would some one mind explaining?

[La Que Sabe]

sorry if i sound dumb, i know i should probably know this but....
what is an 'internal'??
i've seen it on here a few times but not actually sure what it is, i thought it was where they put a finger or two in you to see how dialated you are during labour, but i saw it used in a context before labour was any where near arriving and it now has me confused??

am i wrong?

[Beany]

It is exactly that :)

Some care providers check dilation at the end stretch of the pregnancy because a lot of people do begin dilating before they go into labour properly.

There's absolutely no need for it as far as I can see. It's not like it makes any difference until you're in labour. Even then it doesn't matter a huge amount.

[La Que Sabe]

hmm ok thanks!
that's an interesting idea, to have one before labour then!
i agree, sounds completely unnecesary!

[Ana Gram]

It is what you think it is but there are many medical practitioners who think doing internals during pregnancy and nowhere near the labour is needed. And it really isn't.

[SassyMummy]

I've never been in labour, but between 41 and 42 weeks, I was given them like they were going out of fashion!

With me, they were checking the dilation of my cervix each time.

I found it much more uncomfortable than a pap-smear, and even more painful when women were doing them... when I had men doing it, they tended to be more gentle, and didn't need to push as far. Apparently, my uterus on a whole sits back quite far, and so it's hard to reach the cervix... the women, I guess because they had shorter fingers, had to push harder to reach it... and it freaking hurt.

[Deserama]

It is exactly that :)

Some care providers check dilation at the end stretch of the pregnancy because a lot of people do begin dilating before they go into labour properly.

There's absolutely no need for it as far as I can see. It's not like it makes any difference until you're in labour. Even then it doesn't matter a huge amount.

Well it can be necessary in some cases. For me, doing and internal told them that #1 that I was 4cm dilated before labour and that #2 my waters were bulging and about to burst.

Being as how bub wasn't 'down' or 'engaged' then the fact that my waters were about to burst at any minute meant that they could burst and the cord can come out first.

This caused them to know that they needed to break my waters in a controlled environment where help was available if this were the case.

The cord didn't prolapes because they were pushing bub down at the same time as they broke them and had me laying flat until they were certain that the head was fully engaged before I was allowed to get up.

With my 4th they were able to determine that although I was 10cm dilated...there was still a cervical lip that was in the way that the middie had to push out the way to make way for the head to emerge.

So yes...in some cases...its very necessary :)