How to do a DIY Sweep

[Minkus]

Been thinking about this- still only 37+ weeks so won't be resorting to it yet but recall there was a thread on it some time ago but stupidly didn't put a watch on it and despite searches can't find it.

Can anyone point me in the right direction please? (of the information, not my cervix )

One problem I may have is that although my cervix is normally within reach, I just can't get to it now with my big old belly in the way so thinking I will have to enroll dh.

Would this really be a good idea? I'd imagine you could cause yourself a trauma or introduce infection?

don't do it! Go to your MW, please

Yikes, if you needed one I am sure a MW would give you one... I really wouldn't do it yourself.

Also - just how unsexy would it be to ask your DH to do it?! Everytime you had sex in future, you'd both remember the time he had his hand up yer fanjo, like birthing a calf!

Fnarf MamaG my fanj is big but not quite big enough for a calf (I hope!)

I hadn't thought about the infection risk to be honest, was talking about it with a few friends this morning and they had all seemed to have had a go (or their dp/h's had) so just thought it was pretty par for the course. (Note to self: Do Not Be A Sheep. Or a cow for that matter.)

Surely theres no more risk of infection than having sex? I mean I assume you'd wash your hands first(!) I'd probably leave it to the midwife myself though!!!

clean hands & short nails ...

Not a good plan at all. You could break your waters, which is not a good idea as you can introduce infection and your labour still might start, so you would have to be induced. Let nature take its course.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1365&threadid=489848#9886882

this was my similar thread, the not being squeamish paid off as i checked myself in labour my waters were bulging and i knew to insist ambulance came asap, ds born fifteen minutes later so it not all bad

you run your fingers to seperate cervix and mucous plug, i would start off just monitoring and only sweep if you are overdue

I think it's a great idea, if you can reach! Once you're due, what harm can a little fiddling do?

I don't undersand why the cervix is thought to become midwife only territory during pregnancy! It's your body, do whatever you feel comfortable with and littleducks' thread has a lot of good advice regarding how to go about it.

Honestly, I don't get it! Why would a stranger's hand up your very own fanjo be preferable?

"Once you're due, what harm can a little fiddling do"

I agree you could break your waters if you are not entirely sure what you're doing
having waters broken artificially increases likelihood of difficult labour with further interventions IMO

why would you not wait until baby was ready to come? I know we are all getting a little desperate here (I'm 38 weeks now) but the only reason I would try to hurry things along was to avoid being induced or similar

I really wouldn't if I were you
I don't think there is any harm in feeling your own cervix, to see how ripe it is etc. but a midwife will take into account your readiniess for labour etc before she does any kind of artificial intervention. which you can't do, not really, as you don't have the experience.
there are lots of things you cn do to help get your labour started, but poking around inside your cervix hsouldn't be one of them imo

there listen to the nice lady please
she knows her cervices

(are you at home HC? shall I ring you?)

hello dear I am home but just about to go to granny's
in fact I am getting Looked At

I wouldn't attempt a sweep until I was due. I'm quite comfortable to explore my cervix during pregnancy and birth.

On #4 now and haven't even come close to breaking my own waters! I'd think it would take alot more than a blunt finger and nail to do so, given the appearance of the crochet hook with a sharp point used for ARM!

Agree with Ate. I did it but had no idea what I was doing was called a sweep. It was ny first pregnancy so all the feelings and body changes in the last few weeks were new to me. I had a lot of pressure and felt like my whole womb was dropping out so I squatted to feel what was happening.

Obviously my womb was still in it's physiologically predetermined location but I felt the plug and moved it (I'm embarrassed to say I never knew such a thing existed) without realising what I was doing. Anyway after my novice investigation at approx half one in the afternoon, I was 2cm dilated by 10pm and dd was born just after 7am the following morning at 39weeks.

Now that I am a little more informed I think I would hesitate before trying unless I was overdue simply because our babies need all the time they can get in the womb and nature has planned 40 or so weeks so I wouldn't mess with it without good reason.