Stretch and sweep experiences please?

[CaseofEllen]

Hi all,

FTM. Due on Thursday. Midwife has offered a sweep on Thursday at my 40 week appointment. Despite doing as much reading into it as possible I'm not sure if I should go ahead with it or not?

Looking for any experiences or advice, positive or negative to help make a decision.

Thank you!

I had 2 with dd and neither of them worked

Hi @CaseofEllen 👋

With DS I was offered one at 40 weeks and turned it down because I really did not feel like it that day - it was a different MW.

My own MW offered me one again and I was happy to accept at 40+5. Perhaps coincidental but labour started 24hrs later.

My due date is next week with DC2 and I'll not know if l'll accept having one until then. Go with your instinct on it!x

Had it with dd2, it was not painful at all and she was born the next morning at 40+1. Had it then done with DS and it wasn't painful, I was 3cm dilated but no, it didn't work, then had it again a few days later but still nothing so it wasn't until 41weeks that he finally got into the correct position to be born (bigger baby). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Only had one once with dc4 and he was born next day

Had one at 40+1, went into labour 24 hours later despite MW saying nothing was really happening down there. Wasn't painful, and I really struggle making it through smear tests so that's saying something.

I had a few with DC2. I really didn’t want an induction, so midwife did a few sweeps in the last couple of weeks.

First ones were uncomfortable, bordering on painful. The last one was completely different, wasn’t painful at all, and the baby arrived 12hrs later, a day before my induction was booked in (40+1). I have no idea how much the sweep helped, it if I was ready to pop anyway 🤷‍♀️

I had one and went into labour that night