Membrane sweep

[daisystone]

Hi,

I am 40 weeks this coming Saturday and have a membrane sweep booked in for Monday. The consultant doesn't want me to to too far over my due date as I have polyhydrammnios and it can cause complications - although it can also cause no problems at all....

I just wondered how effective a membrane sweep is. I know a couple of people who have had them. One didn't go into labour until 6 days after having one and the other had 3 sweeps in total.

Does anyone have any experience of this or of a membrane sweep with polyhydrammnios?

Really would appreciate some information! Thanks.

no experience of polyhydraminios, but i did go into labour about 18 hours after a membrane sweep at 40+3.

Sweep at 41 wks did nothing for me, had to be induced 5 days later.

My consultant has agreed to do sweeps from 38 weeks this time so i can avoid induction.

A sweep will only 'work' if your body is about to begin labour anyway so you could argue- is there really any point? Sorry don't have any experience of carrying to much fluid.

I don't understand why they do a sweep if it will only work if your body is ready anyway. Seems a bit mad.

I think that a sweep can work without your body being completely ready as it almost irritates the cervix into doing something. This is similar to the effects of taking castor oil or eating curry.

It's impossible to know how effective sweeps are because the body could have gone into labour anyway.

I had a sweep with DD2 at 40 weeks following a partly induced labour with DS and a totally induced labour with DD1. Then had another 1t 40+4 and went into labour the next day. I dont know if they worked but they were by far preferable to induced labour.

had sweep at 36 weeks was contracting when I went in the next day for induction (they didn't want to wait due to complications)

I had a sweep at 40w. MW said cervix was not ripe and it would take several more days but baby was born the next morning after a quick labour.

This is the most up-to-date meta-study I could find. Looks like it tends to work, but has a few trivial side effects.

I have the option of a sweep tomorrow and had the same question. Curry, sex and long walks have't worked, so I guess this baby just isn't ready to come out yet. A colleague who emailed today suggested that the weather was just too nasty for the baby to want to come out!

I'd second that you need to be very close to going into labour for it to work. I had an attempted one at 40 wks but the midwife said my cervix was too tight to even try. Another at 41wks (by registrar) found I was already 2cm dilated so no real suprise that contractions started that night! Still glad I had it done though just in case it did kick things off as was due for induction the next day.

They don't want me to go too much over my due date either, so I suppose if the first membrane sweep doesn't work they will do another one a few days later....

I had a sweep on Tuesday at 40+4. Midwife said I was 1cm dilated but cervix still quite high she said it was 50% chance whether it would work. Now 40+6 and have had terrible period pain/cramps at night and small amount of show but nothing else so I suspect sweep will not work. I can have another one over the weekend they said, otherwise I am booked in to be induced next Wednesday at 40+12 which I really don't want to contemplate.

Had a sweep at 39 weeks to avoid repeat csection. When OB examined me he said it looked like my waters might break. They did within 36 hours and had quick labour. Don't know if it was sweep that got things going or coincidence, but it worked for me

I was 'swept' at 40+4 and went into labour morning of 40+6. The MW said I was 1cm dilated so don't know if it was imminent anyway. I had a show the night before contractions started. It's really obvious when your plug comes out in case you were wondering! Never seen anything quite so hideous...

Does everyone lose their plug before contractions start? I haven't lost mine yet. I just want it to start.