what does a sweep feel like?

[hostelgirl74]

Tommorrow my (first) baby will be a week late. On Wednesday they say they will offer me a sweep. I know the mechanics of it - ie what they will do but how does it feel? Also, this sounds silly but do you lie down while they do it? Things I can see on the web say things like "uncomfortable" but its a bit of a vague term really. Does it make you ache/bleed? I haven't a car so will have to get the bus back home afterwards. Also, does anyone know what the odds are of it working and bringing on labour?

Yes, they didn't work for me. They were still having to manually stretch me to get a finger in to sweep, and this was at 40+13...

Cochrane report on sweeping is pretty damning. It say that a lot of pain is caused to women and the effectiveness is VERY low. On the basis of those facts I personally wrote NO SWEEPS all over my birth plan. It was painful enough having my level of dilation checked when in full labour let alone someone trying to stick their finger through your still closed cervix.

My advise would be to let nature take its course where possible, there is no evidence that birth becomes riskier until you start waiting till 3/4 weeks overdue. If letting nature take its course isn't an option then I would recommend going for some other (chemical) method of induction.

I had a sweep for ds3, Bloody horrible, I really hated it and cried afterwards. It didn't work,but hurt for a long time afterwards.

IME, a sweep is worse than a smear. The best way to describe it - like someone trying to reach your to sils via your vagina. Not. Pleasant. And. Uncomfortable. And not successful unless your cervix is beginning to soften and drop down. I.E, your ready for labour anyway. Agree with entropy - let nature takes its course. Induced labour is more difficult, IME, than natural. Done both.

I had one when I was overdue and to be honest found it horrendous. Midwife did it and was really struggling because my cervix was posterior. It actually felt like she had her whole hand inside me at one point and I felt myself moving up the bed at this point I told her to stop and she said that if a doctor did it he wouldn't be as gentle as her. Fucking hell I nearly ran out of the hospital (well waddled). I have spoken to other women who have said it is a breeze though so I think it depends from woman to woman. Mine was worse than a smear and worse than having my waters broke, much more uncomfortable. Sorry you did ask