Your experience of a sweep

[namechange7891011]

Just looking for some experiences of women who have had sweeps. I have one booked for the end of the week and feel a bit nervous.

Can i ask:

1. how much did it hurt?
2. did they find your cervix ok? (My cervix is normally very high up and I feel a bit worried they won’t even get to it!)
3. did it work?
4. anything else that might help a first time mum to feel prepared for it

TIA

Are you wanting honesty OP? Good news is it bought on labour!

I had one at an appointment with a male doctor that was very unpleasant because I was tense and upset - looking back I should have declined it all together.
Then I had one with a midwife, I was so braced for it due to the previous experience that it was a relief how it actually went. I don’t remember the one with the midwife being at all painful. Both times they found my cervix easily as baby is pushing it down I suppose!
No, it didn’t work for me.
Try to relax as best you can and if you don’t really want it or don’t feel comfortable or relaxed you don’t actually have to have it.

1. worst pain I’ve had personally - felt like someone was cutting me inside with a knife but I’m guessing it was because I wasn’t ready and it was early - 38 weeks
2. she struggled to find my cervix
3. yes it worked and bought on labour the next day

1. It was uncomfortable more than painful.
2. Found easily and was told I was already 3-4cm dilated, could feel the waters bulging and the top of babies head.
3. It caused a bit of bleeding but did start contractions off.
4. Take a pad to wear after it has been done.

I think I’m scared that it’s going to be painful but want to prepare myself with how much pain.. so I don’t mind honesty. That’s great it worked for you. I really hope it works for me too as I have a proper induction booked provisionally for a week after

Hellish - felt violated actually it was so painful. Did nothing, I was 13 days late anyway and ended up induced. On the plus side she noted that any future internals I’d get gas and air which was delicious. I refused any sweeps for my second.

I had one as overdue, it was uncomfortable not painful and did nothing.
My friend had one and went into labour within hours.

@NewGoldFox@Whoinvented@LilaRose25 thank you.

@LilaRose25did they break your waters when they did it? Thanks for the tip about the pad I hadn’t thought of that.

I’ve had two sweeps with two babies

1. first one was agony - I then went onto be induced and they said I wasn’t ready for a sweep. Second one I barely felt - my body was closer to being ready
2. My cervix is high too. I had to rest my bum on my fists
3. dint work with first, did work with second
4. my advice would be to ask if your cervix is ready for a sweep, and don’t do it if not

Will be nowhere near as painful as Labour.
Ive had 8 so they can’t be too bad, just uncomfortable

Hello, my cervix is also very high and on an angle but I didn’t really find it that painful just a bit uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable as a smear test although that’s just my opinion. They also burst my waters on my second sweep which apparently isn’t so common but I didn’t feel anything or any pain just an uncomfortable pressure 😊

I was given one without my consent. It was uncomfortable but OK, but I was very angry they hadn’t asked for my consent. I wouldn’t have wanted one if I had been asked, but actually it wasn’t that bad.

1. uncomfortable but nothing compared to the gallstone and kidney stone I’ve had (actually two child births with no pain relief whatsoever weren’t as painful as those)
2. yes, and I have always had issues with finding cervix for smears but it was fine
3. yes it did, and things moved VERY quickly afterwards. Only just made it to the labour ward in time
4. dare I say, relax? Probably impossible but not sure there’s much else you can do. Good luck!

i had 3, possibly 4. First two done by community midwife were uncomfortable. Cervix was high so had to be “walked” down (or something). Final one/two were done in the hospital and were far more intense. None of them worked. I did the breathing I’d been doing to prepare for labour and that helped although they did offer gas and air in the hospital. Midwife will give you a pad if you forget, although I didn’t bleed.

My sweep at 39+1 was neither painful nor uncomfortable. I was found to be 6cm at the time and gave birth later that day. I will absolutely be getting another sweep around the same gestation in this pregnancy.

I’ve had a few. Can’t remember if three or four. Haven’t found them uncomfortable at all. Have quite pleasant memories of the first one actually as it was a really nice day and the midwife was nice and I treated myself to a chocolate brownie in the sunshine afterwards. Maybe do that, so your memory stores it as a lovely day out? 😂

After my first, my mucus plug went the day after. I still needed to be induced but was already a few cm dilated when I went in. Can’t really remember with the others. They have managed to do the sweep every time, despite often finding it difficult to find things during a smear.

On the other hand, I haven’t enjoyed the experience of having my waters broken (twice). I found that a bit uncomfortable.

Mine wasn’t too uncomfortable from what I remember. It worked too 👏

I had a sweep both times when I was already in labour, or had been contracting and went to the hospital. 1st I was 2cm though and I think you need to be 4 for them to admit you so the midwife suggested this. I’m not going to lie, it was uncomfortable but manageable because I did not want to go home and have to come back! I did get to 4cm pretty quickly but not sure if it was directly related to that. 2nd time I was further along in cm but my water hadn’t broke so she said she’d give me a sweep and see if it helps things along…my god it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life and I gave birth to 2 8lb babies naturally with only gas and air. I was offered it at 39weeks with DC2 but refused because I remembered the pain from the 1st time. I definitely wouldn’t have it until I was overdue maybe 40+3

Mine was absolutely fine. Slight discomfort/pressure but not painful, and brought on labour so pretty successful!

I had three, they didn't work!

Uncomfortable and unpleasantly dry and scratchy-feeling rather than painful.

Had one with DS1 at 41+6 (by which stage I was doing absolutely anything that might even vaguely get him moving). Went into labour that night. Wasn’t painful at all - lovely community midwife.

Planned sweep at 39 weeks as I had to be induced ahead of EDD for medical reasons unrelated to pregnancy.

1. It hurt so much that I cried, felt like she was using a cheese grater on my cervix and vaginal walls.
2. She found it but it was high, closed and retroverted so it was difficult, and I think that’s why it was so painful. I wish she hadn’t tried the sweep because she said afterwards that she knew it wouldn’t work based on how my cervix felt.
3. It did not work, unfortunately. The induction also didn’t work and ended in an EMCS. The sweep also left me very sore so the induction was very painful because I was already in a lot of discomfort internally from the attempted sweep.
4. Be pleasantly surprised if it works, and not too disheartened if it doesn’t.

Good luck!

I need to read the detail. I had the chimneys done this week and nearly commented. 🤦🏻‍♀️

My waters were broken a couple of hours later once there was a room available on the delivery suite. My only regret with that was agreeing to let a student attempt to break them. It was incredibly painful to the point I had to ask for it to be stopped. The supervising midwife then did it and it wasn’t painful at all. I’m all for letting the students be involved but that’s definitely one thing I would avoid if I did it all again!

I had them with both pregnancies:

DC1 overdue, had a sweep at 40+10, not uncomfortable but did absolutely nothing and I ended up with an induction at 40+12.

DC2 had one at 39 weeks and 40 weeks as baby measuring big. Not uncomfortable but 39 weeks had no effect. 40 weeks broke my waters (apparently accidentally but didn’t feel that way at the time). I had been planning a home birth but because I didn’t go into labour naturally even after my waters went I ended up being admitted and induced again (not what I wanted!).

I would not have one again.