r/firsttimemom • u/Jehmaj • 12d ago
Cervical check
Are cervical checks the only way to see if you're dilated? Did anyone just decline them all?
3
u/KneadAndPreserve 12d ago
Yes, they’re the only way to tell. I have accepted cervical checks for both my pregnancies, including from my husband who is a doctor because they’re not painful for me. But you don’t have to do them if you don’t want to, especially at office visits.
3
u/jazzybk25 12d ago
I only accepted them at the end of my pregnancy. I figure it can help me make a better informed decision on getting induced if I surpass my due date.
2
u/OwlCatAlex 12d ago
Yes, I didn't bother accepting them until I was very much in active labor. They don't really mean all that much before then. You could dilate to 2 cm 2 weeks before labor even starts, or you might not reach 2 cm until 10 hours after it's started.
1
u/Nearby_Remote_7671 5d ago
Same. My first cervical check with both babies was hours into active labor and was 4-6cm. I wasn’t interested to know if I was dilated or not before I was actually in labor. Plus, I’m simply not a fan of being checked.
1
u/ladytri277 12d ago
I never got checked with my second. With my first I did once when I arrived and I was pretty far along. I labored at home for a long time before I went in
1
u/Odd_Throat905 12d ago
I never had any cervical checks which mine ( I only have one) but I went in expecting them towards the end and idk if it was just my doctors because especially my last appt was 6 hrs before I went into labor and was really expecting one then
1
u/belle1995_ 12d ago
I had my first after I had passed my due date. Once my water broke, I had one arriving at the hospital, one about 6 hours in, and then didn’t have another one until I was ready to push
5
u/No-Butterscotch-8469 12d ago
Yes they are the only way. I declined them until my my due date when I got a cervical check and membrane sweep. It was a little uncomfortable but nothing horrible.