Sweep - what does it feel like and when to get it done?

[Dee142]

I am currently 38+0 and utterly exhausted and uncomfortable. Never had a labour that started on its own. Have appointments at 38+2 and 38+6. Sweep will be offered at 38+6. Is it painful? Does it work…? And also given how I am feeling any sense in asking for it at 38+2? (Not sure if the midwife would agree!).

thanks 🙂

I had a sweep at 41+ weeks, tho didn't discover til much later that I was already partially dilated. Think it was a little uncomfortable but was prepared to try things to get little one out! Follow up sweep didn't happen (tho was told I should have one 2 days after original!) When labour happened a few hours later, it was fast!!
Next baby came slightly early, so didn't have to consider sweep again!
Just worth checking with midwife, especially if you've had issues previously!
Good luck.

They will agree, midwives love a good intervention. Just be aware that there's a good chance they can "accidentally" break your waters in which case you'll be put on a 24hr timer start contracting by yourself, which is unlikely to happen if your body isn't ready. If it doesn't start naturally you'll be whisked off and plugged with pitocin causing even worse contractions than normal and carries its own risks, and then you'll be desperate for pain relief you'll likely need an epidural which also comes with further risks. I don't mean to sound preachy or judgy especially if you've had an induction before, but please consider all the risks of intervention before you go ahead with sweep - which itself is a form of intervention. Lord knows pregnancy is TOUGH but your baby is designed to know when they are most safe to be born - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5346347/#:~:text=The%20fetal%20lung%20secretes%20signals,%2Dactivating%20factor%20(PAF).

I disagree with the PP saying they will agree. Medical professionals will want baby to stay in as long as possible unless there is a reason why they need baby to come out. I have never heard of someone getting a sweep before 39 weeks and I don’t know why you would want to. I had 2 sweeps at 39 and 40 weeks due to high fluid. They were painful and made me bleed. I had an awful labour and if I decide to have another I will not do any interventions unless absolutely necessary as I don’t believe my body was ready. Please consider starting interventions so early there is a reason pregnancy is 40 weeks.

Unpleasant in my experience, I was very big and uncomfortable generally - 10lb baby. The physical sweep was painful and ultimately pointless as same day they decided to induce for unrelated reasons. I wish I’d refused.

Sweep for me was very memorably the worst part of labour. One of those things where they said 'oh you'll just feel a mild discomfort' but it was painful and frankly I felt violated. And I say this as someone who was then inducted, went 7 hours active labour no help and then a further 29hrs, had episiotomy etc. If I had been pregnant another time, I would have told them to f right off.
For me it's up there with IUDs being inserted

It’s slightly uncomfortable for about 20 seconds . I thought she couldn’t get any further up there but she did and I did let out an ouch but I had my baby within 24 hours

Personally I never has a sweep and I refused induction, I gave birth at 40+12

Sweeps are pretty horrible and a fairly new thing. My mum didn't even know what it was until I told her.

I actually think they don't help at all and cause more problems (there is no evidence that they actually induce labour). Can't understand why so many women have them, they're pretty unnecessary and gross IMO

This lady knows what she's on about. Basically avoid.

Do you know they now offer sweeps from 39 weeks as routine?

It's really not true that they want baby in for as long as possible, there is a culture of interference and fear that a woman's body can't be trusted to do its job. Yet the still birth rate hasn't gone down, however birth trauma has gone up.

It's a nasty business.

Had 2 sweeps with my first, at 39 and 40 weeks. Honestly, they wee horrendous and didn't do anything to bring on labour (baby eventually came via c-section at 41 weeks). Just had my second and declined the offer of a sweep at 39 weeks, baby came a few days later (albeit via c-section again)

That’s why I said before 39 weeks….as in you can have them at 39 weeks not before.

I’ve had 5 pregnancies and had a sweep with baby no. 5.

With that pregnancy - baby was measuring over 99th centile and they planned to induce me. 1st sweep was to try to avoid induction. 2nd sweep- I had attended hospital for a balloon catheter induction and was 2cm dilated on the day so they didn’t bother inducing me and just offered a sweep instead then sent me home.

Labour started later that night and I had a very quick, easy labour but I think my body had already started the process anyway. I was 39+3.

Sweep wasn’t painful. I don’t really like a lot of intervention though and only opted for it as it felt a bit preferable to an induction.

It's basically a gloved finger up in your cervix going all round the edge of the amniotic sac. I found it uncomfortable but not painful. I had mine at 40 weeks and gave birth less than 48 hours later. It is only possible to do a sweep if you're already a little bit dilated.

I found mine comfortable but I wouldn't have said no to one with dd2, it was bearable, a bit like having a smear really. Similar type feeling. Mine worked, but I was already about 1cm dilated so probably would have gone into labour soonish anyway.

Sorry uncomfortable

I had two with my first baby, at 40 and 41 weeks. It hurt and did fuck all. I had a c-section after failed induction at 42+5!

I had two sweeps, one at 39 weeks and one at 40 weeks. Both I found quite painful, in the sense that I immediately broke out in a sweat, but not agony as such.
I went into labour at 40+5, so they probably didn't work tbh and I could have avoided the discomfort entirely.
Subsequent babies have been elective c sections but if I was given the option to have a vaginal delivery I certainly wouldn't opt to have another sweep.

With DC1 I felt the sweep was worse than labour - I felt really violated and screamed out for her to stop. The midwife said my cervix was high so she couldn't reach it properly - I didn't really have much confidence in her generally, and she was really rough. It made absolutely no difference - I actually wondered if the trauma of that delayed things from starting on their own!!

With DC2 I was in two minds about doing it again, but did feel I trusted the midwife more. (It was a different midwife.) I asked her to give me a quick exam to see if she could reach my cervix and to see if she felt I was at all dilated first, in order that I could then decide whether to proceed. I actually was a bit dilated and low cervix, so went ahead with it at 40 weeks. Similar to a smear, a bit uncomfortable but not unmanageable and nothing like the first one. However, nothing happened!! Had another one at 41 weeks and baby was born within 24 hours.

I think it completely depends on how ready you are and how good the midwife is. I certainly wouldn't be pushing for one before 40 weeks.

Great post 👌🏽

I don't want to scare you OP but I thought it was very painful and I wouldn't ever do it again.

Didn’t expect this question to generate so much in response! Thanks everyone for your input

It’s uncomfortable rather than painful - worked wonders with my first and had a text book delivery. The midwife who did it was fantastic and really did a very good job. With second pregnancy the midwife was pregnant herself, didn’t do it well and it was unsuccessful. Both my pregnancies went over 41 weeks and both babies large (9.10 and 10.2oz) so I’d still recommend trying but probably not at your gestation - your body needs to be ready for labour.

I do think it can be a mixed bag.

I've had a couple that were uncomfortable but quick and a couple that were indescribably painful and quite traumatic.

For one of the painful ones, the midwife told me to get an epidural first as she was going to do a "big" sweep because my labour wasn't progressing like it should.
The gas and air didn't touch the sides.
I wouldn't get one again.

Going against the grain, I had two sweeps with my second born. I did not find them painful or even irritating. First at 38+1 and I was 3cm. Lost mucus plug that week and had mild surges every evening (read: many false alarms!). I had another sweep at 39+1 and was found to be 6cm dilated! Had the baby later that day.

I have had loads. I can't remember. But I do remember seeing my babies for the first time and that was magical.