Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Midwife did a sweep last night without asking

352 replies

Katnisnevergreen · 17/12/2018 09:10

Hi all, I’m just after some advice. I went to the maternity unit last night with bad contractions (am 39 weeks) which had been building over the past few days to every 3.5 mins.
When the midwife was checking to see how dilated I was, it was really painful, like trying to get away painful, and I could really feel her moving around.
When she finished she said ‘I’ve done you a sweep too...’
is this out of order as I didn’t ask or want one?

OP posts:
DrCoconut · 19/12/2018 20:47

Happened to me too. It was definitely unnecessary and I have wondered if it was the start of a cascade of intervention that ended up happening, I was in established labour when it happened.

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 19/12/2018 21:13

FestiveNut

Good name Grin

No there were not. I had a panic attack, lied to the staff that I felt nothing (I weirdly do not find birth that painful so "mask" well so they believed me) and said I needes the loo. I locked the door behind me and though it sounds insane, it felt amazing. I felt so safe and free. I then squatted down and birthed my son on my own, caught him in my arms, and carried him back to the delivery room. They made me get on the bed for twin 2 but I think they were a bit shocked what had just happened so didn't make a fuss when I said I wasn't going to be on my back. I had her a few mins later lying on my side.

randomsabreuse · 19/12/2018 21:21

@FestiveNut cut way way better than tear from having done both. Cut was my 2nd birth and necessary because of scarring from the tear 1st time.

Both were ventouse rather than forceps - 1st was possibly more of a rush because her hr was dipping (cord around foot) while he just turned and was hiding... I just can't get them round the final bend!

Zofloramummy · 19/12/2018 21:30

I was given a sweep in my due date by my ME at home. She didn’t explain what might happen afterwards and I ended up overnight on hospital after having a flooding bleed. I then went into slow labour. 4 days later another MW saw me at home in the morning and said if I had another sweep I’d be holding my baby by midnight. So I had another one.

By 10pm that night I was admitted but was only 4cm. The following morning a student midwife did an internal and discovered dd had moved so I wasn’t fully dilated. About a quarter of my cervix was still thick and not shifting as the pressure wasn’t even. After labouring on gas and air and being on my feet and knees I then found myself on a monitor, flat on my back and with a drip to induce contractions.
It was agony. Then they started on the heavy painkillers. My blood pressure went really high and dd’s Heart rate was dropping on every contraction. At this point a registrar came in and said he wanted to do an internal exam. What he actually tried to do was turn dd by shoving his arm (felt like up to the elbow) into my womb. I have never felt pain like it and was screaming.
They could see her ear and the side of her head. Registrar then wanted to try suction or forceps. The consultant arrives at this point as the obs are deteriorating for both of us. He said absolutely no way, we can’t tell where baby’s face is and could cause injury. I got rushed down to surgery. It was now 2 days into active labour and I was exhausted. Epidural failed so had a full spinal. I bled out in surgery and lost a lot of blood.
I then got shoved in a side room with the bed on the lowest setting, my baby in a crib and no way in hell I could reach her.
I was traumatised by the whole experience! I was labouring really well at home on the bath with no pain control. I remember feeling so out of control of the whole experience.

FestiveNut · 19/12/2018 21:32

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff wow, well done! You're superwoman. 🙂

@randomsabreuse I don't know, because I haven't had an episiotomy. Didn't need forceps or ventouse though. I had done my research and figured that I'd rather tear. I object to the 'I'm going to do this' of the MW though. Really, she should have asked rather than told.

Zofloramummy · 19/12/2018 21:33

Consultant later told me I’d been trying to birth the side of her head. Every time I’d contracted she had been squashed onto her neck and that’s why her heart rate was dropping. The MW has been shouting at me to push through the night and I kept telling her I didn’t feel the urge to push! I knew something wasn’t right.

tynext · 19/12/2018 21:33

@Cheseq whether it made sense to do it or not is irrelevant to the fact OP wasn’t asked for her consent

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 19/12/2018 21:44

Festive I am really not but honestly I have never adrenaline like it. In my head they were trying to interfere with my babies' safe birth - I very much know that is not how they saw it of course! And I just felt this huge sense of fuck you all, you are not going to get me!

The thing is , no one was actually unkind. They didn't swear at me or anything. They were just so damn certain they knew what was best.

Valkarie · 19/12/2018 22:03

I did a lot of research in second pregnancy after the experience of induction left me feeling violated first time round. The consultant was telling me to get sweeps from 38 weeks and I didn't feel this was the right thing to do. All research confirmed that consent must be obtained before being carried out. I was very clear second time that there were to be no internal exams without my explicit consent and mental preparation beforehand.

There was no published study that I could find on the effectiveness of sweeps. Only how often people go into labour afterwards, but no comparison to women of the same gestation that did not have sweeps. No midwife or doctor (small sample size) I spoke to could tell me of any evidence that they make any difference. They can however increase the chabces of problems occuring. It's just procedure so everyone does it.

Please do make a complaint about this, it is shocking.

magoria · 19/12/2018 22:30

I am wondering if this happened to me.

I was not really having many contractions despite my waters having broken. The doctor said he would have a check and it was one of the most painful things ever. I actually screamed. Bastard of a doctor literally said don't be stupid, shut up, it doesn't hurt that much!

How the fuck a man would know how much it hurt is beyond me and there was no sympathy or consideration.

Not one other check or anything hurt like it.

FestiveNut · 19/12/2018 22:35

@magoria Shock I would lodge a complaint for his verbal treatment of you if nothing else.

QuackPorridgeBacon · 19/12/2018 22:56

I’d report it. Or I hope id report it, thankfully I’ve never been put in the position. She should have asked or at the very least mentioned it. If she mentioned it you could have had the opportunity to say no, but she should ask first. That’s the only reasonable thing to do. What she did is wrong and can never be justified. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s done it to others.

Claudia1980 · 20/12/2018 00:34

Definitely not okay if you didn’t consent. In regards to your “birth plan” , you not being comfortable with internal exams is a bit hilarious. Be aware if things don’t go to plan, you may have your legs up in stirrups with three doctors staring at your vagina so I think you need to chill out.

SpaceDinosaur · 20/12/2018 01:14

For context.
I wasn't in labour and then all of a sudden I was crowning on a busy ward with people running to get delivery packs and hot water and towels or whatever the bollocks they needed and in the midst of what felt like pandemonium, my midwife gently touched my hips (I was over a bed) and said "Space, can I take your trousers off"
I couldn't answer as I was breathing
And so she asked again
I nodded and my husband verbalised
She didn't undress me until she had permission.

that was swiftly followed by someone saying "shit" 😂
Then catching DD!

But despite the crazy and "emergency" everyone asked permission.

Marshmallow91 · 20/12/2018 01:24

"While I was operating on your bowels, I decided to give you a stomach staple. I know it wasn't discussed but I'm a surgeon and you're a bit fat. I'm sure you'll be fine"

Anyone thinking what this midwife did was anything less than illegal and assault, has to have a flappy head. Hmm

Makesmilingyourbesthobby · 20/12/2018 01:35

not ok consent is needed before they can do anything internally they have to have your agreement before doing anything really unless it’s a serious health matter oc, to not even tell you until after she’s done one is so wrong, should of been offered to you, explained to you & had your consent beforehand, I really do hope you report this this is not ok

Shriek · 20/12/2018 01:40

I am horrified! Truly. This is just unbelievable that a midwife would do this to you, she has no right, its utterly despicable way to treat a labouring woman.

She needs reporting and I'm so sorry this has happened to you.

What right has she...absolutely none.

Shriek · 20/12/2018 01:46

I think you need to not be so nasty Claudia how, on any level, is it hilarious that someone has a problem with internals?! What a gross thing to say to someone who's suffered this.

And magoria you need to report him too. Everyone but everyone knows how painful having fingers inserted into your cervix is, comparable to having his bollocks scraped over hot coals, then tell him to stfu and stop being so stupid (what a delicious thought for that bastard)

CatchingBabies · 20/12/2018 01:52

As a midwife, she should not have been doing a sweep before your due date anyway even if you asked for and wanted one and to do it without your consent is very wrong. While rare there are risks involved with sweeps, accidentally rupturing the membranes for example, and you should have been informed of these to give full consent.

FestiveNut · 20/12/2018 06:00

@claudia1980

In what way is it hilarious? The medical profession often uses internal exams for ease, largely they aren't necessary. There are other ways to work out how far along someone is and dilation doesn't really give an indication of how long it will be until baby gets here. I was advised to put on my birth plan that I wanted minimal internals, only when absolutely necessary, if I was very adverse to them. In the end, I didn't actually mind all that much so went ahead, but many people have a huge issue with them, as previous posters have shown, due to assault and other experiences. How is that funny?

RiddleyW · 20/12/2018 06:59

Definitely not okay if you didn’t consent. In regards to your “birth plan” , you not being comfortable with internal exams is a bit hilarious.

It worked well for me. I’d done lots of reading on it and didn’t want routine internals. Also no need to put birth plan in inverted commas. I found mine was well respected.

RnB · 20/12/2018 07:04

This happened to me too with my first baby. I had gone in on my due date for a check up - wasn't even in early stages of labour. It was painful and unnecessary and I look back on it now as an assault. I regret not complaining.

FestiveNut · 20/12/2018 07:43

@rnb you probably still can complain. It is assault.

SoyDora · 20/12/2018 07:46

you not being comfortable with internal exams is a bit hilarious

Worked fine for me, and I don’t recall anyone rolling around laughing. Just a nice, calm birth.

MyBreadIsEggy · 20/12/2018 09:01

SoyDora I’m totally with you.
My first baby was born in hospital in an absolute shit storm of an induction - every man and his dog came and had a good rummage around up there and it was incredibly painful.
Second baby born at home and not a single internal examination. I told the midwife that unless there’s a cord prolapse or she suspects my baby is in a dangerous presentation, then there is no medical reason to examine me internally.

Swipe left for the next trending thread