Not having sweeps?

[becstar]

Did anyone not have sweeps when they went overdue? Or plan not to?

Last time I went 16 days over before La was born, I was induced, it was horrid and long and painful. I had ten sweeps in total by the time she was born! I really feel that my cervix was hurt by it. The first one took two minutes before she even reached my cervix, I bled a lot and it hurt like hell. Not all of them hurt so much but I am really reluctant to have them this time.

Anyone else?

 

[fides]

i went 13 days past EDD and did not have any sweeps - i did not want to risk any more interventions.

hope you don't have to worry about it at all this time around!!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I won't have a sweep this time I don't think. I only had one with Ruby because I thought it'd be better if that got me started than having to be induced. This time all being well I won't accept induction just for being overdue so I won't be feeling like I'm on a timescale, if that makes sense.

 

[becstar]

I won't have a sweep this time I don't think. I only had one with Ruby because I thought it'd be better if that got me started than having to be induced. This time all being well I won't accept induction just for being overdue so I won't be feeling like I'm on a timescale, if that makes sense.

That's how I feel, exactly. I won't be induced this time just because of dates, especially as they put me 5 days ahead and I can't possibly be (it was a quiet month!)

I'm glad I'm not alone.

 

[becstar]

i went 13 days past EDD and did not have any sweeps - i did not want to risk any more interventions.

hope you don't have to worry about it at all this time around!!

Thank you!

 

[NaturalMomma]

My MW rarely does sweeps and I didn't want any.

 

[Guppy051708]

I went 12 days over with DS...i had two sweeps, one around 40 weeks the other around 41, then didn't go into labor until 41+4 anyways (he arrived at 41+5)
I had those done bc i absolutly knew nothing was wrong with me or baby and i did not want an induction unless there was a real medical concern...so i was under pressure (i birthed in a hospital)...so i agreeed to the sweeps....here they try to start inducing you practically the day you are due...and if not then they guilt trip you once you get to 41 weeks.

This time i hoping for a homebirth and have two different MWs. They "let" you go 42 weeks before even discussing anything, and then after that they just ask you get biophysical profiles and that sort of thing, and they wont transfer your care until you've completed 43 weeks...so i am not pressured in the least so this time i think i will decline sweeps...not to mention, i dont even know if they would do them anyways and TBH, i dont think they work unless you were going to go into labor anyways.

 

[NuKe]

i got a sweep at 40+4 and it worked, id have one again. ten seems quite excessive mine hurt like hell!! im still unsure about getting it this time...

 

[rwhite]

I had a sweep (blinkin painful too despite being 2cm and stretchy) at 40+8 and had my LO the next day. I would get one again but holy crap I thought it was almost more painful than the actual birth experience!

I went 12 days over with DS...i had two sweeps, one around 40 weeks the other around 41, then didn't go into labor until 41+4 anyways (he arrived at 41+5)
I had those done bc i absolutly knew nothing was wrong with me or baby and i did not want an induction unless there was a real medical concern...so i was under pressure (i birthed in a hospital)...so i agreeed to the sweeps....here they try to start inducing you practically the day you are due...and if not then they guilt trip you once you get to 41 weeks.

This time i hoping for a homebirth and have two different MWs. They "let" you go 42 weeks before even discussing anything, and then after that they just ask you get biophysical profiles and that sort of thing, and they wont transfer your care until you've completed 43 weeks...so i am not pressured in the least so this time i think i will decline sweeps...not to mention, i dont even know if they would do them anyways and TBH, i dont think they work unless you were going to go into labor anyways.

Sounds horrible to be guilt tripped if you go overdue, as if you're not depressed enough Over here all things concerning birth are more like what you're describing about your midwives for your HB. We don't get pressured for induction unless something's seriously wrong (medical condition or baby in danger) and my midwife used acupuncture on me to loosen things up, from 40 weeks I am always shocked at some of the things I hear about maternity care in America!

 

[Guppy051708]

Sounds horrible to be guilt tripped if you go overdue, as if you're not depressed enough Over here all things concerning birth are more like what you're describing about your midwives for your HB. We don't get pressured for induction unless something's seriously wrong (medical condition or baby in danger) and my midwife used acupuncture on me to loosen things up, from 40 weeks I am always shocked at some of the things I hear about maternity care in America!

Maternity "care" in America is bad...there's a reason why we have the highest infant and maternal death rate of all developed countries
Im soo glad im getting a homebirth this time!

I am actually a child birth educator and a birth doula so i see this crap go on a lot...most women dont even realize it because they assume doctors are looking out for their best interest (dont get me wrong, some really do...but usually thats not the case )......did my research and im getting the hell out of the hospital!

Watch the Business of Being Born...its a real eye opener...even for some Americans.

 

[becstar]

In my area they want to induce you at 12 days over. They sent me home at 12 days over as they were short staffed, and I went back in at 14 days, and she was born at 16 days.

I had a sweep on my due date, another 3 over the next 2 weeks, then 2 the day I went in initially at 12 days (once when I arrived, another before I left), then 2 per day when I was in for the induction. The first was the worst, even though I was already 1-2cm dilated it took her ages to even get to my cervix and she had huge hands! I bled loads and it hurt. The others varied in terms of pain.

I really don't think they work unless you are ready to go anyway. When my labour finally did start properly it was not close to a pessary or sweep, I think my body was just ready suddenly. 8 hours later she was born.

 

[becstar]

Sounds horrible to be guilt tripped if you go overdue, as if you're not depressed enough Over here all things concerning birth are more like what you're describing about your midwives for your HB. We don't get pressured for induction unless something's seriously wrong (medical condition or baby in danger) and my midwife used acupuncture on me to loosen things up, from 40 weeks I am always shocked at some of the things I hear about maternity care in America!

Maternity "care" in America is bad...there's a reason why we have the highest infant and maternal death rate of all developed countries
Im soo glad im getting a homebirth this time!

I am actually a child birth educator and a birth doula so i see this crap go on a lot...most women dont even realize it because they assume doctors are looking out for their best interest (dont get me wrong, some really do...but usually thats not the case )......did my research and im getting the hell out of the hospital!

Watch the Business of Being Born...its a real eye opener...even for some Americans.

I watched One Born Every Minute USA and it terrified me... it was like a prodcution line of arrive, lay down on bed, epidural in, IV of syntocinon in, legs up on stirrups, baby born. There was one woman who had a doula and wanted no pain relief and they made out like she was a weird freak! And her labour was about 24 hours which I know isn't short but it's not abnormally long, and they made out like it was her fault.

MY MIL is American and says it must be just that state or hopsital as her births weren't at all like that and she didn't have any pain relief, but it terrified me to see how medicalised it was.

 

[Guppy051708]

It is SOOO medicalized here, and basically what you see on OBEM USA is "the system"....sad though because a lot of women really believe that is how you give birth...which really disturbs me.

everyone tells me im risking my babys life by being born at home....and that im being irresposible...thing is i think ive done a million times more research and education than what most american women do who give birth in the hospital! They never look into anything and assume that "Doctor knows best"(except take the hospital crash course on birth, which basically teaches you how to be a good patient, though they dont realize it )...bugs me.

 

[becstar]

Often people fear anything outside the norm. And I'm ashamed to say that last time I KNEW I didn't have to agree to induction, that I could still insist on a homebirth etc even after 12 days over... but they made me feel like such a first timer and so naive and I went along with it. Also my mum was leaving for two weeks to go to Australia on the 15th day past my due date so I had that on my mind, too...

 

[Guppy051708]

it's not easy to take charge when you get pressured like that...i actually broke down crying at one of my "overdue" appointments. But DH was there to help with the persistance....i did agree to biophysical profiles and such...but really i didn't feel as if they were necessary, it was more trying to get them to back off. (My family lives 10 hours away, so he was my only crutch...and sometimes he doesn't work well under pressure...thank God he did at that point though!)

It's so unfair that women, especially first timers are put through that...then they end in a traumtic induction or failure to progress and get c-section and then fear birth even more.....it's such a vicious cycle Most women are not as lucky as you to see the greener side and then their next births are repeat