Dumb question about VE and sweeps

[kviddy]

Sooo, listening to the midwife at our parentcraft class describe VE's during labour, she started by saying they would "slip two fingers into the vagina" but then spoke about checking someone internally and could feel something unusual (forget what) at either side of her hand and she "had the smallest hands on the ward".

Whilst I appreciate an entire baby will need to come out, I wasn't anticipating having whole hands up there?!

Or I have I misinterprted the whole thing?

You dont know how you will feel I wanted to be checked and told how far I was some women hate it and ask on thier birth notes for exams to be kept to a minimum.

If you are worried ask for them to be kept to a minimum.

Oh I don't mind being checked- I think I will want to know how things are progressing... But do they use their whole hand to check?

No, they don't use their whole hand to check. It will be just the two fingers. However they need your consent each and every time they do it (usually four-hourly) but if you don't want it done, then tell them so.

The only time you'll have someone's whole hand up there is if you need a manual removal of placenta, and for that you have a lovely spinal anaesthetic.

No I checked myself on dc2 because I was worried I would leave it to late to go in (not recommended) have you ever had a VE without the spectrum? They put 2 fingers in and you know where your cervix is well it will be open and the babies head against your cervix (at least when I gently felt it was like that) you feel around and see how dilated your cervix is if you want to know how far up they will go get your dp to put two fingers up by your cervix. It is a bit painful in labor because everything hurts.