Cervical checks- painful?

bjohn2

Hi girls,

 My question is are the cervix checks supposed to be really painful? i know pain is relative for each person, but i have a pretty high pain tolerance. and i know its supposed to be uncomfortable like a pap smear. but the first time i had it done last month at 33 wks by the doctor is was pretty painful- felt she was really going in far. or is that normal? and then last week at 37wks the nurse practitioner checked me and it was so painful i ended up grabbing her arm in pain. i had an intense shooting pain on my left pelvic side, not to mention the area she was checking. when i talk to my friends they say its supposed to be uncomfortable but not that painful. i'm sort of petite- does that affect it any? how about your experiences?