fast labours and sweeps

[mumblebum]

I'm currently pg with #3. My first labour progressed fairly quickly until it went wrong, ending in a Cs. My second labour was not much more than 2 hrs from the very first contraction to delivery. I nearly didn't make it to hospital in time. Certainly no time for the monitoring expected for a vbac! Both arrived before their due date.

I'm now 40+5 with #3 and due to see the consultant at 41 weeks. He mentioned doing a sweep and a pessary. I, stupidly, didn't think I'd get that far so didn't really discuss what would happen. I'm a bit worried that it seems normal to have a sweep then go home. I'm scared that it might make things happen very fast and I really don't want to be in that out of control situation again.

Does anyone have any experience of having a sweep with a history of fast labours? Do you think it's reasonable to ask that I not be sent home?

Hi Mumblebum,

How far away from the hospital do you live?

Here: DD1 - CS, DD2 - Induced 10 days early, labour 4 hours start to finish, DD3 - induced, 2 hours, DD4 - induced 1 hour 40 mins, DS - natural onset of labour, sweep in the early evening, good nights sleep, woke up with niggles in the morning, called midwife, she took me straight in as she thought i would be quick, although I was saying that I didnt think anything significant was happening. At the hospital I tried to persuade her to let me just go to the toilet, then take me back home until I felt as if I was in labour. WIthin 20 minutes of leaving home I had DS. It was only for literally the last 5 minutes that I felt as if I was in labour. I was very grateful to the midwife for not listening to me!

After all that, I would say, the sweep does not work that quickly, from my experience, but when you first feel anything happening get to the hospital ASAP!

Hmm. We're about 20 minutes away if the traffic is good . With DS we were driving in at 8.30 am, we were actually a 10 min drive away at that point but because of the time the traffic was heavy and DH was seriously considering driving on the wrong side of the road! I've been having lots of strong BH as well and been on the verge of thinking it was kicking off a couple of times so I'm not entirely sure that I'll know this time, though I was very sure with the others.

I suppose this is what I was getting at really. I know that sweeps don't make you go into labour immediately, my worry is how fast it will be when I do!

I can totally understand your point, I had a fast labour and would do anything to avoid that last minute rush to hospital again!

In your situation I would refuse to have the sweep unless they are going to let you stay in. Ime people who haven't had a fast labour themselves have no idea how scary it is so you may have to be a bit forceful in getting your point across. Good luck

i think the problem is, as you say, that a sweep is actually unlikely to make you go into labour straight away

so you could end up being in hospital for a day. or 2. or more! when do they make the decision to let you go home? because you could still get home and then go into labour

so, no I don't think it's reasonable to ask to stay in tbh. If you went into labour naturally you'd have to make your way to hospital and hope you got there in time, I don't think that having a sweep should be any different.

will cross my fingers that baby arrives before your appt then you won't need to worry

Thanks Cutelittlecatlover it is scary! Especially since my first was a cs and I'm supposed to be monitored ha ha, there wasn't even time for any pain relief never mind monitoring.

thisisyesterday I think the plan is to induce if the sweep doesn't work so I don't think I'd be hanging around too long. My concern is that a sweep would bring on a faster labour, when it comes, than going naturally would. So if they won't keep me in until they're ready to induce properly I'd rather take my chances with a natural labour than have the sweep. Obviously I wouldn't want to be hanging around for days on end on the off chance.

I may be worrying about nothing as the consultant's words were he'd "bring me in for a gentle induction" (gentle ha ha) which he then went on to explain as a sweep and a pessary. He was very aware of the previous fast labour and I've a feeling that's why he wanted to do it at 41 weeks, rather than leave it longer, in the hopes we'd be able to control things a bit. He said he wouldn't do it earlier because of the previous cs. I'm under very strict instructions from him and the MW to go in ASAP when anything starts and not to be told to wait when I phone in. So maybe he'll be on my side anyway!

Baby arriving before I get there would be perfect . I can live in hope!

ahhh ok, so if it's a sweep and pessary then def would ask to stay in!

or you could decline it and ask for monitoring instead?

I'm not sure if the plan is to do both then. I stupidly didn't ask much about it. Given the other two came early I didn't think I'd get that far. If it is both together I assume I would be kept in. If its sweep, see if it works, pessary later I'm not sure if they'd send me home.

Teach me to assume babies will follow a pattern of arriving early!