Kate, although I am quite comfortable with VEs, having had plenty over the years for a gynae issue, I wasn't wanting to have more than necessary during pg and labour. My Ob never did one while I was pg, and only one when I was in early labour (3cms) as it was preterm labour. My midwife then did two more, one at 7 cms, at my request, and another to check I was fully dilated, because I was feeling pushy for some time, but not excessively so (my posterior, malpositioned baby made the transition to second stage tricky). All my VEs were performed inbetween contractions, which I was most pleased about, and were done in a very calm, gentle, and unobtrusive manner. And they all left me feeling quite pleased with the progress my body was making. In fact, after the one at 7cms that I requested, I felt fantastic, like I could really do this drug free!

So yeah, I would agree with all of Inanna's words, but if necessary, and done nicely, VEs can be useful