Pregnancy Archives - Page 12 of 12

Checking Your Cervix for Dilation or Fertility: A Guide

Your cervix is the tunnel-like passageway that leads from your vaginal canal to your uterus. It opens first during ovulation to allow sperm into the reproductive tract, and again if pregnancy is not achieved to allow the lining of the uterus to pass during menstruation. The cervix also produces cervical mucus to prevent infection, help balance vaginal pH, and aid in a safe union of sperm with egg. The cervix rocks.

If you do become pregnant, your cervix forms a mucus plug to prevent infection from reaching your baby or babies inside. During the final weeks of your pregnancy, this mucus plug may begin to loosen slowly or fall out all at once as a result of cervical dilation. While the loss of a mucus plug does indicate cervix dilation, it doesn’t necessarily mean labor is imminent. Some women lose their mucous plugs weeks before their labor, others hours before. Increased gooey, snot-like vaginal discharge which may or may not be mixed with blood is a sound, albeit yucky, indication of dilation.

Dilation and effacement, by the way, is the process in which your cervix thins and opens to allow your baby to be born. It’s time to push when your cervix has reached 10 centimeters (cm) dilated and is 100-percent effaced or thinned. Many women begin to dilate before their labor by some time, even weeks. Labor is not considered “begun” until the cervix is dilated to at least 4 cm.

Regardless, your prenatal care provider will likely begin checking your cervix for dilation at about 36 weeks to try to get a slightly less-rough estimate of your delivery date than a due date offers. If you wish to check your cervix yourself, perhaps in between appointments to chart your progress or to avoid going to the hospital too early, this guide on how to check your cervix for dilation should be of help.

You may also want to check your cervical position while trying to conceive to help pinpoint ovulation or your fertile window. For those who stumbled on this page trying to do just that, your cervix rises, softens, and opens during ovulation and is lower, firmer, and closed during infertile times. You can check your cervix for fertility or ovulation by following this guide as well. More information on pinpointing ovulation can be found here.

Locating your cervix:

The first step in checking your cervix for dilation or fertility is to understand where your cervix is.

If you feel to the very back of your vagina (comfortable positions will be covered in the next step), and you are early in pregnancy or not pregnant and have never had a baby before, you will feel a small dimple similar to the tip of your nose. This is your cervix. If you have had a baby before, your cervix may feel closer to a chin or puckered lips and have sort of a donut shape as childbirth forever changes it. Your cervix may also feel this way if you are later in pregnancy and it’s begun to dilate or if you aren’t pregnant and currently fertile.

Also, note that your cervix does move throughout the day, so if you’re checking for ovulation, check at the same time every day. During pregnancy, most women find their cervix is high and posterior or pointing away from the birth canal until later in pregnancy as it moves forward, or anterior, pointing into the birth canal and sometimes becomes lower. Some doulas feel the movement of the cervix from posterior to anterior is an indication of labor soon to come. However, while it is true that as labor begins your cervix will usually be in an anterior position, your cervix can move at any time before labor begins.

Preparing to check your cervix:

First, wash your hands thoroughly to avoid introducing bacteria that could lead to infection. If your nails have any length you may want to wear latex gloves to reduce the chance of scratching yourself internally. Trimmer nails are more ideal. You’ll want a comfortable, warm, and private location where you can either lie down or squat. Some women suggest the shower may be the ideal location as you are already clean and undressed.

If you like, while checking for dilation you can do a visual check as well. Visual checks are tricky to pull off and don’t really offer much, but if it’s something you want to do, you will also need a speculum (usually purchasable from pharmacies or online), a flashlight, and a mirror. Visual checks aren’t a necessity as they are more to check for disease or infection, but if you’re trying to determine if you’re pregnant by checking your cervix, in about 50 percent of pregnant women the cervix is purple or blue in color from increased blood flow.

To perform a visual check follow the instructions here. What is and isn’t normal as far as cervix appearance is also covered. As a visual check doesn’t do anything extra in regards to knowing how dilated your cervix is or if you’re in a fertile window, in-depth instructions won’t be covered in this guide.

How to check your cervix for dilation:

Find a position that’s comfortable for you. If you’re doing a dilation and visual check, choose a location where you can prop yourself up slightly using pillows or bedding and lie on your back. Those doing a simple dilation check will likely find it easier to place one foot on the edge of the bathtub or toilet and squat slightly. You can even find visual instructions for this method on tampon instruction booklets as it opens the vaginal canal and makes it easily accessible. If you are just checking for ovulation, you may be able to check your cervix just sitting on the toilet, but while pregnant, or if you aren’t in a fertile window when not pregnant, you may find your cervix is too high to reach this way.

To perform the cervical check, insert two fingers into your vaginal canal and find your cervix. If you feel an opening in your cervix, this means dilation has occurred. Every finger that can be fit inside is about one cm dilation. For example, if you can fit two fingers inside even stretching a bit, you are around 2 cm dilated. Keep in mind that women who have already had a vaginal delivery almost always have a slight opening. If your cervix is very open and you’re pregnant, you may feel a latex-like sack, this is your bag of waters, which your baby sits within. You might even feel the hard top of your baby’s head within this sack. If you only feel the baby’s head, this means your bag of waters has ruptured, seek medical attention immediately.

It’s best to avoid frequent cervix checks during pregnancy as it may irritate the cervix and, of course, increases the risk of infection, but if you just have to know, we hope this guide has helped.

Sexual Positions During Pregnancy

You’re pregnant, so you clearly know all about the birds and the bees, but those birds and bees never had to try to do the deed with a beach ball between them. Sex during pregnancy is perfectly healthy for you, your partner, and your coming baby, but it is a little different. It also may not be something you feel comfortable discussing with your health care provider or even a close friend or family member. Google to the sexual rescue, right?

First things first, your health concerns.

I laughed hysterically the first time my husband said that he was worried he was “hitting his boy in the head” during intercourse, but later conversations and some Reddit reading led me to realize this was a common concern. So, what does the health book say about this pregnancy sex worry?

“The fetus is safe in the uterus and will not be harmed by sexual intercourse. The amniotic sac protects the fetus, and the cervix shields the baby from germs” – The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Basically, sex during pregnancy is perfectly healthy unless otherwise instructed by a doctor in cases such as; Placenta Previa, infections, vaginal bleeding, discharge of amniotic fluid, or signs of pre-term birth or labor. These cases are rare. Nonetheless, you are most certainly not hitting your unborn child. This is physically impossible.

Another common concern is caused by some women experiencing Braxton Hicks’ contractions after orgasm, primarily in the third trimester, leading them to believe that sex during pregnancy is dangerous. Braxton Hicks’ contractions are actually common in general in the second and third trimester and are nothing to worry about either way. Experts believe they may occur to tone the uterine muscles, promote blood flow, and/or soften the cervix for birth.

Not only is sex during pregnancy safe, but it’s healthier for you and your partner mentally and emotionally. Ceasing sex because of pregnancy can cause feelings of inadequacy, depression, decreased confidence and body image, and a general feeling of being unattractive and unwanted. Sex is important to a relationship, and when it stops, problems will arise. Continuing sexual intercourse during pregnancy is said to bring a couple closer together and strengthen the bonds of trust.

And ladies you’ll be happy to know, most men say that the glow of pregnancy, a woman full of life (and her bra full of it too) is actually very attractive to them.

Now that we’ve established sex while pregnant is safe, let’s move on to our actual topic, sexual positions during pregnancy.

Sexual positions during pregnancy in the first trimester:

During the first trimester things generally go as usual. You haven’t put on much weight, or at least not enough to interfere with your favorite positions. Many women actually report an increased drive and enjoyment during this time due to increased sensitivity caused by the influx of blood in the body during pregnancy. Though some say this increased sensitivity actually makes sex painful, chances are for the first few months your sex life will go on as usual.

Sexual positions during pregnancy in the second trimester:

Now things begin to become interesting. Your belly is bulging with baby. You may have to say good bye to classic missionary style (man on top) because the weight of another body against a pregnant abdomen can cause pain and pressure. There are, however, alternatives.

Missionary on the Edge: You lay on edge of the bed with your knees perched on mattress, your partner stands or kneels on floor.
T-Square: You lay flat on your back and your partner lies perpendicular to you forming a “T,” hence the name T-square.

Woman on top is wonderful alternative at this point as well, in bed or sitting, because it allows you to control depth and keeps pressure entirely off your abdomen. This may become more difficult later thanks to fatigue.

Sexual positions during pregnancy in the third trimester:

At this point, it’s best to avoid lying flat on your back as it can reduce blood flow to your baby. This can be remedied by propping your upper body up with pillows or just avoiding positions where you need to be on your back, for example:

Spooning: You lay back to front on your sides and entry is from the back.
Doggy style: You get on yours hands and knees, your partner enters from behind while kneeling or standing.
Leap frog: An adaptation of “doggy style” where you lean against a mattress to avoid having to support your weight.

Lastly, I’m sure your wondering, should any sexual positions during pregnancy be avoided?

Yes.

-Anal sex is not recommended during pregnancy. It’s not off limits, per se, but is best avoided due to the increased chance of infection and tissue damage.

-Oral sex is OK, however you should warn your partner to not blow into your vagina. This can cause an air embolism which can be harmful to both mother and child.

When it comes to sexual positions during pregnancy, creativity pays, and many couples claim that being forced to experiment with new positions actually helped their relationship, and maybe even added a few new positions to their list of favorites. The important thing is finding what works for you and is comfortable.

Cervidil Induction: What’s it like?

They say pregnancy is supposed to be 40 weeks, but apparently my kids didn’t get the memo. Of four children, three were induced. Two for being overdue by more than two weeks, and one a bit early as a result of preclampsia. With my first labor induction I was given pitocin, and honestly, it sucked. The contractions were brutal in comparison to my one natural birth. So, when my midwife suggested trying cervidil induction on round 2, I was both very interested and very confused, because I’d never even heard of it, much less heard it as an option for induction.

What’s cervidil?

Good question, right? Cervidil is a medication that contains dinoprostone, a naturally occurring prostaglandin. Now if you recognize the word prostaglandin, that’s because sperm also contains prostaglandin in a natural form. This is one of the reasons sex naturally induces labor. Prostagladins don’t actually cause contractions like pitocin will. Instead, they cause the cervix to ripen aka dilate and efface. In some women, that ripening can bring on contractions and lead to labor. In others, cervidil just helps prepare the body for labor. Pitocin if you are unaware is a synthetic hormone that causes contractions to induce labor.

What’s a cervidil induction like?

For cervidil induction, a tampon like device is placed beside your cervix, which on the off chance you don’t know, is the connection between your vaginal canal and uterus. It has to open, or dilate and efface, or thin, during childbirth to let your baby out. For me at least, this wasn’t painful even having a posterior, L-shaped cervix. It could be compared to your average cervix check during pregnancy, but it does have to happen at a hospital.

Your health care provider just inserts the tampon-like device, and you lay around for awhile waiting. In my labor, within 30 minutes of insertion I was having rhythmic contractions, and within three hours my water broke. My baby was completely delivered four hours after insertion. I started off dilated to a 4 and 50% effaced, however. Cervidil may not progress labor so quickly in every situation. For instance, with my one early baby, I also requested cervidil before pitocin since it had worked so well for me previously. In that labor I hadn’t begun to efface at all, and was only dilated to about a 2. The cervidil still worked, but it took longer. I began having contractions the following morning after insertion, and did still have to have a bit of pitocin as my labor stalled before she made her exit. Which, side point, you can use cervidil and pitocin.

I still would recommend avoiding induction if possible, as due dates are so relative, but if you feel medically it’s best as I did, and you’ve extinguished safe, natural induction methods, I’d strongly recommend giving cervidil induction a go.