Stripping Membranes and Changes Before Labor

No two women and no two labors are the same. Do not be induced if you do not want to. You will very likely go into labor. Stripping the membranes has no proven effect except that it is painful and can introduce infection.

I was the same way you are 39 weeks 3cm and 50% efaced. I went to the doctor in the morning he stripped my membranes, I went into labor that afternoon and had my baby at 8:14 the next morning.

Don't let your doctor induce you if you don't want to. Induced labors have more of a chance of turning into a c-section than naturally occurring labors. I know you're uncomfortable, but hang in there. I would just do a lot of walking and squatting. I also know that sex is probably the last thing on your mind, but the semen has prostaglandins in it and it helps induce labor. I hope this helps. As for me, I didn't notice anything unusual before I went into labor. I was in denial for about 3 hours before I realized it really was happening. Good luck!

I had my membranes stripped with my 1st one...she came 24 hours later! I asked my dr. to do it with my 2nd one too...but I was asking too early! :) I would recommend doing it...esp. as a 1st choice to induction! good luck!

I'am a SAHM of 3 kiddo's.I had my membranes stripped with my first 2 pregnancies not my last because I wasn't dilating even at my last appt. she wouldn't strip them.It doesn't hurt it's just like the exam when they check you to see how far your dilated but a little twist of the wrist to get the membranes.I went into labor less than 48 hrs afterwards.Getting an induction before your due date is a choice but I refused to do so and even after my due date whats another 24-48 hrs to have a natural birth to me it was worth it.Here is what I discussed with my dr if there is no medical reason for me to be induced then I choose not to how far can I go past my due date before the placenta becomes toxic and isn't working properly.I don't want to put baby or myself into trouble and at all costs avoid a c-section.My pregnancies were healthy and delivered naturally water broke in the morning but the nite before had a cleaning out period not hungry feeling lots of pressure,my second daughter she was head down for quit sometime and pressure tired and unable to walk due to pain of the pressure water broke in morning delivered in less than 2 hrs,my third daughter lots of pressure contractions but not close enough to send me to the hospital then had a bloody show that afternoon went to the hospital that same nite water was broken artifically didn't hurt and she was here in less than an hr.Good Luck

Hi L.!

The day before my due date, my doctor stripped my membranes at my weekly appointment (I didn't even know she did it!). We had an induction scheduled for the following Monday because my son was measuring very large. My appointment was at about 10:30 on a Thursday morning, I went into labor shortly after getting home after lunch (around noon), got to the hospital at 6:30, and had my son at 10:18! So for me, it was very successful. My doctor was a little surprised because she said usually she doesn't have much success with it.

As for the second question, I didn't have any symptoms or clues that labor was about to start. A week or so prior, I did pass my mucus plug, but other than that, I had no "nesting" urges or energy spurts, no unusual BMS or anything. So not everyone matches what the books say!

Best of luck to you, and an early congratulations on your new little one!

I just wanted to pass along some natural/old wives tales for inducing labor. I was quite ready for my little one to arrive, and so I did some research on helping her along. :) About three days after I tried these, I went in to labor! As mentioned earlier, sex was number one. I also ate fresh pineapple - not sure why this was suggested, but I did it! I also walked a lot on the treadmill (I had been pretty active during my pregnancy, but I stepped it up a notch and walked a bit faster and longer - keep the heartrate under 120 though.) Like the first lady mentioned also, I sat on a stability ball to watch TV or get on the computer. Since I was sitting a lot at work, a doula suggested I lean forward as much as possible, positioning my feet tucked behind my chair, as this would help move the baby into the right position for birth.

I'm not sure if any or all of these contributed, but she came within a few days. Wish you the best!

There's no reason to induce labor by any method if your placenta is good and there is plenty of fluid. The risk to the baby doesn't even go up statistically until 42 weeks, but there are some risks to stripping as well as induction. Eg sometimes the MD accidentally breaks the membrane altogether, and then they start the clock, labor or no labor. The risk of cesarian goes way up in that case. Induction is another risk factor for cesarian. If you're uncomfortable now, trust me, cesarian is not likely to be an improvement.
Some say that if your're not in labor, the baby isn't ready. I wouldn't focus on what changes to look for, just relax and let things happen as they will. Stress can shut labor down, or prolong it once it's started, so do whatever you can to let it go. Take a warm bath, listen to some soothing music, etc . . . Talk to your baby, tell it how excited you are to meet it, to see its face. Visualize the perfect, most joyful labor and birth and know you can and will do it, at the right time, most likely with no need of intervention.

I agree with the poster who said you don't have to be induced if you don't want to. Most labors happen on their own time naturally. We live in a society where we see and hear about inductions and other interventions all the time, but that doesn't mean it's the best way for the mother or child. Interventions should be just that, for circumstances that really need them. (I really didn't mean for this to sound like a lecture) From what I understand, stripping your membranes will push things along if you're close anyway, but otherwise won't start labor if you're not.

As for changes. With my first, I nested majorly that day (cleaning my office, went home and baked cookies, etc.). I had lost my plug probably a week earlier. With my second I don't remember anything different...

I hope all goes well, however you decide to proceed. Just remember it's your labor. Certainly take into account what the doctor says and why, but do what you think is right too.
K.

well I never had any braxton hicks contractions but I was irratable and nesting the day before. I didn't really feel anything. I was two days past my due date but just remember the due date can be wrong by two weeks. If your not comfortable with the idea of induced labor or stripping the membranes then don't do it. I hate to say this but it is true. It sounds to me like your doctor prefers scheduleing births instead of letting them happen naturally. so really it is your choice since it is your body not the doctors.

Hi! I'm right with you, I am 38 weeks pregnant. Last week I was 3cm, however, I havn't had much changes going on to make me think I am going into labor anytime soon. However, with my first pregnancy my doctor did strip my membranes at my 40 week check up and I went in to labor that same day!! There's no way of knowing if that is what did it or not for sure but I think it definitly helped! If I were you I would let your doctor do it. It only takes a minute or two and you only feel a little pressure, my doctor did it right as she was checking me. If you are not wanting to get induced this is a natural way to get things going.

Good Luck

I'm with you on the not wanting to be induced again! ick!

That being said, unless there's a risk (such as the baby measuring big and you being a small mommy) there's no particular reason to induce just because it's your due date.

If you're having problems sleeping, consider asking your Dr. for sleep meds. (mine did that for me and... HEAVEN!) Just make sure hubby's home to watch baby #1!

Exercise ball, walking, sex... lots of things you can do to help the process along.

It's not a fun answer - but my cousin was a full week past her due date when her baby arrived and everything went perfectly!! You may just have to stick it out if you don't want to be induced...

Good luck Mamma! You'll do great, whatever you decide!!

I had the doctor strip my membranes and it hurt but not terribly but it did not work. I still had to be induced 2 weeks later. It will not hurt anything to have them strip the membranes but unfortunately it might not get you any closer to labor. i will try it again next time I get I am pregnant since it does not hurt that bad.

I was 37 weeks pregnant with my second and was having a lot of discharge one day and my husband finally insisted on me going to the hospital to get looked at to make sure that my water hadn't broke. Well, I was fairly positive that it hadn't, but I gave in to set his mind at ease. When we got to the hospital, at 6:30 pm, I was dilated 6 cm, fully effaced, my water had not broke, but I was having BH contractions and didn't know it. They didn't consider it "labor" yet because I wasn't feeling anything that was going on. During the exam, the mid-wife had called my doctor prior and asked about stripping the membranes and he said to proceed. Now, i don't know if it makes a difference with the dilation and the effacement already being so far ahead, but I went straight into full-blown labor within minutes of her stripping the membranes and gave birth to my son at 2:50 am. By the way, I must add, the labor part went very quickly, smoothly, I couldn't have asked for much more, even though I was too far along in the labor process for the epidural to work. I had an epidural with my first and it worked perfectly. The epidural didn't work with my second and they didn't have time to reposition it to work properly so it was like I didn't even have one with my second, but it really wasn't that bad, I lived through it and I could do it again if I had to. Good luck and I wish you the best!

Hi L.,
I was eight days over due with my first, but the day I had a 'stress-check' with my mid-wife I said, "today is the day" I just knew my baby and I were ready...So, I had her sweep the membranes for like a minute, four hours later I took caster oil, neither seemed to do much at first. After my second visit to the bathroom 7 hours after the first, the ball really got rolling and two hours later I had gone from one big never-ending, yet, mild-enough-to-go-to-sleep-contraction, to second stage full blown 'this is IT' labor... 2 hours later I had my girl with no trouble at all! So, who knows if it was the sweeping of the membranes or the caster oil, However, my mid-wife said that every time she's done that with her patients they've gone into labor within 12 hours and I did just that....however, with all of these natural inductions, it will do nothing unless you and baby are truly ready. But, I would do any of this again if they were threatening me with labor inducing drugs, i'd rather have that even cohash any day over Pit-I'm convinced it's from the devil! ;)

Some fairly recent research in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that there was no real benefit to sweeping the membranes. (Obstetrics & Gynecology:
June 2008 - Volume 111 - Issue 6 - pp 1313-1319
doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e31816fdcf3
Original Research).

However, for mothers that are 1 cm or more dilated there is the risk that the care provider will accidently break your bag of water. When your water breaks then you start on that Doctor clock. The more vaginal exams the greater the chance of infection. If your water is broken the baby has less chance to move around to get to an optimal birth position.

Everyone is different. I know with both of my births, I did not follow the "normal" labor pattern. I couldn't time my contractions if I wanted to. They were too irregular. One day what I thought was really Braxton-Hicks must have been real because my baby was born later that day. I did have the "cleaning out" when I was in fairly active labor with both of my births.

The best thing you can do to avoid an induction is to educate yourself. One website you can check out is
www.ican-online.org/ Arm yourself with research and evidence and ask your doctor what medically indicated reason she has for induction. Ask her what your bishop's score is. Find out what the risks and benefits are of inducing labor vs. waiting. Contrary to belief doctors aren't always up late at night reading research journals. They often are basing their practice on what worked for them in the past or what their colleagues are doing. It doesn't make it evidence based or best practice medicine.

You have the right to refuse to consent to any medical procedure including inductions. This is easier said than done though. If you can reach an understanding before birth all the better. Doctors can not abandon patients at the last minute. They have to give notice.

I was a week overdue with my first (only) and didn't want to be induced, so my doc suggested stripping my membranes. Some people says it hurts, but I didn't feed it at all...probably depends on the doc and the baby's position...mine was very high and was holding in for dear life. We also had sex that night....and I went into labor (sort of) early the next morning...it was a very long process, but I delivered without induction. Good luck.

It only took 2 days for my labor to start after having my membranes stripped. It's like being checked for dialation but more uncomfortable. Good luck!

I've had two sons "naturally", and they were so different! In each case, though, things started going, then stopped almost completely, and within a few days, I held them in my arms.
With my oldest, I did have my membranes stripped on a Friday at about 4:30 pm. I went into labor at 3:30 am Saturday morning (about 11 hours later), and he was born at 2 pm. It was pretty cool.
With my second, I had a LOT of discharge for about two weeks beforehand, but not very many contractions. When he decided it was time (four days before his due date), I went into labor at 4:30 am and he was born at 1 pm.
I guess the moral of the story is, every pregnancy is different. I had a good experience having my membranes stripped, and I had a good experience letting the baby just do his thing. The waiting is the hardest part!

Hi L.!
When I went in for my 39 week visit, my Dr. did his check up and that evening I started having contractions. Come to find out he had stripped my membranes. For me, I was happy he did it. At one week early, I had a 9lb baby!! I had gained a good amount of weight and was miserable. I had been having BH contractions for quite a while, which really didn't lead to anything for me.
I wish you the best and, as you know, the best outcome is having a healthy baby!!!!

Of four kids, 3 were induced. I only went in to labor on my own with one and I don't recall anything that happened as a rule each time. I was two weeks late with baby # 1, and they induced me slowly and it all went well. Baby #2 was induced right on time because the doc was going to be leaving town and I had a bad experience with the doc that would be on call. This one went slow with my labor starting and stopping. Baby #3 started on her own. Had been feeling "icky" but couldn't explain it. Suddenly had energy the day before and woke in the night with regular contractions, after an hour I woke my husband, we went to the hospital, got intense labor about 8:30 am, and she was born just after noon. Baby # 4 was induced early beacaue I had B/P problems and seemed to be developing pre eclampsia. He was induced at about 9am and I had him at 3:20pm.
Basically you'll know when it's time. Everybody has a different experience. It's nerve wracking but it will go as it needs to. Just fyi: Each of my inductions were different. And my most painful one was the one that came on her own because she came fast once she decided it was time, was 8lbs 6oz. and had a bunch of hair...However I healed the quickest with her...I didn't tear or have to have an episiotomy, all I had were abrasions from all that hair giving me burns as she came shooting out...lol It's just always different.
Good luck and enjoy your experience no matter what happens. In the mean time, rest as much as you can. It's the teenage years that are the most painful...:)lol

With my first child the doctor stripped my membrane. I went into labor a few days later. I don't know if that caused it or not. Just as a warning, it is not pleasant.
I didn't notice any changes right before my daughter was born, and my son was induced.

Each of my eight deliveries were different in many ways. One was premature, one I had the nesting and then a very quick delivery with little pain, others I had pressure and feeling of needing to have a BM and some my water broke at home ( 3 breech babies did this) but other than that when it's time it will happen and I would not be induced if it were me. I had a daughter who was induced and then after having 3 more without it she would never do it again either. Chances of C Section would concern me too because you would have to do something after a certain point. With my last, who was a week over due, my doctor told me to take Castor Oil, maybe not used much anymore, but it did work quickly and won't work if you aren't ready. Does NOT taste good though. I would wait to be effaced more though before I did much at all.