Sweep. Is it painful and did it work for you?

[Yorkie1]

Hi

I'm 40+3 today with my first baby. Pretty straightforward pg apart from some raised BP and have Group B Strep. Was hoping labour would start normally but aside from some shows and irregular back / period like pains there's been nothing. I went to the mwife yesterday who offered me a sweep, she sent me to hospital for BP check and they are keeping am eye one but also suggested (in quite a pressuring way) that I ought to have a sweep. I didn't really want to but now wondering if I should try it. Aware if I don't I may have to be induced etc further down the line. Don't want to put my baby at risk either. Wondered if anyone had experiences/advice to share? Does a sweep work? Is it painful? As i am a worried first timer please be gentle!
Thanks

I had about three!Was desperate at 40 plus They were not painful, but didn't work for me.

I've had loads!

Went heavily overdue with all three of mine.

Got so desperate I was happily asking passers by if they would give me a sweep

More uncomfortable than painful, but when I got the more experienced midwives I hardly noticed. The younger less experienced midwives not as good.

Breath out slowly they do it, slowly expel air....it minimises any feelings.

(and by the way I had three inductions in the end....and I loved them!)

Good luck!

Distinctly uncomfortable rather than painful.

Also found it emotionally quite taxing - nobody wants an internal for fun, and whilst I could cope with them while actually in labour, it's not great otherwise.

Also, because I'm a very control-freaky type of person, I felt as though I'd 'failed' by not popping these babies out bang on my due date .

However, I think I had sweeps with all three of mine because they were all seriously late babies.

With the first two, it didn't make a blind bit of difference, sorry.

With the third one, I had a sweep at 40+6 and went into labour that evening.

Good luck, hope it works for you if you decide to go for it.

I had 3 with dd2, 2 were ok, one was agony, and when I told the MW she was hurting me, she said it wouldn't work if it didn't hurt!

That was the 3rd sweep when I was 10 days over, labour started when I was 14 days over, so she was obviously talking bollocks.

I've had 4 - 1 with DD1, 2 with DD2 and 1 with DD3.

Nothing really happened with DD's 1&2, felt slightly crampy after but nothing got moving as it were. With DD3, I had my sweep at about 4pm and my waters broke about 6am the following morning.

They weren't painful, just slightly uncomfortable. I would always give it a go.

Good luck :)

Yes and No! I had loads, none of them worked, put me on a drip to induce labour and ended up have a C-section.

Seeing a small black doctor coming towards me pulling on his surgical glove and wiggling his fingers at me with an evil grin - I used to hide under the bedclothes moaning NO! NO! We did have a good laugh about it as he used to pop round twice a day over a 6 day period.

Mine worked within 9-10 hours and was not at all painful. I was 40+8 and the midwife said I was already about 3cm dilated so maybe I never needed it but I had no symptoms before the sweep, and none after except the bloody show, til later that night when it all kicked off.

No, not even uncomfortable really and yes, it worked. Was in labour within 15 hours.

Yes - mine was very, very painful but it was quick

She could touch the babys head as she did it though

I went into labour 2 hours afterwards and had DD 7 hours after

Had one at 40+8, was uncomfortable, kinda like deep feeling period pain but not painful. Midwife said the more 'uncomfortable' it was, the better it would be but to tell her if it started to feel painful and she would stop.

Worked for me, had a show about 8 hours later, then contractions started about 24 hours later. Baby didn't arrive until 40+12 though idle little monkey!

Yes painful but very quick.
No didn't work even though I was 4cm dilated.

But had mine early on (at 39+6 and 40+1) - had pre-eclampsia and mw was trying to get labour to start without need for an induction.

Interesting stories. Thank you.

I'm kind of thinking as I've already had shows and some uncomfy feelings (not sure whether BH or mild contractions) that it will work - hope I am already dialated too!

Guess I won't know til I try and can I be patient enough to wait much longer really!

Ive heard if your cervix is not starting to get ready it cant be done anyway - any truth in this or is this maybe why it's more comfortable for some people more than others?

Also suppose if BP and bloods still dodgy on Friday (assuming I haven't already gone into labour by then) then I really should have one as would be more a risk not to.

I had one at 36 weeks and it worked

with the risk of sounding silly - what is the MW actually doing when she gives you a sweep, what is actually involved??? I have heard of ladies having had one, just wondered what it actually is. I have never been a position to need one in my previous pregancies.

this should tell you

She's stretching and sweeping the membranes round your cervix in the hope it will bring on labour - is that right?

Out of interest, how come lots of people have had them so early? Was it due to problems? Sorry if am being too nosey.

I've decided to wait til after going to hospital on Friday to see what the next step will be. If bp is still up and bloods still dodgy then will ask for gel to induce rather than sweep (assuming they don't offer me it anyway). Midwife says I can always call her to do a sweep at home if I change my mind.
It doesn't really make much sense offering them willy nilly to me I'd they only work for 1/3 of women. I guess some people have really had enough of pg by 40wks though!! And I guess it's more natural than gels and pessarys etc. Think I'd sooner opt for those in my circumstances though.

I had mine early because my blood pressure was going up and I'm diabetic, the midwife was shocked to find out that I was already 1cm dilated so probably would have had dd early anyway even without the sweep maybe?

there is no evidence that sweeps actually do anything. given that they're administered at a time where you could go into labour at any time, it's impossible to say.

i had one, it was painful and it didn't work.

i will not let them do one again.