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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask for your experiences with stretch and sweep?

67 replies

Februaryblooms · 25/04/2019 18:35

Can I be cheeky and ask for your experiences with cervical sweeps? I know it's a bit 'personal!'

Ive just had a sweep at 39+3, it was completely different to what I was expecting and was told beforehand that it would likely be very uncomfortable. It wasn't.

I barely felt anything. The doctor said this was because my cervix was already open about 1 - 1/2cm and mentioned that she could feel babies head.

Did you find your sweep painful and did it work?

I'm wondering whether she wasn't vigorous enough..i'm desperate to avoid induction which is on the cards due to reduced movements!

OP posts:

Sexnotgender · 25/04/2019 20:12

Don’t get too set on a particular type of birth.

I really wanted a water birth.

DS had other ideas! There just wasn’t time.

chippingalong · 25/04/2019 20:13

Had loads of the bloody things, several for each of my 3 children. Some hurt a lot, some didn't. Midwives were always quite negative - saying cervix unfavorable etc. But hey, I had a baby within 24 hours of 3 of them. Was it the sweeps that did it, or were the babies on their way anyway? Will never know! (Anyway, in my book, it's worth a try - anything to avoid induction...)

AragonsGirl · 25/04/2019 20:14

With my dd I had 2/3 sweeps and they did nothing...with my ds I had one at 39 weeks. It was at 2pm and by 2am I was giving birth in my bedroom with my husband and 2 paramedics!

AragonsGirl · 25/04/2019 20:15

Sorry, should have said they were all uncomfortable!

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 25/04/2019 20:18

I had one at 41+5. Unlike the one I'd had a few days before, it really kicked things off - I started twinging about 4-6 hours later and went into active labour maybe 3 hours after that, quick, uncomplicated labour, big baby born at home as planned.

Good luck - I hope it all goes well.

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 25/04/2019 20:19

PS Both sweeps uncomfy but not painful. I was a bit dilated for both I think, certainly I was for the second.

Beldon · 25/04/2019 20:22

I feel it started my contractions too early and baby was not ready to come out, very long and painful labour. I’m still angry about it now and that ‘baby’ is now nearly an adult. I would never have one again. All because they decided they didn’t want me too go over due date. First labour was straight forward and 2 weeks over due so I should have trusted instincts and waited

PlinkPlink · 25/04/2019 20:47

I had two sweeps.

Neither were painful but were a tad uncomfortable and odd. Never had someone stick their finger up my cervix before, that'd be why 😂

Any who, 1st sweep started early labour. I was 1cm. 24 hours later I was in the maternity triage, being told that I'd only gone up to 2cm. They gave me a 2nd sweep.

Oh boy! 2nd sweep kicked it right off! DS arrived 6 hours later.

Excited for you!! Hope it works!

icanthelpyou · 25/04/2019 20:52

Yep had one work one, one didn't. Not especially uncomfortable, my coil was worse actually

Bethanyg25 · 25/04/2019 21:12

Good luck. Keep us updated!

Original poster

Februaryblooms · 25/04/2019 21:17

Well I've just been in the bath, as I sat up from reclining to turn the tap off I felt what can only be described as a rush of bubbles between my legs.

I don't know whether it was my waters or not. No contractions.

I spend at least an hour an evening in the bath and have never had that happen before, i'd have remembered.

Oh god I'm not sure what to do now.

OP posts:

Laiste · 25/04/2019 21:22

If your waters have broken you'll feel it OP :)

If so, IME (x 4) it means the baby's head will now press down hard into your lower pelvis because there's no 'cushion' of water for the baby to press against.

Re: sweep. Bed grippingly painful and didn't work.

PeoplesFrontOfJudith · 25/04/2019 21:22

Put on a pad. Phone the number and let them know you think your waters have gone. Pad is to catch anything- kinda gross but they’ll sniff it and tell you is it’s amniotic fluid or not!

Fiveredbricks · 25/04/2019 21:24

Sweeps are old school and NOT recommended anymore. Yet for some reason NHS midwives still do them 😳 my midwife said you'd have to pay her to do one as the risks are not worth it.

Also you can have the pool and everything else if you have the pessary and it works. But trust me... You will wish you have taken the iv and the epidural instead 😁

PeoplesFrontOfJudith · 25/04/2019 21:26

My waters always went a while before contractions so don’t let that put you off.

Bit late then, but I had a sweep at 40 weeks, just mildly uncomfortable nothing like the pain of a coil . Had brown spotting and cramps for a day after, which suddenly disappeared. I was gutted but had the best nights sleep of my entire pregnancy and my waters broke the next morning. Baby cane very quickly and back to back, no time for a water birth!

SuddenlyISee · 25/04/2019 21:28

I had a sweep and midwife said she could feel baby's head. The next day I noticed reduced movements and went to the hospital to be checked. Whilst there my waters broke and labour began. There was miconium in my waters so baby was in a bit of distress. I think her poking his head had caused him the stress and brought on the labour.

hammeringinmyhead · 25/04/2019 21:29

I had one at 4cm. My waters had gone 36 hours before and I'd had a pessary to induce. It hurt but I was in the middle of a contraction so that was worse. DS arrived about an hour later as I shot up to 10cm.

thesuninsagittarius · 25/04/2019 21:33

I had one at 40 weeks with my son. It was one day past his due date and I was fed up and exhausted. Sweep was very painful, was sore for ages after, but went into labour almost immediately afterwards and he was born with no problems 6 hours later!

Azure83 · 25/04/2019 21:45

My midwife said they didn't recommend sweeps before 40-41 weeks. Once I was 40ish I had three sweeps, every 2-3 days. As you, I was desperate to avoid induction. My last sweep was around midday, waters broke that night at 4am at 41+6. We'll never know whether it would have happened anyway..
I didn't find any of the sweeps painful, maybe a bit uncomfortable but nowhere near as bad as some experiences! Good luck!

DefConOne · 25/04/2019 22:03

I had a sweep while a pessary was put in as being induced at 41+6 due to waters breaking and not going in to labour. The midwife didn’t really warn me and it was excruciating. Cervix wasn’t favourable so I had syntocin drip a few hours later. Reasonably straightforward delivery followed after 7 hours.

Mammyloveswine · 25/04/2019 22:09

Mine was so painful, i screamed! Worked though! I was 40 plus 1 and started needing the toilet on the walk back from the doctors... had a "clear out" and contractions started shortly afterwards..was a long labour though as didn't have him until 9pm the following night!

Number 2 was born at 11.25 on his due date... when i was due my sweep! His Labour was much easier but i suspect that was my body knowing what to do.

Good luck OP!

Tingface · 25/04/2019 22:16

Fucking painful, like being assaulted.
Ended up with an EMCS a few hours later.

Tingface · 25/04/2019 22:17

Liverbird77 · 25/04/2019 22:19

I was told it was comparable to a smear. Total lie! It was unbearable agony, and I have quite a high pain threshold.
I won't have one again. No way.

AlphaJura · 25/04/2019 22:33

It wasn't like a smear to me and a bit uncomfortable (I had 2 last pregnancy) as this one went over, the other 2 didn't so didn't need with them. I have got quite a high tolerance for pain so maybe some people would find it more unbearable. The second one I think helped things along. The birth was really quick and required no interventions like previous births. Turns out I was already a few cms dilated, I actually think I was in slow labour for about a week before I gave birth so maybe that's why it wasn't so bad. Might be a different story if your cervix is completely closed.

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