When Will My Doctor Strip My Membranes?

Really shouldn't have them stripped - spontaneous is best - but OBs don't usually follow evidence based practices anyways.

I would say he shouldn't AT ALL! You are already well on your way to labor and it is still considered pre-term at 36 weeks. I am almost 39 and only 1 cm and 10% effaced. Best wishes to you! Your baby may be here before mine! By the way, during the stripping process, they can accidentally break your water which starts the clock for countdown to a c-section if your labor doesn't start right up....that is NOT a good position to be in!

Hi,
I'm a childbirth educator in Portland, OR. Membrane stripping is an intervention that doesn't need to be done at all, though some providers do start doing it routinely at 38 or 39 weeks. It is relatively low risk, but as some others have pointed out, it does carry the risk of accidentally breaking your water, which carries with it the risk of infection the longer you go with your water broken. For these reasons, it really shouldn't be done at all unless there's a medical reason for it--for instance your blood pressure is creeping up and they want to do some low-risk interventions that might help get you into labor sooner. At 36 weeks your baby is not at full term. If your baby was born now he or she would be considered "late preterm" and while late preterm babies have excellent chances of survival, they also run the risk of having major health issues at birth.
This video is 24 minutes long, but well worth a watch http://www.nnepqin.org/jwplayer/movie.html. Both babies profiled do just fine later in life (something one of the mother's says at one point gives the impression that her baby dies, but that's not true!) but both families had a very, very stressful beginning coping with having a late preterm newborn very sick in the NICU. Medical technology is very good, but it's not as a good as a womb. The video definitely makes you think twice about wanting to hurry things up!
That said, I wish you the best! It sounds like your body is already very primed for labor, so when it does happen it may be very efficient!

Not till the last OB visit before or after your due date,plus mine didn't with my last since I wasn't dialated she said 2+ then she would have.

You need to let your baby come when it decides to come. There is also no reason at all anyone should be checking your dilation before you are in active labor. All this does is increase your risk of infection and can possibly break the bag of water and then you would be induced. Your baby knows the exact time it is ready to be born. It releases a chemical from its lungs to let the mother's body know that its lungs are fully mature and ready for life outside the womb. Before this happens your baby is not ready. Please do not let anyone strip your membranes. Take control of your body, your baby and your birth.

I begged for it at 38 weeks, but my doc wouldn't until I was at 39. And then again at 40. And then again a few days later. And it STILL didn't work!

Mine were stripped for the first time at 39 weeks. They were stripped a total of 4 times with NO effect whatsoever. I ended up with an induction at 10 days overdue.

Not at 36 weeks because the more time a baby has in the womb the better. If you are 70% effaced your labor will go quickly.

You're not even overdue yet... Just give it time. I was dilated early too.

I don't think most OB's do it routinely. I only had it with my first as part of an induction. It wasn't done by my dr. but the resident on call. I wouldn't do it unless there is a good reason, it's pretty unpleasant/painful. With my second, I was 4 cm dialated and 5 days overdue when I was induced and the dr. never did it.

Your doctor won't (ok, SHOULDN'T) unless you consent to it first. But I have known lots of people who had complications after having it done. I never let me doctor do it (three pregnancies) and one of my babies was twelve days late.

I was days over due when they did mine.

Not until you're much closer to labor. Not until you're at least 38-39 weeks, if he's a doctor worth his diploma. At 36 weeks the baby still needs as much time to develop as possible in the womb and is likely not ready to be born. Don't rush it. Take it from someone who knows.

They will usually only do it if you're overdue.