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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Did your sweep work?

47 replies

ToffeeAddict · 30/03/2010 17:35

I'm full term today and have been given a sweep. The consultant said I'm 2 cm dilated and was able to feel the baby's head.

I've been told by quite a few people that they are largely unsuccessful, and not to get my hopes up. However, I wondered if likelihood of success might be correlated with whether and how dilated you are at the time of the sweep.

So, for those of you that have had sweeps, were you found to be dilated at the time, and did things get started afterwards?
Would love to hear of your experiences...

OP posts:

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ShowOfHands · 30/03/2010 17:39

Out of interest, why were you given a sweep?

I think they only 'work' if you're about to go into labour anyway so are often used as induction looms for example in the hope of speeding things up just that little bit.

CantSleepWontSleep · 30/03/2010 17:42

No and no.

With dd I don't think I was particularly dilated, but don't remember exactly.

With ds I had many sweeps, and pessaries, and none of them worked. I was 2cm (and posterior) when they started doing them, and stayed that way for days, even after they broke my waters (which was difficult in that position).

reikizen · 30/03/2010 17:42

How would you know if that had done the trick or not anyway? All we can say is that the majority of women go into labour within 48 hrs of the sweep, but there is no way of knowing whether they would have gone into labour anyway! 2cm sounds good though, they would have been able give it a good go. Good luck!

CatJosephine · 30/03/2010 17:44

Mine didn't work. I was 2 weeks overdue. I was 1 cm dilated. I had a show and was getting "tightenings" but sweep was unsucessful in that nothing else happened.

Original poster

ToffeeAddict · 30/03/2010 18:09

SOH - it just seems to be the policy here to offer a sweep at term, and personally I didn't have any particularly strong reasons to refuse it, although I know not everyone is in favour of them.

I take the point about not really knowing whether the sweep was the causal factor anyway, but still nice to hear anecdotally from people to get a view.

Thanks for all responses so far

OP posts:

katiepotatie · 30/03/2010 18:27

No mine didn't work, I had one at +5 and +8 days, baby came at +12 days! In factg thought sweep was more painful than my birth!

Shaz10 · 30/03/2010 18:29

My friend had one and got told her cervix wasn't ready. Her waters broke 2 days later. She didn't go into labour and ended up being induced. So I'm a bit wary.

ohnelly · 30/03/2010 18:31

Hi ive been offered one on my due date which is this friday - I said no, would rather wait until I go naturally. The midwife says it works 50% of the time apparently. I might consider one if I go a week or more over but not on the due date! My friend had one on her due date & she went in that night but still

rookiemater · 30/03/2010 18:32

I had 2 sweeps one 3 days past due date, no effect, then one 10 days after due date, went into labour a couple of hours later. I'm not convinced I wouldn't have gone into labour anyway, however it didn't hurt so up to you really.

Eliza70 · 30/03/2010 19:39

I had sweeps with both my babies and went into labour that evening with both of them! Good Luck!

FrameyMcFrame · 30/03/2010 19:57

didn't work for me and I was 2 cms, but apparently everyone is already 2 cms with second or subsequent babies so I don't know whether that's relevant to it working or not.

Emsie84 · 30/03/2010 20:13

Hi I have a positive sweep story to share. I had a sweep around 2pm on the Friday (about 1cm dilated) Went into hospital at around 5pm with strong contractions, DS born at 12:30 Saturday morning I was 39+4 when DS was born. HTH Good Luck!

izzybiz · 30/03/2010 20:20

I had a sweep on my due date with Dc3 I was 2 weeks early with my 1st and 2nd so felt overdue! And I was huge, in pain, and had really had enough!

I had the sweep at about 9am and MW found me to be 2cms dialated, which with your 3rd child you can be all along apparantly!

I had some tightenings through the day but nothing seemed to be happening. Dh and Ds1 went to collect pizza at around 10ish the same evening, while they were out my water broke, Ds2 was born three and a half hours later weighing 10lb 10oz! No wonder I had had enough eh?

Good luck!

SPBInDisguise · 30/03/2010 20:23

Yes, Incredibly well. I was 2/3cm when I had it at about 8pm ish (was 2cm then dilated aother cm while being swept). I felt the intensity of the contractions go up hugely immediately - before I even got up off the table. Told DH who didn't believe me. Went home, was back 2 hours later, examined, found to be over 9cm dilated and DD was born at 11.30.

preggersplayspop · 30/03/2010 20:25

I had a sweep for my first, which seemed to kick start things. I was told I was 2cm at the time and contractions started quite soon after (tho midwife at hospital sort of ticked me off for coming in and said that sweeps often start contractions without it being proper labour). Anyway, I stayed at 2cm for bloody ages until another midwife at the hospital gave me a really brutal feeling sweep and said (with a glint in her eye) I would have my baby by the morning, and I did.

I have also heard they only work if you are likely to go into labour spontaneously in the next few hours anyway.

Didn't have one with second pg which I was quite glad about really.

SPBInDisguise · 30/03/2010 20:28

Sorry, should mention I had been having contractions for 24 hours so was already in labour - was actually due a sweep the enxt morning anyway

FatSeal · 30/03/2010 20:33

Yes, worked a treat- had a sweep Fri am, found to be 2cm dilated anyway (40+3), contractions kicked off soon after and dd born that night.

I have a friend with a similar story from the same midwife, so we reckoned she had magic fingers...

Good luck

LizP77 · 30/03/2010 21:53

Hi all...

Wonder if any of you have had any experience with Propess Induction?

My wife went in on Monday for induction of our first baby, she was term + 13 days. After some monitoring and an examination (a painful one at that!), a sweep was not possible but they put in the propess thing and we waited. The insertion has made my wife incredibly sore...not a good start!!

Anyways...it was left 24 hours to see what happened. We had nothing! A few little twinges, but nothing to write home about. THey did another internal to see if the propess had softened the cervix at all, or if she was in a position to have the waters broken, but we were no further than before. So, they decided to put in Propess number 2!

This has left my wife still in hospital, for night number 2 and in a whole lot more pain than before...and 12 hours after the second propess still no sign of contractions.

My concern is that they will want to try this procedure once again tomorrow, and I don't want her to have to go through with it as she can barely even sit on the toilet now. It doesn't really help that the midwives have only being using this method for 6 weeks, so have no evidence to back up if it does / or doesn't actually work!! I know that she's going to have to go through a lot more pain further down the line, but I think now she is so tense / scared etc I don;t know what to do...

Should we refuse the third and insist on another method / C-section? Maybe the old style of gel induction would be better?

I'm also concerned about some of the stories about babies being left too long and the placenta not doing its job so well and it resulting in still birth? Should we insist on having the placenta examined?

Hope someone can help / advise / put our minds at rest...with a nice story!

Thanks so much

Mr Caring husband who's very worried for his wife...at term +14 (soon to be 15!)

preggersplayspop · 30/03/2010 21:58

Sorry, no experience but hopefully someone else will. Best of luck to you and your wife, very exciting!

LizP77 · 30/03/2010 22:08

Thank you very much...

StayFrosty · 30/03/2010 22:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LizP77 · 30/03/2010 22:24

no such luck for us, after 24 hours we were still not even 2cm dilated, so couldn;t even think about breaking waters.

rubyslippers · 30/03/2010 22:25

yes - dilated around 2 cm and MW could feel the head

CX started around 2 hours later and DD born 7 hours after that

I had a show 36 hours before the sweep

toomanylayers · 30/03/2010 22:38

None worked for me. With ds1 I had one at +5, +10 and then +14 but needed the drugs to be induced that night. With ds2 I had 'a really good one' (!) from my mw at +5 but still nothing happened except I bled and had to go to hosp to be checked out. We were both ok and I was again induced at +14 as the little tyke wouldn't come out. As I was told: they come out when they're ready (or not in my case)
Best of luck.

gailforce1 · 30/03/2010 23:13

LizP77 - I think that you are being a wonderfully supportive birth partner coming here to get advice. Your wife must be in a lot of pain if she cant sit "on the toilet". Please continue to be supportive by ensuring she has adequate pain relief - busy MW may well "forget" to bring pain relief so keep an eye on this and be prepared to be assertive if necessary. As has been said on other threads there are plenty of pain relief options available and she should not be left without pain relief if she has requested it. Best wishes and let us know how you are doing.

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