Would you ask for a sweep?

[littlelamb]

Today is my due date (yay!) and for the last two days I have been having regular but painless contractions about 5 minutes apart. Last night they started to get a bit more painful, nothing unmanageable but more like a bad period pain. This morning they seem to have stopped, but have more of a constant periody ache. I am seeing the midwife tomorrow so should I ask for a sweep? I have SPD which is making things very uncomfortable for me, I tried bouncing on my birth ball yesterday but managed five minutes before my hips were agony, and I couldn't lie in bed last night as a result I really thought the contractions I was having were the real thing as I haven't really been having braxton hicks. Db is posterior so I suppose this could be why there is no progress? Is there anything else I can try to get things going properly. This is my second db. Is it normal for things like this to last for weeks and weeks before anything happens? I am thinking of NatalieJanes mammoth threads

yes go for a sweep - it can move things along for you and isn't too intrusive, plus the mw or doctor can tell you what kind of state your cervix is in which can give you an indication of how ready you are for labour. Of course, it might do nothing (as in my case!) but worth a go I should think. Good luck!

I am not an expert at all, but probably would be thinking about trying to get baby out of posterior position before having a sweep, as your labour will likely be much more comfortable if you can get it to turn around before rather than during (or try to have an OP delivery)
have you tried any positioning techniques?

I can see with your SPD you'll be desperate, but labour is much less likely to cause difficulties with your SPD if the baby is not posterior, IMO

O franny I know (I never did send you those maternity clothes did I? I will sort them out later if you still want them) Dd was posterior and didn't turn in labour and it was not nice, made worse by the fact that she was induced for being late. I really want to avoid that this time, but NOTHING seems to be working to get this little one to turn. I am spending about an hour every day on all fours, am sittign backwards on chairs, not slouching, walking up stairs sidways, you name it! I have an anterior placenta, as I did with dd and I have been told that this makes posterior babies more likely, although I don't know how true that is. I am still getting contractions, but no real feeling with them now, just a constant periody ache. I suppose at least if the midwife has a look tomorrow I will know if I am making progress.

ok, that's good you are doing all of those things and the baby still may turn, many turn during labour

I think I would still hold on wrt the sweep, if you csan bear to - to give the baby more time to turn before labour begins
I am thinking of your SPD - I don't know about you, but ds ended being born posterior with a tricky forceps delivery - you don't want that with your SPD ideally

I have read the anterior placenta does make it more likely they will be OP

remember your due date is early days yet - you've got about 2 weeks window now where the baby may be getting ready to be born

I wouldn't have a sweep. I've posted about it before, so aologies for repeating myself.
I also had a prolonged backache labour and the sweep just made it more painful, and caused my waters to break,it didn't actually progress my dilation etc.

Sorry you have SPD. I have friends who've had it and it's really awful, but I agree with FZ.