Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Flip

Original poster

PLEASE CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE v. stressed out over membrane sweep earlier!

19 replies

bubbalikescandy · 08/10/2007 18:30

I'm 41 +1 today, and unsucessfully had a membrane sweep earlier on this afternoon. It hurt so much the midwive had to stop. I was surprised as my pain threashold is usually quite good. She said that my womb was too high and too far back for her to reach.
I am now booked in for an induction next monday and she thinks it is unlikely that i will go into labour naturally. I am gutted, i really am quite scared at the prospect of induction too as the membrane sweep hurt so much.

Has anyone been told their womb was too high and go in to labour naturally?
I never had this with my ds who came naturally at 40 +6.
Thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Lulumama · 08/10/2007 18:32

oh goodness me, i do so dislike this way of giving heavily pregnant women so little confidence.

there is EVERY chance you can go into labour within the next week.

tut tut at your midwife for saying that she doubts it.

a lot can change in a week, an unripe cervix can ripen and things can progress quite, quite naturally.

lots of sex {sorry} will help as will relaxing, visualising the birth, and ignoring unhelpful comments like that

CarGirl · 08/10/2007 18:34

My membrane sweeps never went well and I never went into labour naturally. I reckon you're having a girl & she is going to be smaller than your ds was and you'll go into labour just before you get induced!!!!

Anyway being induced was not as bad as the membrane sweeps IME - with my 4th I still had a bishops score of 1 at 42 weeks 6 hours after the first lot of induction gel [shcok] but she was delivered 5 hours late .

Mine just don't sit on my cevix it would seem!

udderleyfoxy · 08/10/2007 18:37

Poor you, try not to be too upset. I was in a similar situation, ended up having 5 sweeps. Your MW doesn't really know when your baby will come.

All being well, you don't have to have an induction. I think they call it "expectant monitoring". The MWs at the hospital I was booked into rolled their eyes when I mentioned it, but my own team of community MWs were supportive.

As someone said to me when I started an 'overdue thread' you can have the birth you want if you really want it.

I was due to be induced on a Friday, but was way too stressed about it. I negotiated a couple of extra days and once I stopped stressing she came later that day. It can happen! Good luck

Original poster

bubbalikescandy · 08/10/2007 18:38

Thanks that has made me feel so much better.
I have been doing visualising with a hypnotherapy c.d, but sex i think is out the question at the mo as i feel so sore!
Someone told me to look in to acupunture too. I really do hope that i can go in to labour naturally this week tho, i am glad there is still a chance then

OP posts:

Olihan · 08/10/2007 18:40

Bubba, when i was pg with dc3 I asked for a sweep at my 40 week appointment but when the mw came to do it she refused because the baby wasn't engaged and my cervix was very high. I was as gutted as you seem, having already been induced with dc2 (who resisted 5 sweeps to get her out!). I was adament that I was NOT being induced again, went home, used my breast pump to do some nipple stimulation and went into labour that night. I had a 2.5 hour labour less than 12 hours after the mw said he was no where near ready to be born.

There is still hope!

Bear in mind that you don't have to agre to induction. You can ask to be monitored every day instead, they can not force you to be induced.

How accurate are your dates? With dc2 they wouldn't accept my dates because I had a 35 day cycle, despite the fact I knew exactly when I'd conceived. The dating scan they gave me brought my due date forward by nearly a week so I wasn't as overdue as they thought. I agreed to induction as it was August and baking hot and I just wanted her out!

udderleyfoxy · 08/10/2007 18:43

I had acupuncture the day before she came if that helps. Electo-acupunture no less (it was very odd). Had two sessions of it the same day.

Do you have an exercise ball to bounce on? Might help get some movement.

Original poster

bubbalikescandy · 08/10/2007 18:50

Thanks, my dates are accurate - normal 28 day cycle and i think i know when i concieved.
I think i might go shopping tomorrow and get one of those exercise balls.

I'm going to think about trying to put back the induction, i really would like a natural birth.

The midwives make it out like you have no choice?

OP posts:

Lulumama · 08/10/2007 18:57

you do not have to be induced, you can have expectant management. some babies need to be in utero for 43 weeks.. DaisyMoo has some good stats on risks of going post dates.

it is your choice...

Snaf · 08/10/2007 19:06

Bubba, if it makes you feel any better: I looked after a woman last week who had a sweep at 11am and her cervix was far back, closed, long and firm - i.e. very 'unfavourable'.

She delivered her baby at 6am the next day

I agree sometimes it feels as if you don't have a choice. Induction is presented as a fait accompli FAR too often. But as the others have said, you don't have to be induced. Tell them you want expectant management and in the meantime bounce on the ball, twiddle those nipples, have some sex (but don't bother with the pineapple, it's a waste of time and money!)

Lulumama · 08/10/2007 19:07

yes , the pineapple thng. you need to eat 7 fresh pineapples to get the enzyme effect to start the ripening...

Snaf · 08/10/2007 19:07

Plus it makes your mouth sooooo sore!

ThePhantomToiletFlusher · 08/10/2007 19:10

I was induced with my second as I went over..I too never had a clue I had a choice about it..midwives said I had to as the placenta would be past its sell-by date.

By the way, my first came naturally and both births were the same-ish in length/pain and ended in the same place (nice healthy baba).

Original poster

bubbalikescandy · 08/10/2007 19:20

snaf - it does make me feel better, just to know there is a chance i can still go in to labour. I was given the impression that i wouldnt but if things can change that quickly then thats good, i can still keep positive.

Im not gonna bother with pineapple, yuck but will give the bouncing ball and nipple stimulation a good try Thankyou all

OP posts:

TheDuchessOfCorpseBride · 08/10/2007 19:46

Lulu's right - a week is a very long time at the end of pregnancy and you have every chance of going into labour naturally at anytime between now and next week. I had a sweep (in the morning) with my second pregnancy at 41+3, not a brilliant sweep and it hurt like hell, but I did go into labour the following morning. Hurrah!

My favourite induction story is the night I spent emailing a friend in London who couldn't sleep as she was booked into hospital for 8am. At just after 4am I had an email that said "fucking great, waters have just broken, contractions started, cheers mate, later!". And she was finished by 6am.

2Happy · 08/10/2007 19:52

Slightly different because I was induced, but when I was assessed before the pessary I was told my cervix was high, closed and very posterior - ie as unfavourable as they come. 6 hours later after lots of tightenings, I was gutted to be told that maybe my cervix had stretched but not even a centimetre. They told me I'd get another pessary the next morning. 2 hours later my waters went. OK, so things went wrong from that moment on, but that's irrelevant - what I'm trying to say is an unfavourable cervix does not equal no chance of prgoressing. Good luck!

udderleyfoxy · 08/10/2007 21:32

Bubba, I suppose it depends on who you get on the day, but if you are fairly firm that you would like expectant management (which will keep an eye on things and make sure the placenta is still functioning) then they really should go along with your wishes.

A couple of the ladies on the June '07 thread went over 43 weeks through expectant management. They don't seem to be around tonight, but I can bring your thread to their attention if that would help.

Don't worry yet! And make sure you let us know when it happens!

WheresMyWaistGone · 08/10/2007 21:51

Hello

Someone said that they were too sore after the sweep to contemplate sex...well I have heard that the 'active ingredient' is as effective if taken orally...

Hope that helps!!!

pooka · 08/10/2007 21:58

Hi there! I had a sweep at 40+3 with ds (my second child). Or rather, didn't actually have the sweep as the midwife couldn't get there. Was told unfavourable.

Had a bit of a show the next day. Had him at 41 weeks, so 4 days after my unsuccessful sweep. Midwives were very shocked, so much so that none were available for my planned home birth. Ended up having him in a 2.5 hour labour, actually giving birth about 50mins after getting to hospital.

So... basically, hang on in there. DH and I had sex after the sweep (worth a shot) and I really think that a combination of the two things were what did the trick, although I could of course have gone into labour in any case - will never know!

Original poster

bubbalikescandy · 19/10/2007 13:15

Hi,

Just wanted to update you. I went in to labour that night (waters broke) and had my beautiful dd on the wed after very long labour. Didn't have a normal delivery in the end as she was so high up and got stuck but at least she is healthy. Thanks for all the advice - just goes to show no one can predict when you go in to labour.

OP posts:

Flip

Swipe left for the next trending thread