Pregnancy: Third Trimester Community

I had mine done at a 9 am appt and my water broke at 9 pm that night. I was 39 1/2 weeks and had been fully effaced for at least 4 weeks and partly dilated. It was super fast for me, but I've heard for some people it doesn't work at all. Good luck! (oh and take a pad with you/wear a pad because you'll bleed)

I don't have any insight on the membrane stripping, but I wanted to ask if he is for sure going to deliver you if you go into labor early? I only ask because my OBGYN is part of a practice, so if I don't make it to my scheduled c-section with her I will just get whoever is on call at the time...then she will come check on me when she has time. Just curious how things work with your dr/practice- it is worth getting them stripped if you are just going to get whoever is on call anyways?

Good luck with whatever you decide & hopefully he does get to deliver you!

Thanks for your info ReneeErin! KBratt....he said that he is here, and on call, through the 11th so that would give me from wednesday to Saturday to have my baby and he be here. This is why I am questioning risking it...because if I am one of the ones that it doesnt work on for awhile...I risk him not being here. ugh...I just want a doctor that I am familiar with and know! BUT here is the other kicker...My fiance' is in the process of training for a job and he will fly out Thursday the 9th and not come back till Sunday the 12th (this will be happening for every weekend of February and March). SOOOO...I have to choose do I want my good doctor there or my fiance'. DF says that he will leave it up to me...he would love to be there when his son is born but at the same time almost died from anxiety when I was in pain during my first. (I think he secretly doesnt want to be there) Terrible I know!! But at the same time I think...well if I choose to ditch my doctor and go in on my own with some Joe Shmoe doctor what if it happens on a weekend anyway...then I dont have either my doctor or my fiance'!!!!

I am just so confused and stressing over this and I know I shouldnt. I barely slept last night wondering what I should do.... I just want to cry.

Honestly, I think the least important time for the Dr. to be present is during delivery. My dr just unwrapped the cord from her neck and stitched me up and that was it. I was SO out of it that any Dr would have been fine at that point. Try not to stress. baby will come when ready no matter what you do anyway since stripping membranes isn't guaranteed. Good luck!

I agree I thought it was really bad I wasn't going to have my doctor, I was the one doing all the work and the doctor was just there to grab the baby I wouldn't have noticed if it was my doctor anyways I was just so glad to meet my little girl and be done with labor!

Lurking..

With my last baby I had my membranes stripped at my 38 week appt on a Thursday. I had really bad contractions all night and even went to the hospital to be checked out but then nothing else happened! My dr induced me the following Monday and he still wasn't born until the next day. So I guess in my case it didn't help at all. All it did was give me a night of pain and false hope!

I have to mention that I had trouble with my first baby too. My water broke at 36w5d but I had no contractions on my own. When I got to the hospital they hooked me up to Pitocin. I was trying to do things naturally with no Epidural but after about 32 hours of labor I was given an ultimatum of a c-section or taking the Epidural. I of course took the Epidural and DS1 was born a couple of hours later.

I think having a doctor you are comfortable with can make all the difference too. With my first I was stuck with the Dr on call and she was awful! She barely spoke to me and when she did come in she was eating a cookie after I hadn't had anything to eat in like 35 hours! With my second baby I had switched OB Gyn practices and I got an amazing Dr. She did end up being there for the delivery and things went much more smoothly and I was so much more comfortable!

I know it's a huge decision for you and if I hadn't had problems with the Dr on call with my first delivery then I would tell you to just let things happen on their own. I am not trying to scare you or anything and your LO will definitely come when it's ready, but I just want you to be comfortable and have a smooth delivery! I wish you luck with whatever you decide!

Thanx for all of your input ladies! I think I am just going to let my body and baby do their own thing. I just dont want to hurry things along when they dont need to be. The doctor that will be on call the two weeks my doctor is gone is the doctor that delivered DD so I am familiar with him....im just being stubborn because I dont like him. Hes rude and old and told me at the beginning of my pregnancy that I should go somewhere else to doctor because he didnt want to deal with my risk factors (bad kidneys). I guess I will just have to suck up my pride and do whats best for my baby and me. Thanks again for your information!

I've had it done with three of mine (possibly all four, but I don't recall with my first - it wasn't explicitly discussed, if they did it). It's made no apparent difference in when my babies have arrived. With #3, I had them stripped at 39w6d, and labor started around 7:45 a.m. on 40w2d. Nothing dramatic, either...very gentle contrax that gradually built until they were pretty intense the next morning, and she was born at 2:30 p.m. on 40w3d. I don't think it had anything to do with my membranes being stripped.

Just read your update/decision...with it being iffy that your fiance can make it, I think I'd wait and see how it went, too. Good luck! I hope that he can make it, and that whatever doctor you get is agreeable.

With my last pregnancy mine were stripped and less than two days later I had my LO.