I had a Dr. appt yesterday and she is surprised little Abigail is still hanging on since my cervix is paper thin, I'm still 3cm dilated, so she stripped my membranes. See below information about the membranes:
As you probably know, the bag of waters is inside the uterus, and the bag is composed of membranes. The membranes tend to cling to the wall of the uterus until after the baby is born and the placenta is expelled. As the cervix begins to soften and open (dilate) at the end of pregnancy, the part of the membranes that was over the cervical opening can be felt through the opening when a vaginal exam is done. "Stripping the membranes" is done by inserting a finger between the membranes and the wall of the uterus to loosen the membranes from the wall. Sometimes, this stimulation of the uterine wall can help to start labor. Sometimes, the loosening of the membranes allows more water to collect in front of the baby which puts more pressure on the cervix and perhaps labor is stimulated that way. The procedure can be a little uncomfortable for some women. If the woman is truly near delivery, she often gets a contraction as a result of the procedure.
She said if Abigail hasn't come by next Thursday we will schedule an induction date just in case for April 8th. At this point I feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever!
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