at home checks

[samday09]

has any one done an "at home" cervix check?

[GRose]

Have you ever felt your cervix before? If you haven't you really aren't going to know what to feel for, you wont know what is normal. Maybe check out a diagram of the female reproductive system to get an idea of what to feel for.
I checked my cervix a couple times when ttc but honestly I dont think I would know if it was dilated or not so I am not even bothering, I'm leaving that up to my OB.

[samday09]

i tried checking it last night while i was in the tub, but i just felt "squishyness" sorry if TMI. but ive been really curious of how much im dilated. I tried to go higher, and then i stopped becasue i was kinda scared as to what i would find. its all new to me, and i dont want to hurt the baby at all.

[GRose]

Your cervix is the entrance to your womb so no, the baby's head can not block it. If you can't find it you are not reaching high enough, try squatting down while you try to feel it.

[samday09]

what if you cant find your cerivx? is it possible the babies head is blocking it?

[smjmekg]

Effacement to me was easy to feel, it's like your cervix turns into a mini doughnut. It's a lot flatter and it's really really high.

[chantal21]

I just knew that it felt "open". I had checked once before and there was no opening bascially and I checked again at 37 1/2 weeks and I was definitely dilated. (I only did it because I had the bloody show) I was thinking maybe 2 or 3cm by how far apart I could spread my 2 fingers. (you could probably google it and get a better idea) My midwife checked me the next day and I was a 4-5cm and she could feel his head. It felt strange (as I have never really checked my cervix before) but I knew I was dilating. As for effacement...I'm clueless there! Since I know what mine feels like now, I will know what to look for if I decide to check with this pregnancy.

[smjmekg]

I have no clue how to check how dilated you are, but I just know how my cervix feels normally, and I was about 1 centimeter dilated when I had my c-section, from about four weeks before. If you know what it feels like you can tell when you are starting to, and I could tell I was effaced partially (was 50% when checked by doc). It's not too hard to tell when you know your body.

[Mumita]

How do you check for dilation, is there some guide that tells you how to measure dilation with your fingers?

[chantal21]

I did for dilation with my first pregnancy.

[smjmekg]

Are you talking about for ovulation or for dilation? I did for both...