to sweep or not to sweep?

[Lupe]

Hi all

I'm currently 40+5 and have been offered a sweep on Friday if no action by then...

I had thought that a sweep was a fairly 'natural' and non-controversial way of possibly inducing labour but having seen comments on other threads regarding pain, increase in intervention etc I'm now not so sure as to whether to go for it.

I have always felt through this pregnancy that my EDD was probably a little early as I have a long menstrual cycle (not very good at counting but probably about 35 days). My first scan did date the fetus in line with my calculations (based on crown-rump length) but as this was less than a week's difference from my official date, this wasn't changed on my notes. Since then my measurements have basically tallied with dates, though it's never been suggested that the baby is particularly big (I measured 38cm at last mw visit).

Anyway, my point is that I'm not particularly anxious to hurry things up as I do believe in 'they come when they're ready' however I am also very keen to avoid being induced in hospital (which here will be done by 14 days, regardless of that 'other date' as my biggest fear in relation to childbirth is of ending up with a very surgical birth, lots of monitoring, cut etc etc.

So, do I go for the sweep or shall I just let things go their course and trust in the strong possibility that I will go into natural labour anyway? Unfortunately I have no family history to use as reference as my mum had pre-eclampsia in her first pg and emergency cs followed by elective cs for me.

Toothache, I was 40+6 with my second baby and went in for monitoring and was offered a sweep becuse I was 2 cm dilated. Didn't even get the chance to go home in the end and just like Dinosaur, I was absolutely fine. Can't say the sweep was particularly painful and I had had a quick labour the first time but the sweep did make the contractions stronger and still ended up cutting my labour time in half compared to the first. Good luck but I'm sure you won't need it .

Me too toothache, it just gets it going. I too was that far on and was indeed back in!! good luck chuck!!

Hi everyone - All my children have been late. + 9 days, + 5 days, + 13 days and +14! days. i had a sweep with no3 and it was just a bit uncomfortable (on day 13) and my daughter was born an hour before they had booked me in to be induced by drugs.
I felt a bit pushed into it by various horror stories (re danger to baby of being overdue) from some of the medical staff but in the end was glad to avoid the drip.
labour was very painless but then i did have an epidural!!
Baby 4 - docs a lot better about letting me wait which i was determined to do. on day 14 i let them do a sweep, labour very quick, not too painful and no drugs at all.
I wonder if some midwives are better at 'sweeping' than others? both mine were no more than a little uncomfortable.
Sorry thats a long ramble and Lupe you may have had your baby by now! Hope all goes/went well x

Just thought I'd add my twopenn'orth.I was 40+10 with ds2,in the middle of last summers heatwave and quite frankly I was desperate for him to be born.I had had no contractions but when midwife examined me she said I was 3cms dilated and offered to do a sweep.I agreed and I was in labour before I left her room!!!This was at 11am ish and ds was born at 6.pm.The sweep was uncomfortable like any internal is uncomfortable but I could have kissed that midwife!! I thought I was going to be pregnant forever!!

I was offered a sweep a few days before my due date.I said no way ,I would prefer to let nature take its cause.dd came into the world on 1st may,with perfect timing as daddy was home ,and a special mayday birthday too.

dd was + 9