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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

How painful is a sweep?

51 replies

libertinelou · 06/05/2015 17:00

I'm booked in for a sweep tomorrow and starting to get nervous. Is it particularly painful or just uncomfortable? I don't mind the pain if it works but don't feel like there's any sign of baby coming and I'm 4 days overdue.

OP posts:
Greymalkin · 06/05/2015 17:03

I had two sweeps (which annoyingly had no effect whatsoever). I wouldn't say they were painful, just uncomfortable, a bit more so than having a cervical smear in my opinion.

Good luck!!

slowc04chie · 06/05/2015 17:09

Same here, two sweeps just slightly uncomfortable, I wouldn't really say at all painful. Mine did bugger all too, so go in with positive thoughts, it only takes a mo and try and enjoy the rest of your quiet time ahead of the chaos!

Valsoldknickers · 06/05/2015 17:12

Exactly as Greymalkin says above. Exactly the same scenario (2 x sweeps) over a few days, didn't do the intended trick though either. No pain, just a bit of discomfort.

Best of luck!Flowers

shattered77 · 06/05/2015 17:26

For me, absolutely horrendous. You don't want to know that, but my friend said it was fine, and it wasn't. Imagine zero to the most painful period cramp you've ever had in one second. Took hours to stop cramping too. It didn't work. I went into labour the day before induction. I would never have had another one, but I bet everyone else says it's fine!!!

3rdbump · 06/05/2015 18:28

It's not too bad tbf. I had sweeps with last 3 pregnancy's and none worked!
This time though I will be opting out of a sweep as I don't see the point. I think babies come when they are ready!

ohthegoats · 06/05/2015 21:05

Ha, no shattered, I thought it was awful too. They offered me gas and air because I was on the delivery suite to have it... should have taken them up on it. I wouldn't have another one either.

ohthegoats · 06/05/2015 21:06

AND, it didn't really work - just kicked off a very slow labour (sweep at lunchtime Friday, period pain and contractions off and on until baby arrived Monday morning).

YoniMitchell · 06/05/2015 21:08

My first one was painful, second one I barely noticed, neither worked though!

Pop a couple of paracetamol about half an hour before you go and hope you get a midwife with small hands! Wink. Seriously, it will be fine!

IggyStrop · 06/05/2015 21:46

Mine was horrendous. Sorry! It was agony, tbh. is there any evidence they even work? I had my second baby in another country and they hadn't heard of them. My obstetrician looked at me like I was insane when I mentioned the sweep.

YouMakeMyHeartSmile · 06/05/2015 21:50

Mine was also horrific, and I'm generally known as having quite a high pain threshold (eventually managed a 48 hour back to back labour with gas and air). I had to drive 10 miles to the midwife and ended up crying in the car all the way home as it was so painful. And it didn't work.

YouMakeMyHeartSmile · 06/05/2015 21:51

I'm 31 weeks pregnant with my second and am opting out this time.

oneowlgirl · 06/05/2015 21:51

I'm another who found it truly horrendous & invasive (went it a friends house & cried afterwards & she said she'd felt the same after hers). It wasn't painful as such, just felt very rough & unnatural & like it really shouldn't happen. I'm not wanting to scare you at all but think it's important to be aware as I wish someone had prepared me beforehand.
FWIW, I also don't think they work & when my eldest was born in the US, there was no mention of it there & he was also overdue. I refused to have one for my 3rd & was overdue by a similar length of time.

Stickledpink · 06/05/2015 21:52

Awful.... But you don't want to know that. Didn't work either :(
Saying that, some people find it ok, others, like me, don't.

3littlerabbits · 06/05/2015 21:54

Awful for me! But over in a second. Didn't work. Well, I did have the baby eventually but a few days later.

FlaviaAlbia · 06/05/2015 21:54

Agree with the paracetemol and ask for gas and air. Apparently it can help if you fist your hands and put them under your bum to tilt you up a little.

Mine was more painful than labour and I was very upset afterwards. I'll never agree to one again. I went 13 days overdue and then DS came the morning before I was due to be induced so it did feck all.

Sorry, that may not be what you want to hear but I wish someone had told me I didnt have to have one and that labor wouldn't be as bad! On the other hand my SIL had one and it wasn't painful but it didn't do anything.

Hope it goes well and you have a lovely newborn soon Smile

Schoolaroundthecorner · 06/05/2015 21:56

Just had one today. Uncomfortable but not painful. I had one on my previous pregnancy and told the doctor that did today's one that that one had been awful so I think he was careful to be very gentle this time.

That said I wasn't particularly favourable so it wasn't successful (in that he wasn't able to do a proper sweep) so I'm fairly sure it was pointless.

Cookiepants · 06/05/2015 21:57

As others have said I didn't find it much different to a smear. I ended up having FOUR in one week as DS was overdue with a 3 day latent phase. I was having contractions every 5 mins for 72 hours and if someone had offered to put their hand up my nose to attempt to get him from there I would have let them try Grin. My advice is to be a chilled as you possibly can and if you don't like it you can tell them to stop and you don't have to have another one.

StandoutMop · 06/05/2015 21:57

Not painful, but neither worked for me. Based on this thread, they seem.pretty ineffective.

YouMakeMyHeartSmile · 06/05/2015 21:57

I was also bizarrely upset afterwards. It felt so intrusive.

306235388 · 06/05/2015 21:59

Ok look I'm going to be honest - it was very painful for me. I'm not saying that to scare you but to prepare you. I also find smears very painful and I think my cervix is in a weird place. I bled ALOT after my sweep in my 1st pregnancy but not in 2nd. Neither worked tbh.

I had easy labours though so yay!

shattered77 · 06/05/2015 22:07

I wouldn't bother. Keep walking and let gravity do its thing. It is a choice, something that I failed to realise at the time. When I was in hospital and was in labour (1-2cm) I may have had another sweep, but cos I was in labour and my body was doing it's thing, it was fine, but going in cold, so to speak, is completely different.

Chocolatestain · 06/05/2015 22:09

Personally I didn't find it particularly painful at all. I had two and neither worked, which meant I then had to be induced. I'm glad I had them, though, as I didn't have a great experience of being induced, but I least I knew I'd tried all alternative options.
As others have said, try taking paracetamol beforehand and relax as much as poss (easier said than done, I know). Hope it goes ok.

Snowflakepie · 06/05/2015 22:10

Only had one with DC2, and it didn't hurt but also did nothing. He moseyed on out 6 days later of his own accord. But then, a tank could probably have moved on out thanks to DC1, the brute.

I'm not convinced there's any point in one, and it might be painful, and it might be upsetting. I wouldn't bother again. Good luck x

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 06/05/2015 22:14

Attempt at sweep with DD2. Hideous and crying and shaking after.

With DS had gas and air. Rummagey but totally fine.Smile I had a LOT of gas and air.

SuchSweetSorrow · 06/05/2015 22:15

I'm glad I've read this thread actually as I cried in the car after mine due to the pain and feeling of it being invasive- I have only ever heard other women say it felt uncomfortable. I found all the internals very painful though