someone please give me some hope!!

[jlee24]

I'm 40+3days pregnant! Had a sweep last wed my midwife said I was 1cm dialated and 50% effaced. I had period pains for 2 days after it an lost my mucus plug on the friday morning. Midwife came back out yday and did another sweep yet again I woke up last nite with period pains abit of brown discharge and today my discharge has been really thick. Am I going to go into labour soon? I just feel like these sweeps are doing nothing but givin me false hope and I'm booked in for another one thursday but am thinking of canceling it. I'm also booked in for induction next wed but really want to go into labour on my own!! Please someone help!xx

sweeps do help!!! effects of them are what you've been describing!
the sweep is supposed to stretch and soften the cervix and start hormonal changes that bring on labour - both of these are already happening!

to further the effect of sweeps I'd recommend to have sex - we did with DS3 - born within 48 hrs, DS5 - born within 12 hrs and DD - born within 24 hrs

(DSs 1&2 were induced, no sweep, DS4 was ELCS)

If your waters haven't broken yet, you can have sex anytime, we tried to as soon as we could right after the sweep, not very romantic, but especially with DC5 &6 I would have done anything to avoid another C-section!

so please try to relax and calm down somehow, stressing about labour is counterproductive and can actually slow down or stop the process of labour/contractions!!

and have another sweep on Thursday and next Monday also if you need to! there's no reason why you shouldn't start labour on your own, all the signs are there and very promising!

I reckon you'll have baby by the weekend, easily

That's made me feel a lot better I didn't think of it like that. My sweeps still booked in for tmoro so fingers crossed it brings on labour. Iv been having contractions today not regular or very painful just abit uncomfortable.

that's good, it's going nice and easy!

when you have the sweep ask if they can tell if you are dilated at all...

try and eat things that gently stimulate bowel movement - prunes are good or whatever makes you go.
but don't eat things that would give you the runs!

raspberry leaf tea won't make you go into labour, but it can help relax/stimulate the womb so it can be beneficiary

and mainly try and sleep as much as you can - you can't bottle it, but you need all the energy for labour
a couple of paracetamols for period-like pain are good, they take the edge off mild pain so you can rest - don't worry about it masking the pain of labour, when it starts off you will know!!!!