sweep advice please for first time mum!

[EmilyRose21]

Hi ladies,

I'm 39+5 and having a sweep tomorrow by my midwife. Has it ever worked for people that are at term and a first time mummy? I've heard it doesn't work as well for the first baby.
Any tips also? I know its supposed to be really uncomfortable and Im feeling quite nervous!

Thankyou in advance xx

Hello. Just to make you feel a bit better I have a sweep tomorrow as its my due date and I'm so scared! I've heard a lot of people say it hasn't worked but some say it does! Think it's a case of if your cervix is soft? Haha! X

A sweep will only 'work' if your body's about the go into labour anyway. I had two and neither worked as my cervix was too far back (I think that's what they said). I've known people say they work but that their cervix was favourable when it was done so were not far off labour anyway. Have one but don't get your hopes up that it will work.

I had a first sweep about two hours ago and am first time mum to be (40+3) I will let you know if we have any joy....

It's no worse than a smear test but be aware my MW still had to put her hand up there to judge I wasn't ready for the actual sweep so it's still intrusive even if they can't perform it. Only lasts a minute or two and not overly painful - I was a little sore after but no drama.

I had 2 at 38 and 39 weeks,DD was 2 weeks late! So don't get your hopes up, baby will come when they are ready no matter how much you try and force it

Remember, it is your choice - your care. You don't have to have a sweep if you are not comfortable with the idea.

I declined one at 40+1 yesterday but will give it a bash next week if still no baby. I am hoping, at that point, it will stave off more medical / artificial intervention.

I am due to have a sweep tmrw too. I will be 40+2.

I have had a few twinges but nothing else is happening and I am just ready to meet my baby now so I am going to go for it.

That said, I am not looking forward to the procedure and the fact that it might not even bloody work! If I have to go through something slightly unpleasant, I at least want it to be worth it!

Good luck everybody. Hope it works for you!

I had a sweep at midday at 40+4, first pregnancy. Went into labour that afternoon, baby born the following morning.

Being honest, it wasn't pleasant, but the end result was good!

The sweep didn't work for me first time, even thought I was told I was 2cm and ready to go, went into labour maybe 5 days later. It wasn't awful though, and I would absolutely try it again if i go over due this time. Not comfortable, but not awful either.

If your baby is still high up and not engaged, they won't bother offering you one, at least that's my experience at 40+6

Hello, I had a sweep with my first and my contractions started about half an hour after. I think I was 41+3 though and I didn't give birth until 2 days later. I'm 25+3 at the min and would have it done again. Good luck. I hope you get to meet your little one very soon.

Survived my sweep and am back home having a cup of tea!

It was fine. Yes, a bit uncomfortable but better than a smear test, I thought.

Bad news is my cervix was posterior and quite thick so still a way to go for me even though baby is pushing down low.

Been having tightenings across bump ever since though so maybe something will happen soon... Come on baby!

I'm currently 39+3 and have turned one down this week, I've also turned one down for next week. If at 41+2 when I have my next consultant appointment things feel a bit more ready to go (they absolutely don't at the moment - baby only 1/5 engaged, bump still feels quite high), then I'll consider one then.

I would still rather just have nothing, I hate all this time keeping stuff... especially when it's all based on dates that aren't really that accurate for many people.

Ohthegoats - yep, agreed. It has helped me to see it as a 5 week window of opportunity from 37 - 42 weeks. So bump has another 2 to go before we need to take action!

Full term is 40 weeks mummyblue, and a sweep isn't going to dislodge a baby whose not ready to come out, only if the cervix is favourable. OP, I was a FTM, I had mine at 40+1 and I'd recommend it if only to find out how things are going down there, it really gave me a boost to know I was dilated and. 'Ready to go'. It really isn't anything to worry about in terms of discomfort, but I didn't really give a damn about medical people doing whatever down there in light of what was to come, some people are less blasé than me! I started losing plug within the hour and had contractions on and off from the evening, and had the baby at 40+4. I firmly believe it worked for me!

I turned down a sweep at 40+4 with my first pregnancy as I had heard they didn't really do anything until after 41 weeks unless you were about to go into labour anyway.

Then I went into labour a few hours after the appointment would have been! So if I'd had it I would have sworn blind it had sent me into labour…

The huge majority of women do just go into labour naturally between 39 and 42 weeks.

42 weeks is the maximum that you tend to be allowed to go overdue, it's not really normal to get to that point. The placenta can start to fail after that. Anything from 37 weeks is considered full term actually, 40 weeks is counted as due date as it is the peak of births between 37 weeks and 42 weeks on a graph. 42 would be very late. I was 40+4 in the end. Having a sweep at 40 weeks is perfectly safe if you want to do it.

With my first the sweep didn't work but did with the second - I went into labour a few hours after one. It worked with number 3 but slowly, I laboured away for 2 days before going for my already booked induction.

I hope it helps all who are having them/or have had recently