SWEEPS!

[Bump2020]

Hi all,

I'm booked to have my first sweep tomorrow with my first baby and wondered how soon after your sweep if at all you went into labour? I'm 40 +4 and finding it all rather daunting ! X

Dd had sweep and made no difference went to 42 weeks 🙄.
Ds had sweep friday at 38 weeks, twinges through weekend and he arrived on the Tuesday.

Fingers crossed !

With dd I had a sweep at 41 weeks she arrives 41+2 I'm sure that's what helped her along

With dd I had a sweep at 41 weeks she arrives 41+2 I'm sure that's what helped her along

I had a sweep at 11am at term+10. DS was born at 6pm.
I was in labour before I left the room.

3 sweeps from 40 weeks. Last sweep on 41+5. Induced 41+6. Didn't work in my case!

Don’t bother having a sweep, they make no difference. You’ll go into labour when your body is ready and not before.

Painful and pointless for me. 6 sweeps across 2 pregnancies. Still had to be induced with both.

I had 5 sweeps in total for DS. I think for the last one I was "ready" and it tipped me over the edge because I had the sweep at lunch time and my waters broke at tea time. It was also by far the most painful of the 5.

I hope it works for you!

Had a sweep today 40+2... painful I had to tell her to stop! And she said my cervix was quite far back so don’t think it was very successful anyway...

Have you looked into or asked about the potential risks of a sweep?

I’m pretty sure I was given a sweep without my consent (foreign country) at 37 weeks and baby arrived in 45 minutes 22 hours later (2nd baby)

Sweep in the am - labour the same day, baby arrived next morning, just over 37 weeks

Ladies.. how painful is having a sweep?!! I am 1 week away from my first sweep at 40w and am feeling like I want to say no and wait until 41w. This is way TMI but I know I am very tight downstairs and my partner struggles to get two fingers in most of the time so dreading the midwife doing it!! (Also checking dilation during labour is worrying me!!)

@chelsea2704 they will only work if your cervix is favorable. I went for my first On Thursday, my cervix was so far back she couldn’t really reach it but continued to try until I had to tell her to stop because it hurt so much! She shouldn’t of bothered as if it was that far back it wasn’t going to work anyway. Went again today and the midwife said my cervix was soft which was good but still too far back, and left it there because she didn’t want to hurt me, probably what the first midwife should of done! Ah well, booked in for an induction in a week if baby doesn’t make an appearance by then.

@ButterflyBitch

Don’t bother having a sweep, they make no difference. You’ll go into labour when your body is ready and not before.

This. They only work if you’re actually ready. I’d only accept one as an absolutely last ditch attempt before induction.

My sweep with DS1 only worked because I was already 4cm dilated (but didn't know i was in labor) so my cervix was favorable and soft.

Waters broke half hour later and DS1 arrived 4 hours later.

DS2 was more of a slow burn, had sweep at 37+5 and he arrived 38+2 after a few days of irregular but not painful contractions. But even during labor my contractions weren't that regular without a pinto in drip and he arrived 6 hours after labor started.

As children they are exactly as their labors were, DS1 is a whirlwind, eager to do everything at the speed of light, DS2 is happy to watch it all unfold and get involved in his own sweet time...

If cervix is high and closed, I wouldn't have one due to discomfort, if low and soft then I would have one.

Had sweep 1.30pm and went into labour that evening, baby arrived following morning (2nd baby). Was 41+2 and midwife said cervix was low, central and 2cm dilated when when she did it - she was surprised I hadn't had any signs already. She said she gave it a good go and wouldn't be surprised if I went into labour after it. She was right! But as others have said, it sounded like I was very close to labour anyway so guess that made it more favourable. I declined a sweep at 40+1.

Sorry just seen this is a few weeks old! Hope all went well sweep and birth wise.

I'm due a second sweep this morning at 9 and I am dreading it as I found the first one (which failed) so uncomfortable she had to stop. Due to be induced tomorrow which I was also hoping wouldn't be necessary. 41+2 and getting so impatient 😭 x

After reading this thread, I think I will ask her to check first if my cervix is still high/closed, and if it is I don't think I will get her to carry out the sweep.

@zeeeex

After reading this thread, I think I will ask her to check first if my cervix is still high/closed, and if it is I don't think I will get her to carry out the sweep.

Look up bishops score. Ask what yours is before you allow them to perform a sweep.

My cervix was posterior for no1. She was a very experienced midwife and she ‘flicked it round’ (her words) to help things on their way.
She told me she was going to and told me why. I was hoping to avoid induction so trusted her. It was a bit uncomfortable but not that bad! Dd was born within 24 hours.

Update! So this time round was better, I think it really helped that I was allowed to take my mask off and could breathe through the discomfort. My cervix is still too high up so she couldn't actually carry out the sweep properly but she thinks she managed to pull it down ever so slightly. Baby's head is nice and low so hoping this kick starts labour naturally!

Definitely worth asking to take your mask off if it's allowed! ☺️