Stripping of Membranes Advice!

S. It's been over 30 years ago but I had my membranes stripped for my second daughter. I had no luck what so ever. I ended up going almost a month over.She was due on Christmas and the Doctor tried to speed things up. The baby will come when it is ready. Good Luck

A.

Hey S.,

I have a 3 yr old son and 20 month old daughter. With my son, my OB simply did it (as a routine thing there), so that was on Monday and my water broke on Friday (and I had him in the hospital- had to be induced as I was leaking fluid Tues-Friday, where my water broke at Beaumont). It was very intense cramps on Monday night. My son was 10 days early. With my daughter, I asked for the stripping of membranes, b/c I was over being pregnant. They did it, and Betsy was born a week later (not induced, contractions, normal birth). So, a couple of days before her due date.

Whatever way you go, you will be quicker with this baby (always are with each child). So, it's up to you. You never know what will happen in labor, as long as you have a healthy child, does it really matter? One thing- if you do end up being induced- Pitocin is a bear- I have never had that much pain in my life. Contractions are nothing compared to pitocin. Good luck to you! It's always exciting welcoming a new baby to the household. Merry Christmas!
*C. (WAHM with Erik and Betsy)

My son (born in '99) was due May 1. On April 28 (don't remember what time, I think it was the afternoon), I had started dialating -- about 2-3 cm. The Dr. striped the membranes. Felt kind of like a pap test. Labor started around 6 p.m. Went to the hospital about 9 p.m. and he was born at 1 a.m. Go for it and have that baby home before the holiday!

Due to a medical condition on my part, both of my daughters were induced. For the first one the doctor stripped my membranes the day before it was scheduled. The day the induction was scheduled I lost the mucus plug. However, my water never did break on it's own. They ended up doing that in the hospital when the labor wasn't progressing. It wasn't very painful at all though. I think that it's a way to start the birthing processing. Of course, it may or may not work. I believe that my older cousin had her membranes stripped (she was overdue) and a week later there was still no change.

I have talked to MANY women who swear by the stripping. They say it started labor for them within 24 hours. My doctor has stripped my membranes 4 times (and each time tells me I should be in labor by the morning) and I am still pregnant, and now past my due date. So, my experience is that it doesn't always work, but most people swear by it.
Good Luck! Hopefully it works better for you than it did me!!!

Let nature take its own course, the baby will come when it is ready.

S.,
Sounds like Dr. is looking out for herself and her holiday. If there are no complications then don't rush it. Your baby will come when ready, I hate to rush things if not necessary, so what if your in the hospital on x-mas, what a great gift. I'm sure x-mas can be on hold for this special gift, and celebrated soon after. I wouldn't do it, but thats just an opinion. I have 2 children and their both late fall babies and with the chance of colds, flu and R.S.V. You need baby to be ready and fully cooked. Not to mention with all that said,the chance of jaundice is higher with babies born too early even by a couple of weeks. Besides ouch!!!! good luck, T.

S. ~
I'm an OB nurse and patients often have their membranes stripped when they're due. Some patients say it hurts some, but most say that it was an uncomfortable exam. You need to be dilated some already for her to get in there. You usually have some bloody discharge, like your normal show. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You can still labor at home if it works, and go in when your contractions are about 5 minutes apart (from the start of one contraction to the start of the next) for at least an hour, or if your water breaks. If you're GBS -, you can still labor at home for awhile after your water breaks, but not too long because there's always a chance of infection.

good luck!
D.

.

Hey S.!

My husband and I spent last Christmas in the hospital, as my second son was born @ 11:32 PM on 12/24 (his due date!)

All I can say, is that it was actually kind of nice to have the day be quiet and low key, with no expectations to do anything or see anyone - except to sit & stare at the most beautiful Christmas Present ever...

Enjoy your children, I pray for an easy delivery for you & baby #2~

Blessings,
B.

Hi. I had it done with my last baby. It is NOT comfortable but usually puts the mom into labor within 24hrs. True for me. Be prepared to have alot of cramping after it's done. Ask your dr how far dilated you are. I'm not sure how well it works if you aren't already dilating. Good luck!

I had mine stripped for both of my pregnancies. It did nothing. Both times my doctor (different doc's each time also) decided to do this because I was already dilating so far on my own, but I still ended up having to be induced after my due date. For the first one, I started labor at 3 cm already and for the second one I was already 5 cm. It is very uncomfortable during and kinda gross after...you'll need to wear a pad to "catch" anything. Also, I should let you know that each time, the doc did this 2 or 3 times each with no luck. It does only take a minute to do this though, so if you don't mind the pressure, etc of having your doc do this, it might be worth it if it does what it's actually supposed to do...make you go into labor. Good luck and congrats!

I was due on Dec 28 of 2005 and my doctor asked me if I wanted to do the same thing. She ended up stripping my membranes on the 19th and it gave me some strong contractions for about a day and then stopped. It was not very comfortable, but only took about a min. I guess for some people it can induce labor, but not for all.

By the way, I did end up getting induced on the 21st, so we were home for Christmas, which was very nice.

Good luck.

It's your body, your baby, and your delivery, if you do not want to be induced then don't let them talk you into it. Esp. if your first was quicker, then naturally your second should come the same if not faster. So what if you're in the hospital for Christmas, what a memorable Xmas and the most precious gift to receive. Maybe it's your dr. who doesn't want to be there on Christmas... Good luck! Merry Christmas!

My midwife stripped my membranes with my second child a week before my due date because I was 4cm dilated. It was very uncomfortable and brought on contractions for about 3 hours which were about every 5-10 minutes and strong enough to notice but not unbearable. Then it all stopped and my son was born one week later.
I believe it really only works if the baby is ready, and it got me all excited that Yay I didn't have to spend another week being pregnant only to be very dissapointed when everything stopped. I think it's a method which is very hit and miss . Good luck, whatever you decide to do and congratulations!

With my third, my dr tried but couldn't do it since I wasn't dialated enough. It was very uncomfortable to say the least. My dr also said it works for some and not others. My sister had it done with both her boys and ended up going into labor with in a day but there isn't anyway to know if she would have anyway or if it was because of the stripping.

Hi S., I had this done for my second pregnancy and it did send me into labor that evening. It was very uncomforable but worth it, i was past my due date and very ready. Hope this helped. T.

I would NOT do this. I had it done twice with my first child. The first time was a bit uncomfortable and did nothing. About 10 days later the Dr. did it again. It was incredibly painful...so much so that I nearly vomited and had to lay down in her office for 30 minutes. It also caused me to bleed heavily. I had my son 3 days later...but I was also 7 days past due by that time.

My advice is this...the baby comes when s/he is ready and your body is ready. Let nature take it's course.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

I had this done with both kids and within 24 hours, I had a kid! It is a little uncomfy, but nothing bad. You will spot a little, so don't worry. My stomach didn't feel good the rest of the day both times, but I think it's because I was in labor and just didn't realize it. I had both of my kids 10-12 days early. It's worth a try if you are ready for the process to begin; it can't hurt!

Hi S.---I agree with most of the other moms when they say to let nature take it's course. Unless it is some sort of emergency, let the baby come when it wants to come. Frankly, I am a little suspicous and wonder if it's the doctor that doesn't want to be in the hospital at Christmas. The doctor works for YOU and so he/she should be offering advice, yet deferring to what you know is right for your family.

Yes, your Christmas plans may have to change depending on when baby wants to join the family, but that will always be a Christmas to remember.

Good Luck and Merry Christmas!!! D.

With my daughter my doctor stripped my membranes twice...didn't do a darn thing. I was dilated to 3 and still nothing with the membranes stripped. And my water had to be broken at the hospital so that didnt help that either.She still wasnt born for another two weeks and that was the day after she was due.

My doctor stripped my membranes with my first. I went walking an hour after and started having contractions. About 4 hrs later I was on the way to the hospital, and had my daughter that night.

I have never had my membranes stripped, but considered it during my 2nd pregnancy. I talked with 2 friends who had both prostoglandin gel treatments and their membranes stripped. It didn't work for either of them, and they said it really wasn't a very pleasant experience. So in the end I decided against it, and my daughter was born un-induced 5 days after my due date. I know it must work for some people, but most people I've talked to haven't had much success with it.

Hi S.,

I had that done with my son and he ended up being a week late. So it didn't work for me. I wouldn't get your expectations up, but I hope it works for you.
I see that someone said that it's the same as breaking your water which is totally false.
It's not really painful either, if done with care.
Good luck!!!

I had my membranes stripped and didn't go into labor for a couple of days. A couple others I know had them stripped and went into labor that night. They both had pretty "easy" smooth deliveries. I think it is a ify on how your body will react but I have never heard anything negative coming out of it.

I had my membranes stripped with my first and i started to have contractions within an hr of leaving the dr office and was at the hospital about 8 hrs after the dr office i did not have him until the next day, but i do believe it did speed the process up for me. However, it is very, very uncomfortable it was so uncomfortable it shot my blood pressure thru the roof.

I had it done at 38 weeks with my first. I remember it was painful and there was a little blood. It didn't speed things up at all for me. I was almost at 42 weeks when I had my baby by c section (after 2 failed inductions.)
Have you read Henci Goer's The Thinking Woman's Guide to Better Childbirth? It has a wealth of information on the different interventions the medical community uses to try to speed along the process of childbirth. It is a great read and I wish I had discovered it before my first.

My doctor tried it with my first and it didn't help. Some people it works and some it doesn't. It can be quite painful also.......good luck

Dear S.,
Hello! I am one for never wanted to get induced, due to I just thought it would be no fun having to hang out in a hospital any longer than I had too. I have had 3 children, ages 3, 2 and almost 8 months, and had my membranes stripped for each one. I never experienced any pain when it was done, actually didn't feel a thing. I may have spotted a tiny bit but not real sure. However, upon after having the membranes stripped I went into labor within either the next day or after. I worked out great! Hope this helps.
Tyra

I wouldn't do it just to be home for Christmas. A healthy baby and mama is the goal. I believe stripping the membranes will lead to your water breaking which will bring on labor BUT there is the risk that you might just "leak" and not have a big gush so you really don't know your water is going. Then there is the risk of infection or a "dry" birth, which as I understand is not good. Why mess with Mother Nature? Anymore, new mamas get sent home pretty quickly after giving birth...so quickly your family might be able to just hold dinner til you are done. Not really, but I would really take a good look at the risks. Good Luck and Merry Christmas!

S., I had this done with my third child, and while it was a little uncomfortable, it wasn't a bad experience. Mine was because I had had braxton-hicks for 6 weeks and daily, but irregular contractions for another 6 weeks and my doctor was leaving for vacation in a couple of days. She did it twice and I had him early the next morning. Hope this helps, L.

HI S.,

My doc did this for me when I had my second child. It was mildly painful. A little unomfortable to walk for awhile. But my son was born the next day. He was 12 days late, so it was well worth it to me. Good luck!

I had this done and went into labor 8 hours later. My water didn't break until well after I reached the hospital. Looking back I HUGELY regret it. I realize now that my doctor was looking out for his best interests and made it seem like it was in mine. I ended up having an emergecny C-Section because my daughter was not turned. I firmly believe had I let things happen naturally she would have been ready and the C-section would have been unnecessary. I deeply regret the decision and with my next one I will not even consider it. In fact I promptly changed OBs.

HI S.,
I had mine stripped for my first baby, and I went into labor a couple days after. My second baby, I had stripped and I didnt' go into labor untill a week after. It all depneds on the person! Good luck.

I don't have experience with this, but I am an advocate of doing things naturally! It sounds like you had a "nice" labor as far as they go last time so I'd just let nature take it's course. The baby will come when the baby is ready and it is so nice to be able to do much of the laboring at home.

You can find lots of informative stuff on the internet about stripping the membranes though. Here is one of the links I found. http://www.gynob.com/stripmem.htm

Basically, stripping the membranes releases a hormone that is a powerful stimulant of labor. And from what I read it could take more than one effort at it.

Good luck in your decision. What better Christmas present than a new baby!! Congratulations!

First of all you are due on my oldest's birthday:) My doctor stripped my membranes with my first and a few days later my water did break I don't know if it had anything to do with it or not because I was already dilated to 3cm for 2 wks and 90%effaced. It was a little uncomfortable for me but worth it if it gets things started. Best of luck to you.

Hi S.,

I found stripping of the membranes uncomfortable and it didn't do a thing. I think it works if you are ready to deliver. It speeds things up a bit. If the baby isn't ready to come, it doesn't do a thing.

C.

Hi S.,
Stripping of membranes is breaking your water. Your doctor will probably use a hook to puncture the sac. Although this is not an inducement that uses drugs, it is considered and inducement. It could cause your labor to start more quickly than you would prefer, the down side of this is that your body has not had the opportunity to get used to it's changes and contractions slowly, it could start fast and furiously. This sometimes causes hardship for moms not ready for that. On the other hand, if it does not jumpstart labor for you, you are now on that ticking clock to have the baby born, and run the risk of getting pitocin if the baby does not come in a timely matter according to your Dr.

It might be inviting some decisions to come your way that might just not be necessary. I opt for using nature to set the pace. I teach a childbirth method called HypnoBirthing in my private practice and also at Crittenton Hosp. It is all about relaxing and letting baby and mommy work together to birth in their own time. www.YourPeacefulBirthing.com

What ever the case, do not let me or your Doctor make you decide either way. You must be the one to do it and feel confident in your decision for you and your baby.

Blessings,
J.

Hi. I had this done with my son. The doctor told me it would help speed up his arival. It was painful, caused bleeding and actually didn't help me. My son was almost 2 weeks overdue and I ended up needing to be induced anyway. This was my first and only experience. Good luck.

Good morning S.,

I had my membranes stripped with both of my kids. My daughter was still 2 weeks late but she was my first child. My second they started stripping me around 38 weeks. It's painfull so be prepared for pain. All it does is help progress things down there. It may or maynot work. It won't hurt to try it if you want to try to move things along a little. But again keep in mind it may not work. Your little one is the only one that knows when he or she wants to make the decent.

Best of luck and Happy Holiday!
P.

Once they break your water, you can't un-break it! And they'll want that baby out in 24 hours. So if you're body isn't ready to do all that you'll have a lot of interventions, drugs and stuff to hurry it up. Since you mentioned not wanting to be induced I'd steer clear of this procedure. Let it happen how its going to happen. Your doctor is just trying to keep herself out of the hospital on Christmas. (at least that's how it sounds to me...;))

Best wishes!

Looks like you have a lot of good advice already. I agree, the baby is either ready to come out or not, so it might work and might not. I had mine stripped with our second daughter and my water broke later that evening. Labor went very quickly. I didn't even know that was what the doc was doing, so obviously I didn't think it was painful. I just remember cringing at my check up earlier in the day. I would say go for it.

Either way, you will have a wonderful Christmas present. Congrats.

i had my done for my last and it work great 24 hours latter we had her i was abke to do my labor at home walk in and drop her out it was great for me because i did not want to go on another family member bday as we have way to many of that it is a little uncomfortable but what not at this point good luck give it a try and try rasberry icetea it worked for me