Monitoring over a sweep?

[KandyKinz]

Hmmmmmm definitly a good question.

Based on everything I have read thus far I will not agree to a elective induction prior to 42 weeks. It just won't happen but I will agree to ultrasound monitoring alternating with NSTs q2days after week 41. Once I hit the 42 week mark I will be considering castor oil and should that fail I will have my membranes ruptured at home.

I'm really really really hoping it doesn't come to that point though. I was taking red raspberry leaf tea but after I reached 33 weeks I started getting crazy BH's so I stopped drinking the tea. The BH has continued none the less. I'll likely restart the tea around 36 weeks and will be adding EPO into the mix.

I'm really not keen on stretch and sweeps. My midwife would like to start them at what she thinks is 38 weeks (which is actually 37+2 based on date of conception) and I'm just not agreeable to that. For some reason with this pregnancy the thought of an internal exam feels incredibly intrusive. Generally speaking I'm not the most modest person, I have previously worked as a pelvic training instructor and as such I've had many many many internals by doctors and midwives in training with no problem at all..... Now I just don't want anyone near those parts.... I just feel very protective of my space.... Which may be due to the pregnancy or it may be the result of a really terrible pap I had done in April by a jerk off of a physician! Regardless no sweeps for this amigo, though if I can still reach my cervix by term I may be inclined to try it on myself.



AND

I'm really hoping for a pisces baby I'd much rather deal with an emotional truth bender then an aggressive hostile aries. Hubby is an aquarious and I certainly wouldn't mind another one of them around the house, though I would definitly prefer a fully cooked baby over an aquarious.... And anything is preferable to a virgo in my opinion! I can't stand virgo's. They are terrible perfectionists and they criticise everything. I'm a virgo and I can't even tolerate myself some days!!!!!

 

[chuck]

I'm annoyed the local BC is closed now as I could have gone there for monitoring and NOT been in the hospital so I wouldnt feel pressured to get in an ambulance and they wouldnt put me in one unless it was panic stations.

But now its closed if I go for monitoring on anything other than a sonicaid at the MW clinics once a week it'll be at the mat units in the hospitals. Huff.

 

[KandyKinz]

I suppose I'm not too overly concerned with where the monitoring takes place as the managment would be entirely dependant on the findings regardless of location.

 

[Jenniflower]

Hmmmmmm definitly a good question.

Based on everything I have read thus far I will not agree to a elective induction prior to 42 weeks. It just won't happen but I will agree to ultrasound monitoring alternating with NSTs q2days after week 41. Once I hit the 42 week mark I will be considering castor oil and should that fail I will have my membranes ruptured at home.

I'm really really really hoping it doesn't come to that point though. I was taking red raspberry leaf tea but after I reached 33 weeks I started getting crazy BH's so I stopped drinking the tea. The BH has continued none the less. I'll likely restart the tea around 36 weeks and will be adding EPO into the mix.

I'm really not keen on stretch and sweeps. My midwife would like to start them at what she thinks is 38 weeks (which is actually 37+2 based on date of conception) and I'm just not agreeable to that. For some reason with this pregnancy the thought of an internal exam feels incredibly intrusive. Generally speaking I'm not the most modest person, I have previously worked as a pelvic training instructor and as such I've had many many many internals by doctors and midwives in training with no problem at all..... Now I just don't want anyone near those parts.... I just feel very protective of my space.... Which may be due to the pregnancy or it may be the result of a really terrible pap I had done in April by a jerk off of a physician! Regardless no sweeps for this amigo, though if I can still reach my cervix by term I may be inclined to try it on myself.



AND

I'm really hoping for a pisces baby I'd much rather deal with an emotional truth bender then an aggressive hostile aries. Hubby is an aquarious and I certainly wouldn't mind another one of them around the house, though I would definitly prefer a fully cooked baby over an aquarious.... And anything is preferable to a virgo in my opinion! I can't stand virgo's. They are terrible perfectionists and they criticise everything. I'm a virgo and I can't even tolerate myself some days!!!!!

Can I ask why you would consider Castor Oil over a sweep? There seems to be quite a lot of theories out there (won't say it's proven or anything because it's not) that castor oil actually distresses your baby more than anything else. Where as a sweep might be invasive it's much safer for baby than castor oil. I agree though I won't even consider before 42 weeks. After that I will go for monitoring just to be sure my Placenta is still holding up. I personally won't have a sweep even after 42 weeks either though because I define a sweep as induction. Given my placenta is still functioning I'm more than happy to go 44 or more if need be.

Oh and speaking of I so hope I don't end up with a Pisces!!! hahahaha. I keep saying she needs to come out before the 19th. I just don't think I could deal with all the emotions. I want me an Aquarius girl. So funny about virgo's though. I've never met one I haven't loved. I just adore Virgos!

 

[KandyKinz]

Can I ask why you would consider Castor Oil over a sweep? There seems to be quite a lot of theories out there (won't say it's proven or anything because it's not) that castor oil actually distresses your baby more than anything else. Where as a sweep might be invasive it's much safer for baby than castor oil. I agree though I won't even consider before 42 weeks. After that I will go for monitoring just to be sure my Placenta is still holding up. I personally won't have a sweep even after 42 weeks either though because I define a sweep as induction. Given my placenta is still functioning I'm more than happy to go 44 or more if need be.

Oh and speaking of I so hope I don't end up with a Pisces!!! hahahaha. I keep saying she needs to come out before the 19th. I just don't think I could deal with all the emotions. I want me an Aquarius girl. So funny about virgo's though. I've never met one I haven't loved. I just adore Virgos!

I'm not entirely opposed to the sweep itself but I am opposed to the idea of the midwife doing an internal. Then there's the additional consideration that from a scientific finding perspective stretch and sweeps have only really been found to be effective in primips..... As for castor oil, I have found no real data suggesting it to be harmful other then the increased risk of dehydration which can be avoided if properly managed. Studies thus far have concluded that it causes no increase in fetal distress, cesareans or meconium.... With that said, if I were to use castor oil I would be doing so topically. While the side effects are not completley eliminated by doing so they do tend to be much gentler while still moving things along. Only after that would I consider oral castor oil. And I would only use it as a last last resort... eg day before a booked induction. To me castor oil is the lesser of the two evils.

 

[Jenniflower]

Can I ask why you would consider Castor Oil over a sweep? There seems to be quite a lot of theories out there (won't say it's proven or anything because it's not) that castor oil actually distresses your baby more than anything else. Where as a sweep might be invasive it's much safer for baby than castor oil. I agree though I won't even consider before 42 weeks. After that I will go for monitoring just to be sure my Placenta is still holding up. I personally won't have a sweep even after 42 weeks either though because I define a sweep as induction. Given my placenta is still functioning I'm more than happy to go 44 or more if need be.

Oh and speaking of I so hope I don't end up with a Pisces!!! hahahaha. I keep saying she needs to come out before the 19th. I just don't think I could deal with all the emotions. I want me an Aquarius girl. So funny about virgo's though. I've never met one I haven't loved. I just adore Virgos!

I'm not entirely opposed to the sweep itself but I am opposed to the idea of the midwife do an internal. Then there's the additional consideration that from a scientific finding perspective stretch and sweeps have only really been found to be effective in primips..... As for castor oil, I have found no real data suggesting it to be harmful other then the increased risk of dehydration which can be avoided if properly managed. Studies thus far have concluded that it causes no increase in fetal distress, cesareans or meconium.... With that said, if I were to use castor oil I would be doing so topically. While the side effects are not completley eliminated by doing so they do tend to be much gentler while still moving things along. Only after that would I consider oral castor oil. And I would only use it as a last last resort... eg day before a booked induction. To me castor oil is the lesser of the two evils.

You always give such a great explanations thanks so much for this. You're right with the fact that there haven't been studies that link the two. Just that it would seem if you take too much orally then it would cause your bowels to move more than they want to causing distress in your body and then possibly distress in babies. You're right though, doing it properly instead of just downing it and hoping for the best would be the way to go. You mentioned using it topically, this might be a stupid question but how would you go about doing that? I've only ever heard the whole "Take a shot and chase it with OJ" thing.

 

[KandyKinz]

Can I ask why you would consider Castor Oil over a sweep? There seems to be quite a lot of theories out there (won't say it's proven or anything because it's not) that castor oil actually distresses your baby more than anything else. Where as a sweep might be invasive it's much safer for baby than castor oil. I agree though I won't even consider before 42 weeks. After that I will go for monitoring just to be sure my Placenta is still holding up. I personally won't have a sweep even after 42 weeks either though because I define a sweep as induction. Given my placenta is still functioning I'm more than happy to go 44 or more if need be.

Oh and speaking of I so hope I don't end up with a Pisces!!! hahahaha. I keep saying she needs to come out before the 19th. I just don't think I could deal with all the emotions. I want me an Aquarius girl. So funny about virgo's though. I've never met one I haven't loved. I just adore Virgos!

I'm not entirely opposed to the sweep itself but I am opposed to the idea of the midwife do an internal. Then there's the additional consideration that from a scientific finding perspective stretch and sweeps have only really been found to be effective in primips..... As for castor oil, I have found no real data suggesting it to be harmful other then the increased risk of dehydration which can be avoided if properly managed. Studies thus far have concluded that it causes no increase in fetal distress, cesareans or meconium.... With that said, if I were to use castor oil I would be doing so topically. While the side effects are not completley eliminated by doing so they do tend to be much gentler while still moving things along. Only after that would I consider oral castor oil. And I would only use it as a last last resort... eg day before a booked induction. To me castor oil is the lesser of the two evils.

You always give such a great explanations thanks so much for this. You're right with the fact that there haven't been studies that link the two. Just that it would seem if you take too much orally then it would cause your bowels to move more than they want to causing distress in your body and then possibly distress in babies. You're right though, doing it properly instead of just downing it and hoping for the best would be the way to go. You mentioned using it topically, this might be a stupid question but how would you go about doing that? I've only ever heard the whole "Take a shot and chase it with OJ" thing.

One midwife I knew was a big fan of topical castor oil (as a last resort ofcourse) and reported alot of success with it. Essentially what she would get the woman to do is warm some castor oil and then massage it on their belly and then cover it with a warm cloth and then when it cools off repeat. I've only actually seen it used in practice once, the woman did the belly rub 3 or 4 times thoughout the day and eventually got the runs (though not violently) and shortly after started getting contractions and went on to have her baby at home. It's certainly not a wide spread practice and working with such small numbers postdates makes it's really hard to tell whether such things actually work or if those woman that midwife worked with just went into labour because they were due to anyways. But I'd be willing to give it a try if the weeks go by the I am confronted with an induction, in fact the whole concept of topical castor oil has induced some of my curiousity. The thing with castor oil is that you actually want to use enough that it will create some stomach discomfort and diarrhea but you don't want it to become a violently ill event... Every body is different so I truly don't think there is an ideal one amount fits all dose, but it's certainly one of those things in which you want to use the least amount possible to achieve the desired effects. It'll be lovely if the topical application of the stuff works as well as this midwife has described it to.

 

[indigo_fairy]

I was offered the sweep but kept declining until 41 + 3 days which the MW's (there was 2 pressuring me) said it was either try that or I'd have no choice but to come in for an induction at 41 + 5 days. The threat of induction convinced me to try it, it wasn't a nice experience at all though. It was a complete stranger who barely said 2 words to me, except telling me what clothing to remove etc... My labour started that afternoon, a few hours after the sweep, but similar to Chuck, baby must have been bit too high and was back to back, ending in awful labour and c-section.

I think if I hadn't had the sweep things may have been different, just giving her a few more days might have gotten her into a better position avoiding all that happened.

So this time I'm going to exhaust everything I can think of first, and decline the sweep as long as I feel I can, hopefully 42 weeks as I just have a feeling this baby will arrive late, but before 42weeks (well hoping and praying).

 

[Bournefree]

Good point Indigo! If baby wasn't in a good position (in my opinon) I'd be deciding to wait and declining everything so we (baby and I), had a chance to get into the best shape and wait for labour to happen spontaniously

If head down and in a common presentation, I would choose waiting and/or a sweep over constant monitoring.
XxX

 

[indigo_fairy]

Bournefree, the only problem was, that as far as the midwives told me the baby apparentely was in a perfect position. They even gave me a late scan that I guess they used to confirm that? So I'm not totally sure what made her turn to a more awkward position, all I can guess is that it was one of the interventions I had either before labour or during! Because all through pregnancy leading up to my EDD baby was in a good position, needless to say finding out she'd got into that position did surprise me. This time round I'm expecting everything! So I can prepare now