Advice on a sweep or pessary to start labour.

[HelenFitzroy]

Hello everyone. I am looking advice about refusing a sweep and only asking for a pessary to start labour.
I am currently 34 wks with my 3rd baby. Due to gestational diabetes I will need to deliver by 39wks and will be induced if I don't start naturally. With my first child I was given a (painful) sweep which didn't start labour. My labour started naturally about a week later. Second baby I was given one horrifically painful sweep which didn't start labour. Then brought in for induction and given another very painful sweep which again did nothing and was the given a pessary which seems to have started my labour. I am now being offered another sweep this time but due to past experiences will probably refuse it. I am wondering if there are women on here who have only had pessaries to induce labour and what their experiences were. Will I likely need a drip as well? My previous experience of child birth in hospital has been very negative and I am keen this time to have more information.

I had an induction at 35+5 due to IUGR. I had the pessary inserted on the Thursday late afternoon, didn’t do much apart from the odd cramp then I had 3 lots of gel on the Friday (6 hours apart I think?) and my waters went Saturday morning at 5am. Drip started at 11am and baby was born at 5:32pm. Pessary might be enough for you as you’ll be further along.

If you need the drip I highly recommended an epidural at the same time as it can be very painful.

@HelenFitzroy would you consider a planned c-section instead? If you want one instead of a pessary or sweep they should book you in.

I had my first baby in December and was induced at 39 weeks with a single gel pessary. I was induced because of excess amniotic fluid. I was in active labour when they examined me 6 hours after it was inserted and then gave birth (vaginally) 5 and a half hours later, so I didn't need more than 1 pessary or anything further like a drip. I do think I was lucky it moved quickly as typically inductions take a long time a multiple pessaries. I will say, I ended up with a retained placenta and postpartum
haemorrhage immediately after the birth and I'm not sure if the induction was a factor in this. I read afterwards about postpartum haemorrhaging and it did mention induction of labour as a possible cause, however I did only have the gel pessary and it's possible by that they were referring to the synthetic hormone drip which is often part of it.

I overall had a positive experience but as it was my first baby I have nothing to compare it to pain wise, so couldn't say if it's sorer than a birth that isn't induced. I did only have gas and air so I coped ok.

I had one sweep a week before induction and it wasn't too bad for me (just felt some cramping) but it didn't do anything as I ended up induced. I'm not sure if I'd bother again for that reason. I'm sorry yours was much worse!

Good luck with everything

I don't think I will be offered a C section as there is no medical reason for it. I have an appointment next week so will discuss it with the doctor.

@HelenFitzroy you can request one for any reason. Look up the stats on interventions following induction and you can use that to support your request.

Good luck with your appointment.

You can request one and ultimately you cannot be refused if you prefer this to induction. I had an awful 3 rounds of induction by pessaries for first birth and a cascade of interventions. I’ve refused induction this time and have an elective booked.

I had an induction at 39 weeks with 1 pessary that needed to be taken out early. I didn't find labour that bad.

You can definitely ask for an ECS. You don't need a medical reason but you have GD and are under a consultant any way. I would definitely refuse a sweep. I had one at 41 weeks and it did nothing. I have had 2 inductions that were both very quick. First 38 w, GD, gave birth 3 hours after drip went in. In active labour for 1 hour. Second at 42 weeks, just pessary, gave birth 7 hours later. It was commented though that I would probably naturally have quick labour's though.

Two GD pregnancies here. I had a sweep for the first pregnancy and it did nothing as cervix was still hard and firmly closed at 38 weeks, for the same reason induction was gruelling (pessary and drip, waters broken). Second baby I went into labour naturally at 37+5, and had a really fast natural birth (just under 7 hours). So there’s every chance you’ll go into labour yourself. Everyone told me second babies are much quicker and they were right so hopefully they are for third babies. If I were you I’d refuse the sweep as they sound unnecessarily invasive and painful. Interestingly I was booked in for induction too and the consultant said that often they break the waters for second babies and this can sometimes be enough to start things off.