To sweep or not to sweep?

[CherylAnnTweedy]

Briefly, I.m 40+2 today, dc3 and booked for sweep this morning. NHS trust policy is to sweep at 41, then induce 3 days later. I really don't want to be induced so have requested extra sweeps to help and give every chance of avoiding induction. However I feel like crap and don't know whether to cancel today and have one next week.

Reasons for sweep:
-don't want to be induced
-HB planned, don't want to go into hospital
-desperate to get this baby out of me. I've hated this pregnancy, I'm feeling like a crap mum, girlfriend, and just utterly useless and wimplike.

Reasons against sweep:
-feel like crap, been feeling fluey for a few days, had this a couple of weeks ago and it came to nothing, but I think I feel worse this time round
-so so dehydrated, usually drink a few sips during the night, since pregnant maybe 1/2 pint, last couple of days 3 pints! (probably related to flueiness)
-Pain threshold extremely low during pregnancy anyway, flu thing obv making it even lower. So 1. That's going to make sweep really painful, I remember how much I hated it being done with ds2 and 2. That's going to make labour more painful if I can't stand pain.

I don't know which way to go, if this goes like the flu thing I had a couple fo weeks ago I'll be better this afternoon and I'll regret not having the sweep, or I could have the sweep, this could hang around and turn into proper flu, the sweep works then have to go through labour and 1st few days with a newborn feeling like shit. Help!

Having read my post back, if I was giving advice I'd say hold off for a few days, but I don't like the thought of waiting - just want this baby out of me, but I feel rubbish I just want to curl up on the settee and hide until I feel better.

DP doesn't want me to have it done today. I'm so wound up, feels like I have a million and one things to do, we've had 4 power cuts since I got up at 7, I've just sworn at the kids, I don't even swear in front of them normally, I'm so bloody stressed, can't stop crying, my back hurts, my belly hurts, my ears hurt, my nose is streaming. I just want this over with, but I don't think the mw would even do the sweep the state I'm in right now. If I'm having it done I have to go in 20 mins. I keep feeling like I just want to cut the baby out of me myself to get it over with and that's how I'm feeling right now.

Hi crazykat, I haven't had a sweep before so can't comment on what that might be like on it's own but I completely understand where you're coming from on just wanting pg to be over. Thing is I'm not sure it'll feel so much easier to be dealing with a newborn and post-birth recovery, just different.

If it was me, I'd be tempted to make the decision based on very practical stuff like will You get a rest after it today to recover and can you give yourself some tlc because it sounds a bit like that's what you really need.

Can you get some more support with the kids over the weekend? Sounds like you need to need to build up your reserves a bit.

This is a really difficult time and it's hard enough for your body to cope with baby growing let alone anything else so I think you are being awfully hard on yourself. Please don't beat yourself up about being the perfect mum, partner etc. I bet you are the only one who has those kind of expectations of you right now.

Sorry, I realize that doesn't actually answer your question but take it easy and try to look after yourself whatever you decide.

Hey there :)

If it were me I wouldn't have the Sweep today. How would you feel about resisting the induction though, if it came to that?

I feel much the same as you in that I know they will offer me a sweep at 41 +2 and then an induction 3/4 days later and I am considering resisting both. Someone here told me that if they examine you and you are favourable for a sweep then you are probably near to giving birth spontaneously anyway so it is worth holding off and waiting to see.

However, you do sound like you want the baby out and if you can't hold on another week or more maybe you could resist it today but see how you feel a bit later on next week?

Hope you manage to beat both and get your HB :)

I'd have it.I had one on Wed and am having another tomorrow as it didn't seem to do much. I was dreading it and it wasn't that bad at all, key is to relax I think, few deep breaths. I'm doing all i can to avoid an induction next Thursday.

I wouldn't. I bled loads, it hurt and didn't work. It hasn't worked for anyone I know.

Could you take some paracetmol so that it gets rid of the flu feelings then you can decide if you want the sweep or not when you are feeling a bit better?

Hi sorry for not replying until now. I ended up having it done after much to-ing and fro-ing. DP didn't want me having it done as I was in such a state, I threw a strop at him, he threw one back, told him to turn round and go home. Got home, phoned the mat centre beggig them to induce me over the weekend. In the end passed the phone to DP who arranged for us to go down later in the day. He ran me a bath, calmed down then we went down.

MW said cervix was very very soft, but still long, couldn't really feel the sweep and no discharge afterwards. As opposed to the one with ds2 which was quite painful, had a show type discharge for the next few hours until he was born (6.5 hrs between sweep and birth).

The only thing that happened was baby went mad all afternoon and evening, moved more in a few hours than it has in the last 2 months put together, so now am going back this afternoon to check position of baby as it moved so much it can't have stayed where it is and I'm now worried that it's transverse or breech.

Such a pain as everything was ready 2 weeks ago - head virtually fully engaged since 34wks, contractions stronger than ds1 labour contractions most evenings and nights, really difficult to walk due to feeling head in my pelvis and so much pressure at the back (bearing down type pressure). Get to 40wks and baby pops out, nowhere near engaged, contractions stop and no pressure.

CAT I also had a stretch and sweep yesterday, 39+5. It was a little uncomfortable but not as bad as I heard it could be. LO hasn't moved any different to normal, had a little bit of a bloody show this afternoon.

Hope your LO hasn't moved transverse or breech. Let us know how it goes.

cat sorry, got my December ladies mixed up when I replied! Hope LO hasn't moved too much!