Honestly is a sweep painful?

[42daystogo]

38 weeks and midwife booked me in for my 40 weeks appointment. She said at 40 weeks they offer a sweep, no pressure either way, said most women go into labour with 48 hours if they get it, others prefer nature to take its course. DS1 was nearly 3 weeks early so no issues last time, i told her her i'd been feeling crampy and she said i might go naturally over the nexg two weeks anyway.

What have been your experiences? I remember with DS1 they examined me when i arrived at the hospital in labour and i was 7cm dilated and if was painful but not sure if thats something to compare it to

I'd say it was a bit more painful than a smear test. Not awful by any means but I did have to kind of breathe through it iykwim!

No, not in my experience and I had them with each pregnancy.

Uncomfortable definitely. Painful no. I had 3. Would have Preferred not to have any but hey ho

For balance, I found them incredibly painful. But mercifully short. And I’d say my pain threshold is average.

It wasn't pleasant but it was bearable. Would say more uncomfortable than painful for me.

Not as I recall- but there was a woman on the prenatal ward who literally screamed and wailed every time she had an examination (and it was her third child), so I guess it depends how you’re made. Assume it won’t hurt so you’ll be relaxed, and if it does, then it’s over in a few seconds anyway.

Nope. Was not painful or discomforting in the slightest. It also did absolutely nothing for me! I had 3 sweeps over the course of one week and nothing happened.

Tbh im really weird about instruments being used like for smears etc, not so much i wont go but i do get myself quite worked up beforehand. Its silly really but i dont use tampons either, i think its the idea of a foreign object being up there 🙈. Im the same with needles, with DS i had a water birth with gas and air and DH laughed at me because i winced when they gave me the injection for my placenta to come away quicker. Its more of a psychological thing i guess. I asked the midwife to explain exactly what they do and she said they use their fingers so i dont know, ill have a think and also decide how much i want the baby out if i still havent went naturally by 40 weeks!

Very uncomfortable. I declined them in my second pregnancy.

No I had two and felt nothing

I'd got myself so worked up about it too but was nothing to worry about. I did decline a student midwife's offer to do it though.

Also if its quick I would be tempted to just get it done but not actually decide until there as the build up to it would freak me out

Yes but quick.

Like a smear test but longer.

I didn't feel much at all, and she came the next morning. The midwife said my cervix was very close to ready, and that that's what makes the difference in whether it's uncomfortable or not and whether it works or not.

Uncomfortable but not painful

had two with DS1 and DS2 and I found them fine. I was more uncomfortable about having a stranger having a dig around with a black and decker torch on his head

I found it painful, yes. And I don’t find smears at all painful. I refused a sweep in my second pregnancy as I didn’t tolerate it in my first pregnancy. I felt so strongly about it that I had it written into my notes by the consultant that I would only give consent to any vaginal examination during labour if gas and air was available to me. But sweeps are usually done in surgeries and so gas and air isnt generally available.

Yes, very!
I have had three babies, gave birth to #3 (after caesarean #1 and forceps #2) with no pain relief and would do that again over having a sweep.
It's also the first step in a long line of intervention. No good will come of it, avoid, and go for a walk instead.

Not pleasant but doable.

As a midwife I’ve noticed that more experienced midwives tend to give more ‘painful’ sweeps but that they are definitely more effective.

I had one while being induced. I won't lie, I found it very painful. Might have also been because the consultant was nearly 7ft with hands like shovels!

You could try the sweep, with the proviso that she’s to stop if it’s painful and you’ll just let nature take its course instead if it’s bad!

I barely felt mine but I was 40 weeks with my 3rd child.

Mine didn’t hurt at all. Didn’t work though either!

I’ve had two babies, and a total of five sweeps. They worked really well for me towards the end of my pregnancy (I was having them from 38 weeks with baby 2) and the most painful ones were the ones that worked! It’s over with in seconds and really no big deal. It also doesn’t mean you’re going to need interventions further on. I had two intervention free vaginal births, stayed at home with both till I was 6cm and only used gas and air for both.

I've had 4, 2 fir each of my first 2 children, they didn't work. Both girls were induced at 42 weeks. first sweep I was apprehensive but it was okay, 2ñd and 3rd were uncomfortable, last was excruciating. Midwives did the first 3, tiny phillipino nurse and lovely but huge Lenny Henry lookalike (he even had the same laugh) fought over who was going to do the last, the one with hands like boxing gloves won which may explain it. I refused them last month for my last DD. My pain threshold is quite high, gas and air for first daughter, nothing for the others. I'd say it depends on who's doing the procedure...