40 Week Sweep HELP

[Babyno2mamabear]

So I'm 40 weeks and having a sweep tomorrow but someone just told me they won't do a sweep if head isn't engaged! Baby's head is 100% not engaged I can feel it bobbing above my knicker line. But I've heard 2nd babies don't normally engage until labour anyway, so surely that would mean hardly any 2nd time mum's have a sweep? I really just want to know what's going on up there, whether I should hope a natural birth might happen or just assume it's another induction on the cards!

Will they sweep if head isn't engaged?

Personally I'd avoid one if not engaged due to cord prolapse worries. I had two with my first baby and she wasn't engaged when I didn't know about cord prolapse so was a bit cautious and checked with obstetrician who I was booked in with and she said no sweep as head not engaged too - check with the clinical person doing it first

Thank you. Hopefully my midwife will just do whatever is safest. I have a huge amount of anxiety surrounding induction, to the point I hyperventilate if I think about it too much. But also in really severe pain and would love this baby to make an appearance. I just don't know what to do. Feel like my head and my body are in a constant battle :(

Subsequent babies don't normally FULLY engage until labour, but they may still be engaged to some extent. If they're at least 2/5ths in the pelvis then a sweep can be done. If they're totally free and not engaged at all, then the sweep wouldn't be done due to risk of cord prolapse if your membranes were to rupture. Hope that makes sense

I’d avoid a sweep altogether frankly except as a last resort.

Thank you 💖 I'm 99% she isn't engaged at all. I can pretty much move her head from side to side using my hands if I wanted to! (I did this yesterday by mistake when I was trying to work out where she was lying Haha!)

@sexnotgender can I ask why? Genuine question. My friend had 1 and she ended up having a natural delivery 10 hours later rather than the induction she had planned in 2 days.

I don’t agree with intervention unless it’s an absolutely last ditch effort to avoid induction.
It can cause more issues than it solves.

A sweep only ‘works’ if you’re pretty much ready to go anyway, it can introduce infection.