Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

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

Flip

Original poster

Decided not to have sweep- have i made right decision?

15 replies

Morph2 · 14/05/2010 12:05

Due with 1st on Monday and had MW appointment yesterday. She said that if baby hadn't arrived by then she could book me in to have sweep next thursday. I said i thought i'd like to hang on abit longer as i'm not feeling uncomfortable and managing to do pretty much everything i want to so i thought it might be better to wait until baby was ready by itself. I asked MW if she thought this was ok but she didn't really express an opinion either way. She has booked me in for the following Thursday (if baby hasn't turned up by then) by then i will be 10 days overdue and at that appointment she said I could then be booked in to be induced in the 3 or 4 days after.

Would be grateful for others opinions on if i've made the correct decision??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Kathyjelly · 14/05/2010 12:27

IMO you did the right thing. It's a first baby so it's not in any great hurry but you don't need to stress about it.

My MW did this to me. On due day, everything was finally done, I'd just sat down with a coffee at 9am and she was on the phone suggesting a sweep to "get things moving". I couldn't help thinking, on that day at least, I should have been allowed to put my feet up, chill out and just wait. My dp got annoyed, took te phone and told her to go away and stop nagging. My ds came along three days later perfectly naturally.

You aren't overdue and should be allowed to enjoy this bit (in my opinion). If you are uncomfortable or a week late, then maybe but otherwise, I'm with you. These are the last lazy days you will have for a while. Sit back and enjoy them.

IngridFletcher · 14/05/2010 12:29

If your cervix is unfavourable it can hurt so I think you made the correct decision! If your cervix is favourable then things are very likely to happen completely naturally.

Thandeka · 14/05/2010 12:38

I regret having a sweep (though didnt really hurt and cervix was favourable- i was incredibly uncomfortable by that stage baby living in my ribs)- had it on the friday (my due date)- had baby by the sunday (lost plug on sat and contractions started early sunday morning) in most horrific labour where waters broke first and contractions every minute. Although I will never know I suspect the sweep affected how my labour started (my labour also ended babdly with me unable to push out an 9.5lb baby- forceps, episiostomy and an oxygen starved baby in NICU for a week after her birth) anyhow the sweep didn't effect how my labour ended but I do think had my labour not started in such an incredibly intense way I might have got a handle on the pain (as contractions 10mins apart allow endorphins to be built up and maybe you can handle the pain better then) anyhow I had to have an epidural early on in my labour because of the contractions every minute and this meant that I had so many top ups by the time it came to push that I couldn't push her out. So I would say you probably made the right decision. (although have no evidence that sweep caused my labour to start in that fashion).

Good luck!

lovingpickles · 14/05/2010 12:41

I think it really depends on how you feel about being induced. Sweeps can take 48 hours to get labour going IF they work (and they do not always work), so at 10 days overdue it is leaving it quite close to induction date.

I had a sweep at 8 days overdue and went into labour that night, which I was very relieved about as I was desperate not to be induced 4 days later. But I know several women who have sweeps with no results at all.

nowwearefour · 14/05/2010 12:43

i went to 2 weeks over with my first and was induced and v nearly there - 11 days late with my second. being induced is horrible. having a sweep can just about turn things around into a natural labour. I would think perhaps in hte first week overdue not to bother but after that take any sweep going as it is sure better than ebing induced. sorry to be a dissenting voice but i guess that is what you were asking for- both sides of the story?

mazzystartled · 14/05/2010 14:55

You've plenty of time - what's the rush?
I'd do the same
I declined a sweep at 39+5 - just didn't feel right or ready
had one a week later - went into labour the next day.
If you were feeling desperate or unwell or were struggling, that would be different

Firawla · 14/05/2010 15:11

its fine
sweeps dont always work for your 1st anyway and they hurt (well for me it did, and hurt others said same)
i declined it for my 2nd and had him without being induced anyway, whereas ds1 had it and still induced
so if you dont want it then i think no need to feel u must

Original poster

Morph2 · 14/05/2010 16:03

thanks for the advice. MW did say that although i had decided not to have a sweep next week I could always decide to have one the following week (10 days over) so i think i'll wait and see how i feel then, hopefully baby will already be here by then so i won't need to consider

OP posts:

MumNWLondon · 14/05/2010 16:12

Personally I'd only go for the sweep 2 days before induction. The later you leave it most chance it has of working.

Having a sweep is less invasive than induction so I'd only bother when the induction date looms....

Fibilou · 14/05/2010 17:47

i had a sweep at 10 days over. DD was born about 18 hours later after a dream birth (6 hours, delivered 15 mins after getting into hospital, no pain relief at all)

so i would deffo go for sweep over induction

Fibilou · 14/05/2010 17:49

and dd is my first baby as well

slushy06 · 14/05/2010 18:22

I had a sweep at 6 days over on dc2 labor started 18hours later I would much rather a few sweeps than an induction. sweep didn't hurt My labor was fine. I would have one a few days over.

Mrs1GeneGenie · 14/05/2010 18:35

I had a sweep on the thurs and DD wasn't born til early hours of sunday morning by which time I was 10 days over due.

I agree with the others and the longer you leave it the more likely it is it will work. My MW said it is most effective at 40 + 7.

I had a sweep to avoid being induced. My labour was fairly text book but not sure would have happened when it did without intervention.

Hope all goes well for you

madcatsazz · 14/05/2010 21:08

Hi, I am 40+10 today and agreed finally to a sweep yesterday which was very uncomfortable and verging on painful (cervix not favourable) and tbh, given the same choice again, I would decline. FWIW I have also declined induction for now to give the baby time to come on it's on. I have another appt with MW on Monday 40+13 and I'm undecided whether to have another sweep or not (last one was done by a consultant and he was rough and declared afterwards "oh, I don't think you were laying down far enough so that's probably why it hurt more") but as everyone else says, I would definitely wait until at least 41 weeks when your baby has had plenty of time to get ready.

IMoveTheStars · 14/05/2010 21:14

I regret having a sweep. (at 40+6) MW accidentally broke my waters but I didn't go into labour until 2 days later. Refused to be induced, but had antibiotics during labour. Had a very good birth with TENS and G&A, but ended up with an MROP with epidural.

I'l never know, but I wonder if the sweep/waters breaking early/etc contributed to the retained placenta.

Personally (and this is a very personal decision) I wouldn't have one next time until I was almost 42 weeks.

Flip