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just a quick question. i am on my 1st baby and am 38 weeks today. last week i was told i was 2 cm. today i was told that i am only 1 cm. the doc said it was normal. anyway she stripped my membranes today and all i have had was cramping and irregular contractions. how do i determine when to go. i called the doctor and he said wait till they were 5 minutes apart. i knew that but between the cramps and contractions it feels like they are 2 minutes apart. (the doctor also during my appointment said the labor was right around the corner and my body is ready for labor) so does anyone know how long i really do have.

Get it done!!! If your eager to go in labour go for it. It hurts getting it done, and I cramped a bit after, but 3 days later my little girl was born - I plan on asking to get it done again tommorow!

What does it mean to strip the membranes?

dear curious ... see my (mandy) description on May 30th for what i found online for what "stripping the membranes" is. hope it helps! :)

I wrote last week on June 8 and was hoping that the stripping membranes that my dr. performed on me would start labour. Nope! My due date is still June 20 and I'm still waiting. I'm at 1.5 cm dilated. However, as this is our first baby, I'm sure that labour will start late or it'll have to induced.

Well I was 41 and 3 days and only 1 cm dilated. I was sch. for induction on Sat. morning. I really wanted my baby to come on her own. Well my doc stripped my membranes Wed. and Thursday morning at 5 a.m. I went into at home labor. I had my beautiful 8lbs 13oz, 22 in. long baby girl on Friday June 3rd. IT WORKS!!!!! I experinced no cramping and no pain from the srtipping. And I didn't have regular contractions they were irregular the whole time. So go when you feel intense pressure and you squirm when you have a contraction. Good Luck to all!!

Ana...when did your water break? Did you spot from the stripping? Was it your first child? This happened to me yesterday at 2 and i've been cramping a lot but the hospital sent me home at 2cm and 80% effaced. My due date was 6-15 and this baby is getting huge!

I'm 38/4 and I had my membranes stripped yesterday. I hurt all day now not too much is going on. I'm hoping it will work because my son is finally head down. If not then monday they are going to try to induce me. I had Pitocin with my first baby and it really was awful, I don't want a repeat performance of that!

Yes it was my first child, and my water broke about one day after the stripping. And I did not have any bleeding from the action. I suggest you get it done.

I just had my membranes stripped yesterday afternoon at my appt. I have been having some cramps, but nothing consistent and since this is my second child I know what real labor feels like, so I am just waiting to see if it works, but if it does I am a believer, I have been dilated to a 2 for 3 weeks and the baby keeps dropping and nothing has happened yet and I still have 11 days till my due date, but it was very uncomfortable getting it done.

I was the last entry in this, and I had my membranes stripped on Friday afternoon and more than 48 hrs later, here I am still pregnant and more uncomfortable than ever, have only had about 2 contractions the whole weekend and nothing else!!! I guess it only works for certain people, and whoever you are I am jelous!!!

I'm in the same boat as you Heather, I had my membranes stripped on Friday and I haven't even had one contraction. This is my first so I have a feeling I will probably have to be induced. At first I was upset my doctor stripped the membranes because he didn't even ask and it was pretty uncomfortable but after reading these posts I feel a little better about the procedure. I just wish it worked for me! I'm at 40 wks and 2cm.

i am not pregnant but i did have my first baby one year ago. i disscussed stripping with my midwife and decided not to.....why do you need to hurry up a process that God made perfect already...your baby knows when it is ready. you should have faith that he/she will come when they are ready. not to mention why go through the pain, possible infection, and disappointment that comes with it.

I've just come back from the hospital having had my membranes sweeped. It hurt like hell, but if it helps things along it's worth doing. I'm 40 weeks + 6 days and 2cm. I'm hoping this is going to kick start things for me.

i got them stripped yesterday. didn't hurt at all. couldn't even tell she did it. I hope it works. no pains or anything. let ya know .

I would be wary about having your membranes stripped before getting to 40 weeks. I had mine done (without my dr. informing me of what he was doing, which is pretty annoying) at 37+ weeks when I was 1 cm dilated and at a -2 station. 5 days later, my water broke but 15 hours after that, my labor had failed to progress at all and I ended up with a c-section (once your water breaks, a lot of doctors will give you a maximum of 24 hours to deliver, to avoid risk of infection). Basically, I think stripping my membranes 'moved things along' but before my baby was ready to come out. If you can, try to let nature to take its course.