It is very possible that until pregnant, you never thought much about your cervix. But once you’re hovering around your due date, it can become prime concern. At each weekly exam, you may be wondering, “How dilated am I?”, “Does that mean labor might start soon, or do I still have a ways to go?” And depending on the results of a cervical exam you may be in a tailspin of excitement, disappoint or simply confused by what you heard.
In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with the hosts of the podcast Birth Kweens, midwife and hormone specialist, Karly Nuttall and birth and postpartum doula, Ali Feroah about all things cervixes! Karly and Ali breakdown why and when a cervical exam may be considered and what the information gathered from an exam even means. One thing you will learn is, your cervix is not a crystal ball- it does not hold all the answers.
In this episode:
- About Karly and Ali and their podcast Birth Kweens.
- Learn a bit about this dazzling duo and how they started to work together.
- What brought Karly and Ali to birth work.
- Cervix basics: Where and what is the cervix? Why is this something care providers put a lot of focus on?
- What is a cervical exam? How are they given
- Dilation of the cervix is often the most talked about part of the labor, but what other factors are important to consider?
- How the information gathered from a cervical exam may affect the management of your care.
- Does a cervical exam predict when labor starts or how it will progress?
- Oh…Freedman’s curve! What is it? And why is it still being used as the standard comparison?
- How might a pregnant person approach the topic of not being held to the Freedman curve and honoring how different labors unfold?
- Some justifiable reasons for getting a cervical exam?
- Some justifiable reasons to opt out of an exam?
- Cervical examines prior to the onset of labor?
- Checking your own cervix, yay or nay?
- Find the Birth Kweens!
About the Birth Kweens:
Karly Nuttall and Ali Feroah are the hosts of the Birth Kweens Podcast, a weekly show that delivers in-depth info about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women’s health in a light-hearted and fun way. Karly is a midwife and hormone specialist and Ali is a birth and postpartum doula and photographer. Between them they’ve attended nearly 1,000 births and have over 20 years of experience helping families navigate the journey of pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
Connect with the Birth Kweens:
- Karly: http://www.karlynuttall.com
- Instagram @BirthKweens
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