Vaginal examinations

The midwife looking after you may discuss the need for a vaginal examination. Along with your own description of what is happening, and with what the midwife can see and hear, a vaginal examination can help in assessing the progress of your labour. In a straightforward birth there are good reasons to keep the number of vaginal examinations to a minimum, so do ask why it is being suggested. It is always your choice - there may be another way of assessing things, or it may be quite appropriate to wait and see how things go.

The examination will involve your midwife inserting gloved fingers into your vagina between contractions to feel how soft, stretchy and open the neck of your womb is. It is also possible to feel the position of your baby and how far down in your pelvis s/he is. It is important that you tell your midwife if you find the examination too uncomfortable, although it should not be sore.

Remember that everyone's labour is different and even if your cervix (neck of womb) takes a while to open it doesn't matter as long as you and your baby are fine. Don't get upset if you are not as far on as you had hoped; labour doesn't proceed like clockwork and somebody whose cervix is barely open can still give birth a couple of hours later.