How does the doctor check to see if you're dilated?

Question

What exactly happens when the doctor checks to see if you're dilated? What kind of instruments does he use, if any? How does it feel? Painful? Uncomfortable?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Answer 1

They use their fingers it doesnt really hurt its just very unconfrable

Answer 2

Well, they use their fingers and I am pretty sure they didn't use instruments.  Anytime I was checked it wasn't really painful, just a little uncomfortable.  They also told me that a little spotting was normal.

Answer 3

Fingers in the v****a. No instruments. Could be uncomfortable depending on if your cervix is high and towards the back, lots of pressure.

Answer 4

When you are around 37 or 38 weeks, your doctor may start to check your cervix to see if you are dilating or if your cervix is thinning out.

By the end of pregnancy, most moms-to-be have had at least one cervical exam, so you may already have a good idea of what it will feel like. Exams during labor are usually done with the patient lying on a bed, on her back, with knees bent and legs allowed to drop apart. Although prenatal exams often involve the use of stirrups, a woman who is in labor often can just rest her feet on the bed near her bottom.

As with any internal examination, taking slow deep breaths can help to relax the vaginal muscles. The more a woman is able to relax, the easier it is for her practitioner to reach the cervix, which may be located high up inside the v****a in early labor. Some women find the exam painful, while others find it merely uncomfortable. During labor, many mothers-to-be want to find out about their progress, so they may look forward to the exam in order to acquire this information, even if actually obtaining it is a bit unpleasant.

Common words: what they mean

Following is a list of definitions of some terms you may hear from your practitioner as she reports the changes in your cervical exam:

Cervical ripening. Early in labor, or even at a late prenatal visit, your practitioner may tell you that your cervix is ripe. This means that your cervix has softened (a cervix typically feels similar to a nose) and may be even somewhat dilated. Ripeness is a term sometimes used to indicate that your body is ready for labor.

Dilation is the width that the cervix is open. Dilation can begin before labor actually starts, or in early labor, and is measured in centimeters. For most deliveries, the cervix needs to dilate from zero (not dilated at all) to 10 centimeters (fully dilated) before pushing can begin and the baby delivered. This range is based on the fact that a full-term baby's head is about 10 centimeters across.

Effacement is the shortening, or thinning, of the cervix. Like dilation, it begins before or during early labor. Before effacement takes place, the cervix is like a long bottleneck, usually about 4 centimeters in length. As effacement takes place, the cervix then shortens, or effaces, pulling up into the uterus and becoming part of the lower uterine wall. Effacement may be measured in percentages, from zero percent (not effaced at all) to 100 percent, which describes a paper-thin cervix.

Station refers to how high the baby's head, or other presenting part, is in the pelvis. This information is important because practitioners need to get a sense of how far the baby has descended into the birth canal. Station is determined by feeling where the baby rests in relation to the ischial spines, the parts of the pelvic girdle that protrude slightly in toward the birth canal and can be felt inside the v****a by an experienced examiner.

Station is measured from minus 5 to plus 5. Minus 5 station means the baby is floating above the pelvis. Zero station means the baby has dropped or engaged well into the pelvis and that his head rests right at the level of the ischial spines. And plus 5 means the baby's head not only has come down past the ischial spines, but also is visible at the opening of the v****a (also known as crowning). While the principle is still the same, some practitioners use a scale of minus 3 to plus 3 instead of 5.

The cervix during the latent phase

Near the beginning of labor, cervical exams may be a bit more uncomfortable than they will be as labor progresses, because the practitioner may have to reach fairly high into the v****a to check the cervix. This often happens, in part, because the baby's head has not yet dropped deep into the pelvis, bringing the cervix closer to the vaginal opening. This is normal.

As labor advances, the cervix will move around to the front and become much more accessible, making the exams more comfortable. In the latent phase of labor, the cervix will typically dilate from zero to 4 centimeters so that the opening is about the size of a silver dollar. By the end of this phase, effacement is usually 100 percent.

The cervix during the active phase

Generally, when the cervix has dilated 4 to 5 centimeters, a woman is considered to be in active labor, and faster progress in terms of cervical dilation is typically made for each hour of contractions.

The cervix will continue to dilate to 10 centimeters. During this time, there may be a slight to moderate amount of bleeding from the cervix, called bloody show. The mother may start to feel more pelvic pressure and may even feel the urge to push as the baby moves lower into her pelvis. If she isn't fully dilated, it's important for her to resist the urge to push, because in some instances the cervix will tear.

This phase of labor also includes the transition phase, which typically begins when the cervix is 7 or 8 centimeters dilated and continues un

Answer 5

They check with their hands.  I swear it feels like they shove their whole arm in there.  It's not really painful (but it is painful when your in labor and they check) but at regular doctor appointments its just really uncomfortable.  It feels weird.  My baby was really low and I could feel her touching the babies head.  Very uncomfortable  

Answer 6

They do a pelvic exam (they put their fingers in and feel.) The only time it hurt was while I was in labor and it was not an unbearable pain (compared to labor lol) but before hand it was just like going when you go to get a pap smear and they feel inside.  

Answer 7

There are no instruments.  He (or a nurse trained to do it) uses their fingers.  They can actually feel and estimate how dilated the cervix is.  It can be a little uncomfortable but shouldn't be painful.  

Answer 8

He inserts his fingers in your v****a. It can defiantely be uncomfortable...not really painful, i mean when hes pushing around on your uterus and stuff its definatly uncomfortable at times while hes also checking your cervix, but nothing to stress over.  

Answer 9

with his/her fingers no instruments well its uncomfortable at first but when ur close to labor and having contractions its super painful ugh i got the chills just thinking of it  

Answer 10

STick their hand up there and check with their fingers on your cervix. Its not comfortable.