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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Sweep offered at 40 weeks?

53 replies

hairytaleofnewyork · 14/01/2012 22:05

apparently this is policy in my area with first babies.

I am presuming I can just say "no thank you" and that'll be that?

I don't see any need to rush things along without clear medical need so would rather just wait.

Anyone got experience of this?

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Flisspaps · 17/01/2012 11:37

Quite right hairytaleofnewyork - it doesn't matter what any hospital's policy is regarding induction on a certain date.

ALL women should be offered the choice of induction or expectant management as per NICE guidelines. The choice indeed lies with the mother and not the hospital :)

Original poster

hairytaleofnewyork · 17/01/2012 11:58

I probably will have it done today if offered but will want to talk it through with mw first am also considering Accupuncture as a more gentle mthod of doing things.

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Gigondas · 17/01/2012 12:02

2 lots of acupuncture helped me and nipple tweaking hairy. Thinking of you as remember you from The hut (was hardandsleazy) - dd2 due on Thursday here

Livened · 17/01/2012 12:05

I was 40 weeks yesterday and had a sweep. I had a scan too which showed he was already 8lbs so a healthy weight. I have now had a show today so am hopeful my baby will be here soon!

Good luck with your decision.

olefina · 17/01/2012 12:37

I had a sweep last time, I don't think it did alot. The MW recommended acupunture, I had 3 lots of that and it was awful, I had bad sciatica too so I could hardly walk which she also promised would improve but it was all a lot worse. Finally I had reflexology which I felt the baby respond to and was far more pleasant an experience. I gave birth within 48 hrs, likely anyway as was 40+10 so bang on for your stats but I did think the reflexology helped.

This time I will be asking for sweeps earlier and getting my feet done from 38wks. I'll be 40 when due and I think over 38yrs now they recommend induction at 40wks rather than 42. Last time I did everything to avoid induction as everyone I knew who had it ended up with EMCS. I did hypnobirthing and ended up with a little ventouse at the very end (mobile epi in place). I would also let them break my waters earlier whcih I didn't let them do until near the end last time. To me the sweep / water breaking are a lesser intervention than the drip and were far preferable to an EMCS. That's just my experience though.

Original poster

hairytaleofnewyork · 17/01/2012 12:48

Hey gigondas :) I remember you too :) I think I will go for acupuncture - I've been tweaking too but to no avail!

Lovely that we are now due within a day of each other!

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tilder · 17/01/2012 13:44

I understand your concern re intervention, but having experienced sweeps several times not sure I would class them as intervention. TBO, if you want someone to check if you are dilating etc, then you may as well have a sweep at the same time - feels like pretty much the same thing to me.

Original poster

hairytaleofnewyork · 17/01/2012 14:04

Well it is intervention - anything that doesn't just allow the natural course of events to unfold is - and I'm not in the habit of having women ebb two fingers around my cervix to separate membranes.

Although I take your point - it's minimal - and for me seems far preferable to a hormonal induction.

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Flisspaps · 17/01/2012 14:20

They are a form of intervention.

And you can have lots of sweeps and STILL end up agreeing to a hormonal induction.

Original poster

hairytaleofnewyork · 17/01/2012 14:40

Lovely midwife - she said that there's no point doing it at 40 weeks but they offer them at 40 plus 7, plus 9 and plus 11.

We also talked through induction and what happens as well as in her experience they usually end up with an epidural "flat on back" birth.

I feel a lot happier now and am going to book a massage and acupuncture/reflexology/reiki I think.

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strandednomore · 17/01/2012 14:51

Personally I would only have a sweep if there was a need to get the baby out - otherwise I would leave it. I had a couple of sweeps at around 40+7 and +10 and neither worked and were very painful, but I was trying to encourage her out instead of having another c/s (I ended up with the ELCS!).

olefina · 17/01/2012 14:57

fliss did your induction go ok? if you don't mind me asking.

hairy I understand wanting nature to be left to take it's course - and possibly I'm worrying more about going over because as an older mother the risk of stillbirth goes up - but I've been surprised by some of the extreme views on MN regarding intervention, am still reeling from some of the dubious statistics on the EMCS vs ventouse/forceps thread from a while back.

Couldn't a lot of the monitoring we receive whilst pregnant be classed as intervention, yet at every turn we're allowed to agree or disagree to tests / scans / measurements etc. Surely anything other than being left to your own devices with no MW rates as intervention of some sort.

I'd try to keep an open mind and ask the reasoning behind everything they offer and then judge for yourself.

olefina · 17/01/2012 15:00

oops hadn't seen your update, glad it went well.

tilder · 17/01/2012 15:14

OK, so probably not the best wording. As intervention goes though a sweep is not drastic and I guess what I was trying to say is that if you are happy for someone to check if you are progressing, then there is very little difference between that and a sweep (at least in terms of how it feels on the receiving end). I have no idea how successful they are as regards encouraging labour to start, but presume there must be some benefit or the NHS wouldn't offer it.

olefina · 17/01/2012 15:16

tilder I think it was me who first muddied the waters as it were (no pun intended) I agree too, if having a check anyway it's more a case of 'while you're down there...'

Gigondas · 17/01/2012 15:17

Hairy - thanks for update. Dd1 was flat on back epidural birth- it wasnt so bad If that is what you end up with.

tilder · 17/01/2012 15:21

No problems olefina. Am not anti intervention in any shape or form, just never really thought at which point something is considered intervention.

Once I hit 40 weeks, if a sweep is all it takes to start labour, I will be very happy!

Flisspaps · 17/01/2012 15:22

olefina I can see from your message to hairy above that we have somewhat differing views on intervention That's OK though, and every mother and baby are different and we all have to weigh up the pros and cons of any intervention or procedure offered for themselves.

My induction went OK in that DD and I are both alive and well. However it was VERY intervention heavy and had I known some some of the risks/disadvantages to some of the things I agreed to then I probably wouldn't have agreed to them. I had 17hrs of syntocinon contractions, CFM, epidural, forceps and episiotomy resulting in a 3a tear (which appears to have left me with some minor nerve damage/loss of sensation), PPH and manual removal of placenta under spinal anaesthetic. Avoided a blood transfusion by having a lovely MW who told the consultant she knew I'd refuse any further intervention and the blood loss could be appropriately countered with a course of iron tablets. It left me pretty traumatised and actually I wish that I'd left well alone and gone for expectant management like my heart was telling me to.

olefina · 17/01/2012 16:13

fliss thank you for sharing and sorry to hear that it was so traumatic.

I had a very limited experience of 'intervention' and as underway the thought of the EMCS was worse than say if offered an ELCS, so it was really once down that route, forceps wouldn't have been used in the hospital I was in.

Your experience has confirmed that I'm going to try to do everything to avoid induction again, which hopefully means sweeps from as soon as possible to avoid the drip.
Btw I'm not pro-intervention, ideally I wanted a water-birth and to be left to it but white coat syndrome and raised bp on arrival meant they classed me as high-risk and wanted to induce me (had to leave the birth centre with the pool steaming invitingly in the corner) I said no to induction and managed, with a little help, a natural (ish) birth 14 hrs later.

Wishing lots of positive energy and will-power to follow your intuition on what's right for you for this time.

Original poster

hairytaleofnewyork · 17/01/2012 16:55

Just to explain my caution - I lost three pregnancies (early on) in 2010-11 over a period of 8 months. I had one failed medical Erpc, which had to be then done by surgical means which failed, and had to be repeated as they "only got a teaspoon of blood out".

I then had a medical Erpc which was very painful. I am nearly 44 and u am frankly shit scared if doing the wron thing/not doing the right thing. I don't want to take any risks and there are both risks and advantages to interventions.

I wouldn't call monitoring by midwife "intervention" at all. They aren't actually doing anything that changes the process.

I would call a sweep more than an exam - I'm not bothered about how it feels but it seems to me it's quite a physically drastic thing to do - the aim is to separate the amniotic sac from the womb/cervix and to stretch the cervix to encourage the release of hormones. It isn't just a little "prod about".

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Original poster

hairytaleofnewyork · 17/01/2012 16:58

I'm not anti epidural or flat-on-back but ideally I would liKe to be squatting/standing as flat on back is generally understood to not be the ideal position and increases the chances of tearing.

If I need an epidural at the time I will have one.

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Gigondas · 17/01/2012 17:00

They can sort of sit you up - I was propped up like in a birthing chair if that makes more sense. Also I waited til about 4/5 cm dilated before had one so could move.

olefina · 17/01/2012 17:40

hairy so sorry to hear about your losses, it's understandable to be worried and sorry I didn't mean to be flippant about intervention.

Like gigondas I was 7cm before having an epidural and up to that time had been hypnobirthing on the birthing ball or leaning over bed, I couldn't lie down anyway because of my back. It all moved very quckly as they broke my waters then too and as merconium present we were on the clock.

How I understood it at the time was that induction meant a high risk of intervention, possibly resulting in EMCS so I wanted to avoid, I personally wouldn't consider without a mobile epi as it's such a shock to the body.

I wanted to be mobile to let gravity/nature help as much as possible. I was told that if ventouse was used they'd want to do an episiotomy and that this was preferable to tearing, IME it healed fine and really didn't seem a big deal.

Flisspaps · 17/01/2012 17:51

As I say, every mother and baby are different and we all have to weigh up the pros and cons of any intervention or procedure offered for themselves :)

Original poster

hairytaleofnewyork · 12/02/2012 09:05

Just thought i' update.

My waters broke early hours 19th Jan and I had a show that evening and I was induced on 20th. Pessary got me to 2 cm so was put on drip next day- did most of it on gas and air.

8pm on 21st had an epidural at 6cm and got to 9cm by 2am on 22nd.

At 4am I was still 9cm and had a forceps delivery (was prepped for a cs).

All this was bearable and fine - it's the resulting 3rd degree tear that's been difficult but I'm feeling better now - and my DD us lovely :)

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