unsuccessful sweep :(

[PinkElephant73]

went for a sweep today (40+6 with DC3) and midwife was not able to do it as my cervix was closed and posterior (although soft).

I am gutted, as really want to avoid induction, which I had at 40+10 with DC1. With DC2 I had a sweep at 40+2 and was already 2cm dilated, went into labour that night.

does anyone know if this means that I am unlikely to go into labour naturally before next Weds which is when they have booked me for induction.

the midwife said she had had a lot of ladies with unfavorable cervixes for sweeps recently and most had gone on to be induced.

I know there are much worse things that can happen than being induced but I had a very negative induction experience with DC1 and had been planning a home birth this time round.

You know you don't have to be induced Pink? You can ask for expectant management & go on to have your HB.

thank you foghorn leghorn. I am 6 days overdue today which is the earliest they would attempt a sweep. I went 10 days over with DS1 and was induced at that point, they strongly recommended not to leave it longer as I had high blood pressure.

I know I dont "Have" to be induced Jetli, but if the baby has not come on its own by 40+12 then what are the chances of spontaneous labour happening at all.

Some countries wouldn't class you as "term" until 41 weeks. SIL went 40+20 to get her home birth - with expectant management. You might just cook them a bit longer than average Pink. A friend who has 7 kiddies has been induced every time as she went so far over

Like foghorn says there is always hope!

the majority of labours commence before 42 weeks ...(so 40+14, if you want an extra two days)

have you tried -

going for a walk every day (or swim if you aren't up to that)
sex
nipple tweaking (a good long session)??

things can change very quickly, so don't get downheartened.

Well, nobody stays pregnant forever... refusing induction isn't a choice to remain pregnant indefinitely.

A normal pregnancy is between 37 and 42 weeks long. You probably just cook them longer. My friend has 4 and the earliest she delivered was 40+9, the latest 40+17. She had expectant management every time.

What happened with the induction last time that you were unhappy with?

People can go from closed, posterior cervix to delivery in hours.

With DC2 I was examined at 37+4 (I can't remember why) and cheerfully told by the MW that there was no way the baby was coming any time soon and that she'd see me in a couple of weeks to discuss induction.

4 hours later my contractions were regular and DS was born the following day

thanks for giving me some hope girls!

I was very unhappy with the (lack of) care I received when induced before - labouring alone in the middle of the night on the antenatal ward is not good, as you have no privacy, to get comfortable in or birth partner. as a result by the time I was finally transferred to the labour ward I was very stressed and not coping with the pain but only 3 cms dilated. labour failed to progress and ended up with a very traumatic forceps delivery in theatre, took months to recover with infected episiotomy wound etc etc.

from speaking with MW I can expect the same this time in terms of being induced in the afternoon and left to labour on the antenatal ward.

so that is why I am keen to avoid.

There is hope for you! My midwife gave me a sweep at 40 weeks with dd3 and said the same - unfavourable can't do it etc. dd3 came four days later.

My first was born 13 days late - and i was adament not to be induced. The day before she arrived i walked and walked and walked with dp around the local woods and then woke the middle of that night in labour - had also drunk gallons of raspberry leaf tea. WHo knows if they helped? But i was booked for an induction on day 14 and so thrilled to not have to go to that appointment!

Best of luck

Pink, don't give up hope !

With both of my VBs I had 2 sweeps and went to T+15 and T+12 - I am not sure why both second sweeps resulted in labour within 24 hours; I guess my body/baby was just more ready or summat.

FWIW, I had an induction with DS1 and had an ok experience - I am just trying to say, one bad experience does not necessarily mean you'd have a repeat if it did come to another induction for you.

Don't consider yourself over dates until you are 42 weeks IMO.
Stay as active as you can bear to be (I was pushing DS2 on his pedal bike after my 2nd sweep for DS3 - maybe it was that wot did the tick?)
Consider sex - we considered it, but that was as far as it went ...
Hot curry?
24 pineapples?? (which is apparently how much you have to take to get meaningful amount of whatever it is that is ment to start labour)
Raspberry leaf tea? (mainly for a swift 2nd phase)

Oh, very best of luck; hope it will happen for you and you will have the delivery you are hoping for.

thanks everyone, DH is working from home today to keep an eye on me. we are going for a waddle walk in a bit and then I am having lunch with the girls, so will have to see if there is curry on the menu.

Ive been having baths with clary sage every night which is supposed to help promote regular and effective contractions - pah!

Pacific Dogwood LOL at considering sex, thats about as close as we would get as well now. I tried raspberry leaf tea with DC1 and that was the one that ended in induction, 17 hour labour and forceps so not convinced it works.

"How many women will labour spontaneously past 40+12" is a bit of a chicken and egg situation - so few women will resist the offered/expected induction that the information just isn't out there to say. But I have heard of women go past 42 weeks and have babies that were just fine (I think there was one lady that went past 44 weeks, and the baby didn't look overcooked when it came out).

We used IMs (long story), but I did like the way they didn't mark gestation as "32/40", but "32/52" as there are 52 weeks in a year. It removed the expectation that I would produce a baby neatly at that appointed time on the dot of 40 weeks (which of course everyone does, don't they?)

Declining an induction at 40+12 doesn't mean you're declining induction for this pregnancy. You could agree to be induced at any point beyond that - even if just a day or 2. You could also tell them that the only way you'll agree to be induced is if your DH is allowed to stay with you from the start, due to the stress and lack of support you experienced last time. If your CMW is unsupportive, contact the Head of Midwifery.

Have you looked into anything like reflexology or accupuncture? DD1 was breech (one of the reasons we used IMs) and I did contact a reflexologist - she was wary of touching me as she'd no experience of getting babies to turn, but lots of getting ladies into labour :)

Fingers crossed it all happens soon and you can have a calm birth :)

Foghorn Leghorn Im with you re the raspberry leaf tea, its suppose to strengthen the uterine muscles but did nothing for me anyway!

Tangle thanks for that. I did have acupuncture with DS2 which did seem to kickstart labour. unfortunately we have moved since and I havent been able to find an acupuncturist locally who is experienced in acupuncture for induction of labour. i didnt pursue it as hoped with this being DC3 things would go of their own accord.

My CMW is understanding but unfortunately, from past experience, I know that the CMW can tell you one thing and then when you are actually on the ward they tell you another. eg last time I was assured that entonox was available on the antenatal ward - which was not true.

I am determined to be a bit more stroppy this time and insist that DH is allowed to stay if I need him to. worst case scenario, could just pack up and go home anyway I suppose.

Ps thanks to everyone for doing your best to cheer me up its very much appreciated!

Try googling Debra Betts acupuncture - she has a booklet of acupressure points you can donwload - maybe your DH could have a try?

Also, do you agree with the EDD? I don't with mine - I reckon they have me down as 2 days too early at least... So I'm going by my dates in my head, rather than theirs

40+5 by the way

Not stroppy, assertive :o I'm reasonably sure that if you were all set to leave with DH after they'd induced you as it was out of visiting hours, they'd miraculously find a labour room/side room that had just become free where DH could stay with you...

I found these phrases very useful to keep in mind. I never used them (except the last, when MW put her arm on my back whilst I was pushing), but they did remind me that I was in control of what I agreed to - and any Dr who thought they could dictate what was going to happen without even discussing things got brought up very short!

It really could be worth talking to the Head of Midwifery - if they're on board and are prepared to document that they support you in your choice, be that delaying induction, DH staying if you are induced or whatever else your CMW doesn't/can't give you a warm fuzzy vibe about. If she agrees over the phone then she should be more than happy to document her support on your notes - and that will carry a LOT of clout with the MWs in the maternity unit.

Hi all just wanted to thank you all for your advice, words of encouragement and hope which really helped calm me down!
in the end I went into labour spontaneously (with the help of another sweep) on saturday and she was born at home as planned.

ironically, despite being paranoid about care in hospital, it was a bit scary doing it all at home. Although it went fine I did feel a bit anxious during labour that for some unspecified reason I might not be able to cope and would actually want to be in hospital! luckily I only took 90 minutes to dilate from 4-10cm so didnt have too much time to worry about it.

Awww Pink - yay!!!

Congratulations

So glad it all went well for you :)

I think doubting yourself is quite normal. I definitely had 2nd thoughts with DD1, who was a planned home birth. I also hit a "I'm not sure I can do this" stage around transition, but once I'm into the 2nd stage everything feels OK.

congratulations on your new arrival :o

Will you tell us what you had?

Hello All - I'm glad you brought this issue of induction up PinkE - I am 41 years old and this is my 1st pregnancy - touch wood everything has been absolutely fine

Can I ask your advice about somthing please

About 5 weeks ago - the consultant at a routine examination said he didn't want me to go too far past my due date because of my age - he didn't specify a time.

I was due on 25th Feb and I had a sweep 2 days prior - nothing happened

For no real reason - other than I wanted some clarification on how far past my due date thye were happy for me to go - I booked my self into the hospital to have a chat with a consultant on Tuesday just gone - He said (with no examination at all - in fact he let his student check my blood pressure and urine ) -that I should be induced on the Friday i.e today - i said no because I am only a week late and I was due to have a 2nd sweep on the day before i.e the THursday (which I did have) and that surely we should give it some time to take effect...

He then said - okay - then you should have an induction on Sat instead i.e tomrrow then and I found myself agreeing for no other reason than I felt pressurized - so he booked me in for tomorrow at 2pm

I am so unhappy about allowing myself to be talked into this - I will only be 41 weeks and 1 day tomorrow and would prefer a few more days just to see what happens

Everything has been fine so far - i cannot understand why he is so keen for me to be induced with no examination and seems to be basing it on my Age
Will it be okay for me to refuse the induction and delay it for a few days? I feel so stupid for going in to the hospital for a "chat" when there was no need

Eeshaal,

"Will it be OK" is an unanswerable question, unfortunately. At some point in a pregnancy the placenta will stop working as effectively to the detriment of the baby - but there is little research into how to identify that point in time for any given woman (or whether its possible to identify that point in time) as it has become standard practice to induce. As you narrow your focus group further (age, parity, race, maternal history) so the data available become extremely sparse and obstetricians tend to default to a cautious position (its far easier to defend action than inaction - so lets do SOMETHING).

There are also risks and disadvantages to induction, of course - which I'm guessing you're aware of or you wouldn't be considering delaying things.

Its incredibly hard (especially when the consultant doesn't seem to have explained himself very well), but you need to try and decide whether you'd feel more comfortable having the induction today - or holding off for a couple of days instead. You could ask for expectant management (where they scan the placenta and monitor the baby every day or 2), and if they really perceive induction to be the best way forward they ought to be prepared to offer that instead.

If you get a chance you might want to have a quick look:

here, which talks about some of the issues with post-dates pregnancy
and here, which are the phrases by Mary Cronk I linked to before. I found them really good for helping me to feel as though I had a little bit of control.

I hope this is early enough to be useful to you. Don't feel stupid - you were trying to be sensible and proactive, its just you came up against a consultant who "forgot" that he is there to advise rather than dictate.

Fingers crossed things go smoothly for you, however and whenever they start :)