Unhelpful hospital over sweep / induction

[Pennies]

Just wondering if anyone can give me some advice. I'm a couple of days past my due date and have contacted my hospital to try and start some kind of acceleration / induction process arranged but I am being stonewalled. Apparently they don't do sweeps for first pregnancies and when I asked to see someone to discuss induction they initally gave me a preliminary discussion date of 6th September (by which time I'll be 41+5) which I objected to and eventually got one for next Wednesday when I'll be 41+0.

I'm not comfortable with going too far overdue for several reasons (I know my dates are accurate, hubby has to start a new job on 17th and I want us to have as much time together with the baby before he starts work, physcially I'm really beginning to feel uncomfortable and an unhelpful horror story of a colleague who had a stillborn after being allowed to progress too far over her due date) and can't help but feel that the hospital is not going to help me out on this one.

Can anyone tell me how soon after a discussion do they generally begin the induction?

Alternatively does anyone have any advice on how to get the hospital to help me out on this at all?

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Pennies - I was trying to do a link for you to an Informed Choice leaflet on induction of labour. Unfortunately the site is not accessable at the moment but the web address is

www.infochoice.org

maybe you could try later.

The hospital is not trying to be awkward - there are good reasons why induction of labour should not be entered into easily. For a normal healthy pregnancy, labour sometimes does not start till 42 weeks. There have been many suggestions over the years that the length of pregnancy should actually be calculated over 42 weeks because that is more the norm.

An induced labour adds risks to the baby and increases the risk of the need for a caesarean section. Now that is a risk worth taking when the baby is being compromised in the womb because of some complication such as not growing well, high blood pressure, bleeding, cholestasis of pregnancy etc. The list goes on.

The reason you got a date of 41=5 is that it is highly likely that you will have gone into labour by then. If not, you would be seen at the clinic and probably be admitted for induction that night or the following day. The induction process would have started before 42 weeks.

The reason a sweep at this stage is not recommenfded in first pregnancies is that the cervix is usually pretty hard and unyielding unlike someone who has had a baby before. The cervix never closes completely after childbirth so in a subsequent pregnancy it is ofetn possible to get a finger in to sweep the membranes.

In the meantime you could try natural induction methods, the key one being sex. Sperm has prostaglandin in it and that ripens the cervix in preparation for labour. There are a few threads on tyhis subject and curries, fresh pineapple, reaspberry leaf tea and all sorts of other tips have been mentioned.

I can understand why you want it all to star but truly patience is a virtue. As my father said to me 'when the apple is ripe, it will drop'.

Have faith - your body needs a chance to labour all by itself. Try that link later.

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I had a sweep at 40+6, first pregnancy, and it was very painful and distressing. Would not recommend it. Although complicated in my case by the fact that the midwife didn't ask first ? maybe if I'd wanted it or expected it I'd have had a better experience.

As everyone else has said, babies come when they are ready. 'Overdue' really is a misnomer. They don't work to a strict '40 weeks and you are out' timetable. Sorry.

I've just remembered, saw a statistic somewhere that says only 5 per cent of babies arrive on their alleged 'due date'. It's actually abnormal.

I had a sweep with my first baby at 40+5 and it wasn't a nice experience and it didn't make labour start right away I had niggly pains for days before going into proper labour.

I refused a sweep with my second baby and they were going to bring me in for an induction at 40+10 which I wasn't happy about. but luckily I went into labour naturally and had a wonderful birth.

I'm all for letting nature take it's course. Remember the 40 week date is worked out from your last period not the time of conception. That's why they should give women a date of 42 weeks. It's rare to go into labour/have baby on your due date. And everyone feels very uncomfortable towards the end. Try some of the things that Mears suggested to try and bring labour on naturally. And Meanwhile put your feet up read a good book and relax, trust me it'll be a while before you have time to do that again.

Good Luck

Thanks everyone - lack of sleep makes me impatient (well, to be honest I'm pretty impatient even when well rested adn not heavily pregnant!).

Am going for a long walk in the rain followed by a curry later so hopefully that might ease things alogn a bit!

Special thanks to Mears - will try that link later.

Oooh, don't wish for the babe out too soon! It's very easy for us to say but you will NEVER have this time again!

I didn't find induction that bad at all (but I had an epidural so didn't get to the shouting/screaming stage!) - had induction for my first but then my second came really quickly and although I had no time for anything but shouting, I'd choose that again any day as I felt fantastic afterwards compared to first one. It was much nicer not to be attached to a drip one side, blood pressure thingy on other arm, electrode on baby's head and strapped round my leg!!

Babe 3 on it's way now (well, today probably as am 4cm as of this morning) and I had a sweep on Tuesday (40+2) and I've been having niggling/period/crampy pains ever since so perhaps it is just best to wait it out.

Do understand though - every day over your 'due date' feels like an eternity (not helped by everyone ringing you each day - as if you'd have it without telling anyone!!!).

Mears' suggestion of sex is the one I've heard work most (I ate a whole pineapple a few nights ago and babe's not out yet!).

Just reviving this thread because I am now 1 day overdue with baby number 3 and am still hoping for a home birth. I have been booked in with a consultant for a membrane sweep for Monday and I'm not looking forward to this as I find even internal exams uncomfortable.
I've never had a membrane sweep before and wondered if anyone could tell me what it is like? I'm swithering about whether to refuse it or to go ahead in the hope that I can get things started without induction and therefore still have a homebirth.

I have been told on numerous occassions that a few days is nothing to worry about and unless you know exactley what day your baby was conceived on your due date can be as much as 14 days out!!

Blimey, just shows that it differs everywhere. I'm sure some experts will be along to give you proper advice, but in the meantime, have they given you any specific reason why they would like you to have a sweep so early?

Sweep experiences seem to differ a lot - my inexpert guess is it just depends how close to labour you are. If your cervix is already softening and starting to open, as mine was (about 1 cm) then it might be like mine - I wrote a week later that it was 'uncomfortablish for about a minute and very uncomfortable for about 3 seconds' and I do mean uncomfortable - that's not a medical euphemism for pain. But others have a different experience as shown below. I certainly wouldn't bother again unless I was facing a drip induction, in which case it would be worth trying. But this does seem VERY early for an sweep, so I would get the full picture as to why they think you need it, preferably before you're lying back with your clothes off!! You can ALWAYS refuse.

People vary over membrane sweeps ? some say no more uncomfortable than normal internal. I did find it painful, I'm afraid, but that could be because I wasn't prepared for it (midwife didn't tell me what she was up to, would you believe). However, it got things moving, waters broke an hour later, into labour that evening, baby born 3.07 am! I think it only works if your cervix is 'ripe' ie has started opening but midwife would be able to fill you in on the details. Good way to avoid medical induction with drugs, drip, hospital birth etc. etc. though.

I'm absolutely sure of my due date of the 16th Sept, but the scan put me at the 12th which is why they are measuring me as a week overdue on Monday.(and hence trying a sweep then). I've already had a show and am getting crampy feelings at night in bed so think things are warming up. But if nothing happens by Monday my dilemma is whether to go through the sweep and hopefully have a home birth or to refuse it and presumably be given an induction date for a week later.

The last sweep I had (with DD) they wouldn't do until I was 10 days over, despite me asking for one because I didn't want to be induced. I found it mildly uncomfortable, but not as much as a smear. But, TBH, having someone wriggling their fingers about up there whilst having a conversation with you and a senior MW is never going to be fun!

Put it back to a week on Monday Mog. There is no need for a membrane sweep as soon as this. It may be useful when avoiding induction but you are no where near that at the moment.

I had one on the due date of child no 2. Very slightly uncomfortable and that was all. Don't know whether it worked or not since I had no signs of labour until 3 days later when things went quite quickly.

Thanks for the replies.
Mears - do you think I should delay the sweep because it wouldn't do any good at the moment? If this was the case I would definitely delay it, but also want to give myself the best chance of a homebirth i.e. no induction.
How also would be the best way to handle this - should I phone the consultants office on Monday morning and just say I've decided to wait before a sweep? I'm having my antenatal care at home because of the homebirth so feel the community midwives might put pressure on me to have some form of monitoring for being overdue. This is such a difficult area as I want to be assertive but the emotional pressure on mums (I've had two children already so speak from experience) to do the 'right' thing is hard to stand up against.

I think you have to ask what the purpose of the sweep is at this stage. I think doctors and midwives seem to think they are doing women a favour by getting things going for them. Sometimes it works, other times it causes a lot of discomfort but no labour. So if you are happy for nature to take it's course, what it the point of the sweep. We do not do extra monitoring until 42 weeks. Often induction is not considered until at least 10 days past date.
If you are sure of your date, do with that. We would not change a woman's date for the sake of 4 days if she is sure of the last period. So if baby is due on 16th September there is no need to offer a sweep until at least 26th Sept IMO.

Remember Mog it is your pregnancy and you do not have to have anything done that you are uncomfortable with. I am sure your midwife will be happy to go along with your wishes.

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