I haven’t kept touch with advances in medical thinking with regards to childbirth in the last 22 years, since I haven’t needed that information. I’ve noticed an upsurge of planned and induced labors, and a whole bunch of C-sections, and I’ve even assisted at a birth, but I thought some things were unchanging.
My coworker, who is due in about a week or two, had an exam today, and the doctor ruptured her membranes, on purpose. She’s in a lot of discomfort down there (she said he was a bit rough with the exam) and she’s 2 cm. dilated, but labor hasn’t started…in fact, he told her to come back in a week! I thought once the membrane ruptures, labor generally starts in soon, like in 24 hours, which is what my googling revealed.
When I jokingly told her that he must want her to have the baby tomorrow so his weekend is clear, she got all upset. She insists he told her to come back in a week, and she’s scared. This is her third child, and she’s always been induced, and she is panicky…which I think is odd for someone who has had two kids, but then she’s a nervous nelly anyways.
So why did the doc rupture the membrane, if not to hurry labor along? All you recent parent Dopers must have some insight into this. I will include the standard disclaimer…I’m not seeking medical advice for my friend, she has a doctor, I’m just puzzled as to what the point was of rupturing her now.
My guess is he stripped the membranes, not ruptured them. Now I’m not exactly sure what stripping the membranes is, but I think it involves separating them away from the cervix a bit.
Having your membranes stripped is a relatively common procedure, and feels exactly like a rougher-than-usual internal exam. I agree, that’s probably what happened to your friend. Stripping the membranes is when the amniotic sac is physically separated from the cervix. Supposedly it can help bring on the onset of labor. It definitely does not involve breaking the actual bag of waters.
It was a full week and a half between getting my membranes stripped with my first baby, and going into actual labor, so her doctor telling her to come back in a week seems pretty reasonable to me.
I recently heard of this too. A woman who is due around the end of the month went to the doctor recently and bemoaned that the doctor wouldn’t rupture her membranes so she could (paraphrase) “get her body back.”
Here’s what she said about it:
:eek: :dubious:
She went on to say that with her last baby, she remembered them “scraping” the membranes before now.
I was shocked. What ever happened to nature taking its course? If the baby isn’t ready yet, it’s not ready yet! I think it’s a little sick to rupture the membranes just so the woman can get it over with already. :rolleyes:
I callled her back, and asked her if he mentioned stripping the membranes, and she said. “oh, yeah, that’s what he said!” Sheesh! So I read her the google description, and **MsWhatsit’s ** post, and she calmer, now. She still doesn’t want to eat much, because she’s afraid of pooping on the delivery table. She provides me with so much entertainment, I never would want her to change!
You’re a good friend! I’ll bet she’s relieved. Is this her first baby?
The pooping comment is funny. I was given enemas with my first three, but not the fourth – I guess there wasn’t enough time. A friend gorged on Mexican food just hours before she went into labor. She said everyone in the delivery room chuckled at the gas, but she was embarrassed.
