Anyone do their own internals during labour?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Just wondering.

Doula said I was the only one she'd known.

Seriously?
How?
Why?
Please say you're teasing!

Good God woman...No!!

Well, to see where my cervix was, what it was doing, whether my waters were bulging and then later whether the head was coming down.

Why would I be teasing?

Because it's just not something that would occur to most of us. Even if I'd done it I wouldn't have known for sure what I was looking for.

That's awesome starlight! Most women can't even reach that far when they're pregnant.

I'm on pregnancy #3 and am a student midwife....you'd better believe I'll be checking myself to see what's going on during labor!

I believe my cousin did, but then she was a doctor.

You aren't my cousin are you

No. I'm not a doctor. Just wanted to know what my body was doing.

I spent the days before labour trying to locate my cervix so I knew it all pretty well by the time I came to labour.

FWIW, I didn't allow the mw access. Not that SHE'D have been able to reach given I was in the pool the whole time she was there.

And, you CAN reach, honestly, if you're determined.

Not my cervix no but i did reach and feel in transituon etc and could feel.the gead descending and realised at one point the head was only a finger length away iyswim and that baby would bw born soon. I reached down as i was pushing each time actually it was very instinctive for some reason? An instinct to guide that babies head out?

Funny, - once I'#d felt the head I stopped feeling. But I was in water and was worried about stimulating the breathing.

I remember trying desperately to give myself a sweep when pregnant and overdue with ds1.

Why didn't you allow access? Were they ok with this? You sound v confident. How often to you have have poke?

That's very interesting and makes total sense to me. It just never occurred to me at any point. So did you just reach down and feel around? I wonder if it never occurred to me because I felt I was 'unqualified'? Hmmmmm. I wonder if they could teach this to me?

Ah actually starlight the one birth i inly felt the head briefly was my pool birth. I didnt feel.the need, but also didnt push either my body just did it whilst i breathed on the gas and air. With my others i had a very strong gutteral urge to bear dkwn and push and instictively reached and felt. In one birth the midwife tried to move my hand away and stop me as i might get blood on my hand! Like i cared!

Me too dinosaurs, overdue and desperate to move things along! I couldn't reach though

I did. I did when trying to get pregnant and when in labour too. It amazes me that more women don't get to know their inner selves.

OhGood you felt unqualified because women have been infantalised by the medical system. Only a doctor is clever enough to feel inside you...which is crap of course. If you can reach to touch then there is no reason not to....

Exploring the inside of yourself (with clean hands!) is a very good way of being in touch with yourself and you get to know your cervix's "moods"

'i might get blood on my hand!' ROFL

Yes I did. I had been labouring for a couple of hours and felt pushy already. I sat on the loo and thought "I'm going to check where he (baby) is before the midwife comes" so I shoved my hand up there and lo and behold I felt an open cervix (not sure how open) and a bit of baby's head!

I'm glad I did because when the snotty registrar came in to tell me "why are you pushing? You're not in labour yet?!" I knew it was A-grade bull shit!

I don't see why you shouldn't, as long as you have super clean hands. I gave myself a poke before a sweep yesterday and guessed myself at 2cm. And I was bang on. I was too scared to do the sweepy thing to myself mind in case I poked too hard and broke something.

Gave myself a poke!

bamboo lots of women decline internals. MWs have to be ok with it really, they are not compulsory!

It's brilliant that you were able to.

And should be encouraged! Why wouldn't you have a feel?

It's your vagina, your cervix, your birth.

I'm always asking women if they want to fell themselves instead of or before i do. Most don't though. Which is a bit sad and weird though.

I fully intend to, if ever I manage to become pregnant!
It's such a positive thing to be familiar with all the bits of your body, particularly those you can't see.
Be involved with yourself!!