niki said:

Dec 12, 2012 16:11:19 GMT -5 biscoffcookies said:

It was okay by me. I was hugely pregnant and had said something earlier in the appointment about how I was ready to go into labor. I would have appreciated a heads up for purposes of the ouch factor but did not object to the procedure in general.

This is puzzling to me. You were ok with your doctor performing a procedure on you without your consent, one that could've caused you to go into pre-term labor?

That is a huge no-no in my provider's office.

You don't have to answer, but I would've raised hell, too.

It wouldn't have been preterm labor. I was 40 weeks when that particular check happened. I was huge, achy, unable to sleep, and 5 cm dialated. I was more than ready for DD to arrive and indicated as such to the doctor. So in that particular instance, yes, I was fine with it.

[Deleted]

Dec 12, 2012 10:39:13 GMT -5 mellymel said:

OMG they HURT. And if your OB offers to "strip your membranes" to help things progress, please say no for the love of all things holy. I still can't get that horror out of my mind.

My OB stripped my membranes without telling or asking me first. It hurt and I was very upset. I didn't say anything in the moment, but I did at the next appointment.

[GailGoldie]

My OB never did them unless there was something bad going on and he needed to check things (when I had PTL)... otherwise he sees no reason to do them until you are actually in labor - b/c otherwise it's just painful and no real info is given.

[niki]

Dec 12, 2012 20:00:49 GMT -5 biscoffcookies said:

Dec 12, 2012 16:41:34 GMT -5 niki said:

This is puzzling to me. You were ok with your doctor performing a procedure on you without your consent, one that could've caused you to go into pre-term labor?

That is a huge no-no in my provider's office.

You don't have to answer, but I would've raised hell, too.

It wouldn't have been preterm labor. I was 40 weeks when that particular check happened. I was huge, achy, unable to sleep, and 5 cm dialated. I was more than ready for DD to arrive and indicated as such to the doctor. So in that particular instance, yes, I was fine with it.

Oh, sorry. For some reason I thought that was at 35 weeks, but I must've gotten that mixed up with another poster. Regardless, I still would be miffed.

[DarcyLongfellow]

I had many internals, and I don't remember them hurting at all.

I don't think the information is useless. I was 41 weeks pregnant, and not dilated or effaced at all. That should have told me that an induction would be horrible, and it was. If I'm in a similar situation with this pregnancy, I will ask to go past 41 weeks (which makes my doctor uncomfortable, but she'll do it).

[pugz]

The internals I got during labor were exponentially worse than the one I got at 35 weeks when I was leaking. But I was also freaking the fuck out at the time since labor was going so fast. I got all three of my internals within about 30-40 minutes, 5 cm, 9cm, then 10

[dumbledore826]

I requested not to have them done because I felt they were pointless. At my 36w appt, my MW had concerns about the size of my LO and asked if she could do an internal to determine head location, to determine if she would send me for an u/s. My hospital required one as a 'baseline' when you come in to L&D Triage. At 1 point, my MW was trying to decided if she would go into another woman's c/s and asked if she could do one to determine how far along I was. I consented and she told me I was only at a 6 and it would be a few hours before I gave birth. She was back in the room less then an hour later bc I was ready to push.

[knitty]

Dec 12, 2012 22:58:03 GMT -5 DarcyLongfellow said:

I had many internals, and I don't remember them hurting at all.

I don't think the information is useless. I was 41 weeks pregnant, and not dilated or effaced at all. That should have told me that an induction would be horrible, and it was. If I'm in a similar situation with this pregnancy, I will ask to go past 41 weeks (which makes my doctor uncomfortable, but she'll do it).

We're not talking about checking out the situation prior to induction. Of course you need a Bishops score to see if you need the gel first.

[Brie]

Yeah internals while in labor hurt some. But pretty much everything hurt at that point so it didn't bother me.

Pre-labor, they were painless. Some pressure, but NBD. And my cervix was so high it was practically in my throat, even.

[whitemerlot]

I found it horribly uncomfortable. I didn't have any until after 41 weeks. My membranes were not stripped and it was still awful.

[liveintheville]

First pregnancy I didn't get one unlit I went to the hospital. I was 12 days early and my OB didn't do internals prior to 40wks.

2nd pregnancy I had a few because they were needed throughout. I didn't find them painful. And I had one at 38 wk appt because he decided to induce that day and I walked over to l&d. Turned out to be a good thing since I only needed pitocin. At his office I was 2 and couple hours later when I got pitocin I was 3.5. So odds were I was going into labor then anyway.

[badtzmaru22]

I had one at 31 weeks when I had preterm labor. That one hurt, but I think some of it was the doctor as well- it wasn't my OB, just the on-call one, who I didn't know. I had one at my appt a 38w? Near the end... And then I didn't have another until 40w1d when she did a membrane sweep, and those were both ok. Not fun, but not really painful.

I went into labor the next evening, but my water didn't break, so they checked me again at the hospital to see if I could be admitted. That one sucked. I was 4 cm, bleeding everywhere, and having contractions 3 min apart. There was no way they were sending me home! After that, they only checked again before breaking my water and before pushing. Those were fine, thanks to the epi.

[Deleted]

I am dead inside...I have no memory of any internals being painful & I've had many. I've also had my membranes stripped & have no recollection of pain. I feel nothing for paps not even discomfort. I hoped I'd go into labor prior to my scheduled inductions but nope, never even close.