Stripping the Membranes - Colorado Springs,CO

Hi K.,
I had it done when I was 38 weeks pregnant with my son. It was a bit uncomfortable, but not too bad. I went into labor the next day...I am a fan! Good luck!

I had it done with both my babies, and it didn't work for me. With my first I was already dilated to a 3, with the second I was dilated to a 4 and they still didn't come! :) It wasn't really that painful, just a little uncomfortable. I think I would just let the baby come when he/she is ready to come.

Yes I have had this done a couple times. It has worked but took different amounts of time to work each time. I did not have any complications or infections with mine, but I was further along, like 38 or 39 weeks with both times. I had very large babies and that is a drug free way of inducing. Good luck!

I had it done. It didn't hurt at all. And it worked. I was dialated to 3 cm when it was done and I was 37 1/2 weeks too. I went into labor 2 days later.

It won't work if you are not ready to go into labor yet. For me, it doesn't hurt that bad. Last baby I had it done 3 times, no luck.

My doctor stripped my membranes in the office only after we'd agreed to meet her at the hospital (labor and delivery) in 30 minutes. It definitely got my contractions going. At the hospital, she then broke my water. Our son (second child) was born a couple hours later.
I would say, Yes, it works. No, it doesn't hurt any worse than a full exam. No, I had no complications. If you're ready for baby to be born RIGHT NOW then do it. Otherwise, I'd say wait until you're ready for baby.
Congrats on #3 and best wishes!

K.,
My sister has five children, all natural until her last when her doctor decided to strip her membranes, myself, who was induced for five days, then second child with a c section, my sister has always said no matter what, do not let them do this to you. She said the moment it was started she bled everywhere, and it hurt worse than all the four natural childbirths she had endured previously. She is now a grandmother of six, and would not allow any of her daughters or her daughter in law consider having this done, she said it will a memory that will haunt her forever. Look into it a little more before you allow it to be done please.

S.

I had my membranes stripped with all three of my boys. Labor started later that night with my first one. Labor started 4 days later with my second one, and I was induced 2 days after having my membranes stripped with my 3rd, so I don't know how long it would have taken for that one. I wouldn't say having your membranes stripped hurts, really, at least not for me. My doctors always told me if it was too painful they would stop. It was uncomfortable for sure!

The doctors always told me, also, that stripping the membranes wouldn't bring on labor unless you were ready. Let me tell you, by the time my 3rd baby came around, I had them strip my membranes as soon as it was safe! GET THAT BABY OUT!!! LOL

I never heard about it causing your water to break or an infection. I mean, if your water breaks, you're at risk of infection if the baby isn't delivered soon enough, but I never heard of stripping the membranes causing infection.

I recommend it, just to get things moving if you're ready!

OH! I just saw how far along you will be at your next appt. I was 39 weeks with the first 2, and then I was 38 with my 3rd, because I had a monster cyst they had to get out.

It did hurt but only for a minute. My water broke the next day.

I sthere a reason she will stripp them at your next visit? I know you will be full term at that point, but it might be worth it to wait until you go into labor on your own. If you come across any med problems definitly have some type of induction such as stripping. But especially if your ambevilent abou tit, I would say just give it another week or so.

Hi K.!

I guess the biggest question, is what is the reason for stripping your membranes? If it is "just because", I would not do it, and personally, I would question the judgement of the Midwife for even asking if you wanted this intervention. Birth is a natural process, and when you start taking matters into your own hands and try to control the situation, I find that one thing leads to another, and next thing you know, your birth is completely out of your hands.

I would ask your midwife why she recommended this. For me, I would wait until labor started on it's own time- your body knows what to do, and unless there is a medically necessary reason for stripping the membranes, I would leave well enough alone.

That being said, I have not had my membranes stripped. Follow your intuition, if you don't think that it is necessary, then by all means, do nothing- it will happen when it's supposed to.

I hope that when the time comes, you have a wonderful, peaceful, empowering birth experience!

H. Gaitten
www.naturalchoices4baby.com

Hi K.,

I had my membranes stripped because I developed a complication called ICP (Intrahepatic Colistasis - basically liver toxicity). I was 40 weeks and change - so well cooked and ready to give birth.

We had planned a home birth and stripping the membranes was the least interventive way to start labor - which is the only way to treat the ICP.

It is NOT a comfortable procedure - and NOT necessary unless there is a medical reason for you to have this baby now - three weeks early. I'm thinking you must have a nurse midwife and not a direct entry midwife. Generally speaking, direct entry midwives do not advocate any kind of intervention, especially before labor has begun.

You should bear in mind two things.

One. Any labor that is artificially started (induced, and stripping membranes is a method of induction) is much, MUCH more intense.

And Two -- labors that are induced are many, many times more likely to develop complications and ultimately land in the OR with a c-section.

That's exactly what happened to me. I went right into active labor within 3 hours of having the membranes striped. I never had the natural ramp up that give you -- and the baby -- the opportunity to get into the groove. In fact, my son never had a chance to drop into place in the birth canal during early labor. So after 26 hours of hard, intense labor, I had to be transfered to the hospital and ended up in the OR with a c-section.

I highly recommend you check out the forums on www.Mothering.com. I'm sure there are discussions about this issue all the time and you can get a lot of detailed input and feed back.

Congratulations on your impending new baby!

Blessings,

M.

I have a degree in human development and from what I have learned in my prenatal and infancy classes, stripping the membranes has no clinical evidence of helping to induce labor. In other words, there is no proof that it helps, only that it hurts. I would do some research before taking that step. Good luck!

I had this doen with my first two and I had scheduled to have it done with my third as well(he came early) and it worked both times for me. I also forced a girlfriend of mine to get it doen as well and it worked for her as well. If you do it prior to 38 weeks I don't think it will work. Your body has to atleast begun to get ready. It does hurt a bit. My first really didn't hurt at all, but my second hurt a lot. I think it depends on how you are carrying your baby and how low they are. It is well worth the couple seconds of pain to get things moving. I have nevre had any complications form it either. My first I had it done on a Wednesday afternoon and I went into labor(actually my water broke) on Thursday night(I was 39.5 weeks). So about 36 hrs. after my first, my second I had it done Friday afternoon and I went into labor Monday night(I was 38 weeks) . I lost my plug for two days and my girlfriend that just had it done last week got it MOnday morning around 10 and went into labor Tuesday morning around 1 am and she was 38.5 weeks. If I were you I would wait until you are atleast 38 weeks because otherwise you are doing it for nothing.

Good luck on what you decide!

I had this done and it hurts just a little but I was so miserable with my second pregnancy I was willing to try anything to move the process along as I was already around 39 weeks. I had my membranes stripped at 4:30 pm and I went into labor at 6:00 pm and my daughter was born at 10:06 pm so it was well worth it for me! I will say that with both of my kids the doctor had to break my water so the stripping of the membranes did not break my water. Good luck!

I've only heard of this being used when other things don't seem to be working to bring on labor, and only when a baby is full-term (or past it). There are risks involved, as you are aware. I'd be very cautious on this one unless your midwife has an extremely compelling reason (related to your health or the baby's). Those last weeks can be tough, but hang in there! I do believe it's best to wait until the baby is truly ready and not try to push them along too quickly. :)

I am a part time labor and delivery nurse and I have also had my membranes stripped during my pregnancy. Having your membranes stripped will not actually put you into labor. If you are already close to being in labor and maybe starting to dilate it can give you the shove you need to go into labor. If you are not already close to being in labor it will just make you really uncomfortable for a day or two. You may even start having contractions with out being in labor.

Since this is your 3rd baby you are probally already starting to dilate and it won't take much to go into labor, but I would reccommend waiting untill you are 38-39 weeks to have your membranes stripped.

There is a small risk of your water breaking during the procedure, but I think that if just stripping your membranes broke your water it would probally have ruptured on its own anyway. You are at greater risk of infection when your water breaks, but your Dr will probally start antibiotics if you do not deliver within 12 hrs to prevent infection.

Good luck with your delivery!

I have 4 children. I was close to my due date with my first one and she had dropped 2 months early, so I decided I would try it. Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, it was VERY painful! For me it was close to child birth. And that is saying a lot because I have long back labors. It didn't rush any labor for me. She ended up being 10 days late! (I actually had her on the day they were going to induce.)However,my sister-in-law (baby #2 of 5) had her baby the day after having her membranes stripped. Neither she nor I did it again or even considered it again. Maybe rethink this procedure if you are close to being overdue? The risk for infection is there and really what is 1 or 2 more uncomfortable weeks of your life for your baby's health and development? Best of luck. I know desperation sets in on those last weeks of pregnancy.

I have had this done. It hurt enough for me to scream for the doctor to stop doing it! It didn't take long though. It was done in about two minutes max. It did, however, work for me. I went into labor the next evening. If you're not desperate to go into labor soon, I don't recommend it though.

I have had my membranes stripped with both of my pregnancies.
It hurt a little bit I went into labor that day with both. I would recommend it.

I have had my membranes stripped with 5 of my 6 babies. Does it work?--well that all depends on whether your body is ready to deliver the baby. I had one where we stripped 4 or 5 times and it never "worked", and on where I had the membranes stripped at 9 in the morning and had the baby by 9 that night. I have never had any complications from it, but it does bring on some contracting that helps in the long run. But you also have to condsider with my #3-#6 children I was already 2 cm + when they stripped. As far as the pain goes, it really is only as uncomfortable as an internal exam at that stage. I would say that in my opinion it couldn't hurt to try because from my experience it only brings it faster.
Good luck,
J.

K.
This was very painful for me!!! I don't think my doctor was being too aggressive, but it actually caused my blood vessels to burst which freaked out the doctor and myself. She said she had never had that happen. It felt very guilty for compromising my baby's health, as well as mine. I would not recommend it, and will never do it again. A.

Yes, it was pretty painful, but tolerable. I went into labor several days later. I don't know if it really sped things along, since Baby was born just two days before his due date, but I guess it didn't hurt anything. No complications.

My midwife stripped mine while I was in early labor. I don't remember it hurting, nothing worse than the standard pelvic exam, but the pop sound it made freaked me out a bit. I don't know that it actually helped, but it couldn't have hurt.
Though I would wait 'till 39 weeks, at least....but I you're still safe doing it when suggested.
Good luck!

My doctor told me it would hurt and I had it done with 2 of my 3 children. In my opinion, the stipping didn't hurt. But maybe I was expecting it to be much worse.

Also, if your water breaks, you are far enough along anyway and they wouldn't be stripping your membranes if you weren't ready to deliver!

It didn't work for me either time and I was 38 weeks along. I needed to be induced for pre-eclampsia (all 3 pregnancies). So we gave it a try and it didn't work for me.

Happy pushing!

Hi K.

I had my membrane stripped. It didn't hurt at all and yes it did work. I went into labor two days later. I had no complications- the doctor even had to break my water. I'm sure everyone has had a different experience, but mine was nothing but good!

BTW...I was 38 wks when they did it and at that point I was willing to do anything to get my baby OUT!

I had it done with my first and I didn't think it hurt. Similar to having your dilation checked, so maybe uncomfortable for a few seconds. And it worked for me...my water broke about 12 hrs later and there were no complications. And I wanted to do it again with my second child when I was feeling ready to deliver, but my doctor was going out of town for the weekend and said that it works quite often, so she didn't want to risk it. If you choose to go ahead with it and your water does break, just make sure you go to the hospital ASAP because the longer your water is broken, there is a higher risk for infection, so they might want to give you IV antibiotics just to be safe.

Good luck with #3.

Yes, I had it done with my first pregnancy. My ob/gyn told me that if my body wasn't ready to go into labor, it wouldn't work. But she tried, it hurt so bad, and it didn't work. I was 39 weeks at the time...I went 5 days late. So, my advice is to try it, and if your body is ready it will work. Good luck.

I sure did! No, it didn't hurt. It felt like I was getting a pap smear-- uncomfortable temporarily but it was quick. And yes, it worked. Within minutes I was getting contractions and went into labor six hours later. I will say this: I was a day overdue at the time. I did end up getting an infection and my baby had a stroke during delivery. I wouldn't consider it a complication from the membrane stripping procedure, however. I don't mean to scare you, only to say that it definitely worked for inducing labor.

For one thing, I personally would think to wait until you're actually full-term. Babies can still have problems after birth if they're born even a few weeks early.
Obviously, your midwife knows if you're ready or not -- don't do it just to "get things moving" when you're not even to 40 weeks yet -- unless you're having problems.

I had mine done and I went into labor that day. I did get an infection but it wasn't cause of the stripping, it was because the midwife let me stay in labor for two days (literally 48 hours start to finish) when you shouldn't go past 24 hours. I was happy to have it done but I wouldn't say there are any pro's or con's unless you are ready to just not be prego anymore. I didn't have any problems or pain at all. I experience discomfort (mildly) but I was in labor so what do you expect?

Just wanted to let you know that I had this done. It does not hurt at all. I am a RN and would do have it done again if time came. But, if you aren't uncomfortable - just enjoy your pregnancy while you can! Good luck:) and congrats.....

I have not had this done. I am a mother of five and never started labor on my own, not even when my water broke. I was chemically induced, which I did not like but I had no choice. Stripping the membranes can cause you to have contractions but there is no guarantee of regular contractions that will result in delivery. In fact you can have irregular contractions for quite some time which causes stress on your uterus and your baby. At 37.5 weeks your baby is not full term, I would error on the side of caution and let your body do this on it's own. Best of luck to you.

One, yes, it is uncomfortable but not really painful. Two, yes, it does work if the baby is ready to come. I had mine stripped at 11:00 am and went into labor at around four that afternoon.
Unless the nurse has a massively long finger, or the membranes are bulging, chances of breaking the water are slim. If the water DID break, that would be the icing on the cake, because stripping the membranes is supposed to enable labor to start sooner. Good luck with your new little one!

ok, so here is my story on this matter...i was 3 days overdue when they asked me if i wanted to have my membranes stripped. i said yes since i was miserable being pregnant and my parents were in town for only a couple more days. i went into the docs about 1 pm. that night i had "cramps" and went in. ( i didnt feel my contractions with my first child so i didnt know what they felt like) the nurse told me i wasnt dialated and the baby hadnt dropped...it was merely cramps from the stripping. so they gave me a SLEEPING PILL for the pain and we went home. the next morning at about 8 i woke up in extreme pain. i tried to take a bath and see if that helped. it didnt, and then i realized tht i was about 3 min apart so we rushed to the hospital. long story short i had my daughter half an hour later and totally natural since there was no time to do anything. i got released from the hospital in the afternoon and not 2 hrs after we got home i was SHAKING so bad i couldnt hold still. I was SOOOOO COLD i couldnt get warm to save my life. my hubby called the doc and he said if i ran a fever to come in. the next morning we were in the ER and 4 hrs later they admitted me with a severe pelvic infection!!! I think my thing was i took a bath after i had been stripped and that let water and other things inside. i have had people tell me they were fine afterwards, but my expieience was very painful...physically and mentally...i was in the hospital right after giving birth and wasnt able to see my daughter and to make matters worse she was born 4 days before Easter...so I missed her 1st easter and her first week of life. I would hold off if you arent in alot of discomfort and the doc says there isnt anything wrong with carrying for a few more days. My daughter was HUGE and I was very uncomfortable and had inflamed ribs and huge cankles!! i hope everything turns out ok!!!

C.

I had my membrane stripped at about the same time. It was uncomfortable and did hurt, but not for too long. My doctor said that if all I needed was a little something to get me started, then this would work, and if I wasn't ready, then it wouldn't work. I felt really ready to get the baby out so I decided to try it. I would say that it worked for me. I had it done on Fri about 12 and started having contractions not long after. My husband and I thought I'd go into labor that day, but instead I had contractions all day friday and most of the day saturday (they weren't really painful, and were pretty irregular). My water broke around 8 pm, and we went to the hospital at 9.

After I had the baby and was talking to my doctor, he said that when your water breaks first, you usually have a longer labor, but it didn't seem too bad. It was about 10 hours from when my water broke till I had the baby, but the first 3 or 4 were pretty comfortable.

I didn't worry about infection really since they say once your water breaks to go to the hospital, and they keep you there until you deliver.

I guess it just depends on how ready you are to be done. I can't say I would necessarily do it again, but I'm glad that I did this time.

I wouldn't recommend getting your membranes stripped that early. You may have hit term, but you are early in term and your baby may not be ready yet. All of the good doctors I have had do not like to induce labor (and stripping membranes is a form of inducing labor) until at least the due date. Your baby will come when he or she is ready, no need to speed things up unless there are other complications.

My Membranes were stripped by my midwife at 40 weeks. Nothing happened. It didn't hurt at all, but it did feel very akward. I ended up drinking castor oil (disgusting!!!) and that got my labor going.

Done 4 times with all 4 kids. No, it didn't hurt but it also didn't work. No complications.

It is uncomfortable, but not too bad. In theory, you can get an infection, just as if your water broke and labor didn't start and you waited for hours and hours (days in some cases). I don't think you need to worry too much about the infection. If you're having the procedure done, then you'll be monitored for infection and will likely be having the baby before any infection can occur. But since you haven't had to have it done before, why not just wait for labor to start as it did the other two times?

With one of my babies I had my membranes stripped at a dr appointment in the morning and contractions started that evening and I delivered that night. It did not hurt me at all, just a little uncomfortable. It was one day before my due date. To me, it was no big deal and got me into labor.
I would wait until you were at least 39 weeks though, it seems weird that a midwife would want to do that procedure so early. I would think it would hurt worse if it was done too early. And just so you know, my daughter was born at 37.5 weeks (not the one I had membranes stripped with) and she had some complications from being early, nothing major and she is fine now, but boy it was a rough first few weeks with her. I would strongly suggest waiting.

i've had my membranes stripped with both my kids. with my oldest, it didn't do anything. with my second all it did was make me bleed and feel really sick for two days. for some people it works great though. i think it really just depends on the person, just be prepared for it possibly not working if you decide to do it.

Hi K., I wouldn't say it hurts it's just really uncomfortable. I have had that done with three of my four children. It does get things going. I am sure that if you are very comfortable with your midwife you can talk to her more about this. She wouldn't do anything to anything to harm you or your child. I did not experienced any complications from it. Actually my second son was born the same day as I had it done. His birthing experience was the best.

Good luck K.!

Why is your midwife suggesting that you strip your membranes? You're not even full term yet! It seems that nowadays everyone wants to have their baby early for convenience reasons at the expense of thier babies health. The earlier a baby is born, the higher chance they have for complications, breathing problems, and infections. In most cases, a woman's body naturally knows when the baby is ready and will go into labor on its own.

I had it done with my latest pregnancy, and it certainly worked! My midwife stripped membranes at about 1 pm, and I started having contractions right away. I went to the hospital about 12 hours later and had my daughter the next morning.

I will say it wasn't the most pleasant experience - I wouldn't say outright painful, but very uncomfortable. It made me very crampy as she was doing it, which made me a little nauseous, but I ate a big lunch right afterwards, so the nausea didn't last long!

Given my experience, I'd give it a try, but I have heard it's not always effective. I think if your body's ready, maybe stripping the membranes will kick things into gear, but if it's not ready, you'll just have to wait it out! Good luck with your decision!

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
With myself my doctor check to see if I was "favorable" which means if things were already soften.
It didn't hurt as much as it just was uncomfortable.
But sure enough it worked for me. It got the ball rolling and I delivered my baby that same day. However, I only had two days left until my due date. So if you are in no pain right now or are in no hurry, just wait (which I know sounds horrible in the heat of summer). Your body is a pro at this by time and will let you know when you are ready.
Best of luck!!

I had it done twice with my fourth child. The first time was at around 37.5 weeks, and the second was 38.5 weeks. At 37.5 weeks, it brought on a few contractions, but I didn't go into labor. At the next appointment (38.5 weeks) he did it around 4pm, and I went into labor and delivered that night. Like others have said, it didn't hurt so much as it was uncomfortable. Not much more than when they check to see how far you're dilated. If in the rare case it does break your water or something, you'll end up delivering anyway, and shouldn't worry too much about infection. It would be the same risk of infection as if your water broke early in labor on it's own before you were dilated enough to push the baby out (which is still minimal unless your water breaks more than 24 hours before the baby comes out). As far as whether it "works" or not: It absolutely won't work unless your body is nearing labor anyway. As in: If you would naturally go into labor in the next few days anyway, then stripping the membranes may kick start it. If you wouldn't naturally go into labor for a week or more, then stripping may not do anything but cause a few contractions. Unfortunately, there's really no way to know if your body is ready for labor soon or not. Even if you have some of those pre-labor or labor symptoms. Okay... all that said: It can't hurt to try! Good luck!

I didn't think it hurt, uncomfortable, but no pain. I had it done with my last 2 and had them within a 12 hour time frames (shorter but not sure how short). I didn't think it worked with the last one, but just as I squated to go to sleep, my water broke, never had that happen before, and then a few hours later he was born. I have it done cause I am miserable during my pregnancies, and that is putting it nicely. Good luck!

TO STRIP OT NOT TO STRIP???? NO MATTER WHAT YOU CHOOSE YOU COULD ALSO USE OTHER NATURAL REMEDIES TO HELP PUSH YOU INTO LABOR--SEX W/ ORGASM--SPICY FOOD--STAY HYDRATED--WALKING--AND THAT JUST MIGHT TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. GOOD LUCK AND DO WHAT YOU WAnt to do not what your midwife tells you to do!! listen to your intuition.

I am having it done in the morning as I am at 39 weeks and CONSTANTLY in and out of contractions but not a true labor!
I have had it done before...I believe 4/6 other times and it worked about 1/2. I have never had problems due to it...it only "hurts" a little....in compare to the rest it is nothing!