Sweep?

[enceinte2012]

Due date tomorrow and midwife had offered a sweep on Monday. What do you think would you do it?

 

[Irish Eyes]

I accepted as I was desperate for a home birth. 3 sweeps later & still no show. I don't see the harm in accepting, theres no guarantee it will work. My friend had a sweep which accidently broke her waters so make sure you're aware of all the risks

 

[Lady_Venom]

I would do it I had mine done yesterday at 4 days past my due date. I was really scared going into it based on some of the other ladies' reactions from it "really painful, bad experience" etc but I had a midwife's student do it and she was very gentle and I remained calm and relaxed so it didn't hurt at all. Just was an uncomfortable feeling. Not sure if it will do anything for me or not as this is only the next day but I have been losing lots of my plug since she gave me the sweep so that could be a good sign. The same cramps have remained that I was experiencing even before the sweep. Apparently she could fit 2 fingers in (2cm) and I was 30% effaced. It was nice to have some answers to see if anything was even happening down there. If you get it done, let us know how it goes!

 

[Sam Pearson]

No. And certainly not on my due date...the Expected Date of Delivery is just an estimate based on averages and depending on which due date calculation system you use you can get quite variable EDDs. A woman is due form 2 weeks before and for 2 weeks after her due date so I'd not consider myself overdue until I was 2 weeks past my due date.

 

[ljo1984]

I was due one at 40+5 but she arrived to day before. I would have gone for it. They don't always work though and they only do it if cervix is favourable. They do them later if your having hospital birth but my mw said she'll do it earlier as I'm planning home birth.

 

[pimento1979]

No. I had a premature rupture of membranes with my first and was under considerable pressure to go into hospital for antibiotics and induction. I would avoid anything which could increase the risks of that happening again, which means refusing a sweep. Sweeps are also known to rise the incidence of the baby passing meconium, which again, could jeopardise a homebirth. And of course, insertion of anything foreign into the vagina can introduce an infection risk.

 

[Lois22]

I had a sweep at 40 + 2 days and 9 hours later I went into labour and had my homebirth

Xx

 

[enceinte2012]

Interesting to hear different viewpoints - thank you. It will be at 40+2 so not 'on my due date' as such and I am well aware normal is considered 38-42 weeks (dont need a lecture thanks). I'm hoping for a homebirth too. The sweep may increase the likelihood of meconium (and therefore hospital transfer) but so does being 'overdue'. I really want to avoid being induced. Going to see how I feel on Mon.

 

[ljo1984]

I have to agree with the mec thing there! I was 40+4 and had mec in my waters ruining my hb! And she was not distressed at all, just one of them things because she was past 40 weeks.

 

[gryphongrl]

No. I had a premature rupture of membranes with my first and was under considerable pressure to go into hospital for antibiotics and induction. I would avoid anything which could increase the risks of that happening again, which means refusing a sweep. Sweeps are also known to rise the incidence of the baby passing meconium, which again, could jeopardise a homebirth. And of course, insertion of anything foreign into the vagina can introduce an infection risk.

I wouldnt do it either, for all the reasons Pimento said...I also had PROM and to be frank it really screws your birthplan. I was lucky and went into natural labor in an expected timeline after rupture, and avoided induction or worse. If labor doesn't start fairly promptly, that is pretty much worst case for a woman looking for a natural birth because the "cascade of interventions" follows. Why hurry labor, when it's going to happen at the right time for your baby and for your body in almost every case?

 

[pachamama]

Hi,


i recently had a sweep at T+8, followed by a repeat at T+10 - both myself and my midwife had read it would be more effective if repeated within 48 hours. I started losing my plug 24 hours after 1st sweep and had some bouts of tightenings and then went into full labour at T+12 (which is usually when you're invited in for induction around here). Had a 3 hour homebirth. It was lovely. I'd deffo have a sweep again at this gestation.

x

 

[lynnikins]

ive had sweeps with all my pregnancies and they didnt help much with the first 2 boys but with number 3 then he arrived in under 36 hrs from the sweep so quite happy with that one

 

[enceinte2012]

Update: Went for the sweep today. MW did an internal but was actually unable to do a sweep as not dilated enough. I've been offered another (on Thurs, 40+5) but i'm not going to bother. Going to try and wait til next Monday and try another sweep. MW says if that's the same as this one the likelihood is i'll need the induction.

 

[Sam Pearson]

aware normal is considered 38-42 weeks (dont need a lecture thanks).

Sorry, didn't mean to give you a lecture. I was answering your question and giving you the reasons why I wouldn't have a sweep.

I also wouldn't induce due to recent research that shows a baby's lungs aren't ready to breath before natural labour begins:

https://www.drmomma.org/2008/01/fetal-lungs-protein-release-triggers.html

The initiation of term labor is carefully timed to begin only after the embryo is sufficiently mature to survive outside the womb. Previous studies suggested that the signal for labor in humans may arise from the fetus, but the nature of the signal and actual mechanism was unclear. In this study, researchers found that the key labor triggering substance, surfactant, is essential for normal breathing outside the womb.

"We found that a protein within lung, surfactant, serves as a hormone of labor that signals to the mother's uterus when the fetal lungs are sufficiently mature to withstand the critical transition from life in fluid to airbreathing," said Mendelson

 

[ljo1984]

You don't have to Induce at all, you can opt for monitoring. Xx

 

[LockandKey]

I had a sweep twice in my last pregnancy, and there was meconium in the amniotic fluid when my waters went during labor I probably won't be getting one again this time

 

[R8ch]

I had 2 sweeps last time.
41 weeks - I was 1cm, cervix favourable but nothing happened
( I contracted for a few hours at 41+2, but this stopped).
41 + 3 weeks - was 3cm and started labour off in 2 hours

I will definitely go for one this time if I am that far gone - I believed it stopped me going into hospital to be chemically induced.
Rx