3 days overdue, shall I accept a sweep?

[SheWillBeLoved]

Title says it all really! Was due on the 18th by my scan dates with my first (due 11th by my LMP)

Midwife said last week that if I still hadn't made any progress by tomorrow, then they would offer me a sweep. I don't know if I want it though - part of me wants to let her come when she's ready to, and part of me is wondering whether I should go by my LMP dates which would make me almost 2 weeks overdue, and take the sweep.

Help Genuinely at a loss as to what to do. No real signs of labour starting, just feeling like I've been given a good kick in my pubic bone

Experiences of sweeps/being overdue/getting things going much appreciated

I was 13 days overdue with the beginnings of niggly labour pains. They offered me a sweep, as I wanted to have DS in my midwifery led unit as opposed to the V large hosiptal in nearby city. I had been booked into be induced the next day.

Had sweep on the Wed morning (I found it extremely painful)and DS on the Thurs morning at 8.30....at the large city hospital !!!!!! (was transferred due to complications)..

I think it certainly moved things along.
x

I had three. DD was eventually dragged out kicking and screaming by emergency C-section 2 weeks later and after a 24 hour induction.

Was not as horrendous as it sounds but bloody frustrating, especially as 2 of my friends - one due same day, one due 3 weeks later, had both had their babies in the meantime.

TBH I think they just come when they're ready, but wish you the best of luck with it!

My LMP didn't match my scan date for my ds and I knew when I got pregnant (around ovulation). Therefore I didn't believe them when they said I was overdue and was offered a sweep. Following some advice that a close friend had read in a magazine, the night before the dreaded sweep we had a nice spicy meal then my dh was very obliging and we had sex - 2 hours later I was having contractions - it really worked and made dh very proud and smug! My ds was born that day after a great deal of effort and he did not look overdue but had a large head which explained their poor estimate with the scan. I am not saying that this solution would work for everyone. (It certainly wasn't an option for my first.)

I had sweeps with all three of mine and none of them worked! I had a very high cervix at the time, so it was difficult to do - I was 2 wks over and induced with 1st, 12 days late with 2nd and 2 wks over and induced with 3rd. I just do looong pregnancies.

I do think it depends on the person though and have known a number of people for whom the sweep has worked. Things definitely felt different for me after all of them but it didn't get things going as such.

As I see it, you're so fed up when you're this overdue that you'll do pretty much anything to start things off! Can't do any harm IMO.

Good luck!

Argh, got less than 4 hours to decide! I've gone from definitely not having it last night, to waking up and thinking "well, maybe.. nothing else seems to be working".

If you have to be medically induced, but are due to give birth in the Midwife Led Unit, do they take you out of there and pop you in the other more 'medical' part of the hospital? No idea what it's referred to!

I think that's a worry of mine also, I really don't want to be stuck in a cubicle with a curtain around me, attached to all sorts of monitors and being medically induced. I want my comfy room with privacy and minimal monitoring So I'm fretting about turning this down, not having another chance for a sweep until next Wednesday (few days before 42 weeks), it not working then, and then being forced into medical inducement!

In this neck of the woods, once you go down the induction road you're in the medical bit of the hosp straight away, no home or birth centre or MLU options (though I expect a lot then depends on what your MWs are like and how much they'll let you alone). They like to monitor things closely too. Hence my willingness to surrender to 3 sweeps....

BTW, when I told the MWs how much I'd hated the first one I'd had, they suggested using labour deep, regular breathing techniques to help me relax and cope with it - vg idea and certainly prevented me from following my instinct on the invasive process ie. tensing up, screaming, jumping off the bed and punching them in the face .

Try not to get too angsty; you'll have your LO in your arms soon one way or another. Good luck!

Had sweep with in both my pregnancies and it didn't actually do anything - both were inductions anyway and nothing happened until I was given a pessary.

Had 1 sweep at 1 week overdue, did not work, then another at 40 + 12. Again didn't work. Had to have full induction scenario....baby came 40 + 16!!

Both my babies were overdue. No sweep, pessary or even breaking waters was going to get my labour with ds going - in fact, I ended being induced and on the full dose of syntocin by drip when I finally FINALLY started having contractions. Literally none of the old wives' tales worked for me, (but there's no harm in trying them). An induced labour is much more painfully, but I must be well designed down there so was lucky to deliver within 6 hours with no complications and only gas & air (was too quick for an epidural).

So, with my dd, I was determined to get labour going before it came to that. I had two rounds of acupuncture, the last one on the Monday night. On the Tuesday (ten days over) I had an appointment at the day assesment unit at the hospital, but I'd had a show that morning and was having very mild contractions. I was told I was to be booked in for induction the next morning as I had low fluid levels. I was offered a sweep, and was, like, yes please - anything but the drip! It was quick and uncomfortable - like a smear, but more vigorous. Contractions became regular that afternoon/evening (still not too painful - I managed to eat quite a lot of chocolate cake). Then at about 2am they became painful and close together, got to hospital at 3.45am and dd was born in a hurry at 4.30am.

So have a sweep. It's less painful than a drip...

Cleanitlikebankysmaid - does it?!?! Tell more....

Had sweep at 14 days OD with DD1 and did nothing.

Had sweep at 10 days OD with DD2 and she arrived that night.

Really wouldn't consider going for it until you are really quite overdue especially with first DC as so often 'late'.

If you do have a sweep your midwife will probably be able to give you a good idea of how 'ready' you are. With DD1 she found that my cervix was barely open so unlikely to have done any good, with DD2 she told me that I was a few cms dilated and likely to go into labour within next 24hrs and bingo she did! Neither time was particularly pleasant but not terrible.

Personally I have quite strong feelings about the whole 'due date' thing, it really is just a guide and I know that you focus on that date all the way through your pregnancy so its quite hard to be patient but the majority of babies come when they are ready so please don't feel that you need to have a sweep a few days over, be induced 10 days over etc. If you do go really overdue they will monitor you carefully to ensure that neither you or your baby are at any risk.

Also my bf had her 3rd a couple of weeks ago, had a sweep on the Thursday 2 days before her due date and then had a frustrating 5 days of false labours before it actually happened properly and was completely exhausted by the end of it all.

TBH I would wait until you are 14 days overdue cos they often don't work if you aren't overdue enough iyswim and they can also produce some intense contractions that exhaust you but don't actually result in labour for a good few days.

I would go with the sweep if I were you especially if you are sure of your menstrual dates. There is no guarantee that it will work but it can do if you are nearly ready anyway. I had them with my first 2 babies and it worked really well. It is not painful at all and much better than being induced in my opinion. If you are induced, you are v likely to end up in the more medical section of the unit and quite likely to end up with a drip, more painful contractions, epidural, etc. (I am assuming this is your first- if not, it may be a lot quicker and easier).

All the best either way!!

What the f!

Why can't you ladies realise that babies don't know about due dates, most of them come when they are ready?

Unless your baby is in distress 2 weeks over is still ok.

All my babies were supposedly 2 weeks overdue but they came when they wanted to.

Leave well alone

Jammy no need for language .

Of course due dates are the most moveable of feasts, but the threat of induction or refusal of MWs to attend home birth if one resists/refuses induction is often quite enough to make a sweep an attractive option. They aren't pleasant but they do no harm that I've heard of and, as explained by many contributors to this thread, have often been effective in getting labour started in a way which allows it to progress naturally without further interventions. I preferred to go for sweeps and a home birth than get stressed out arguing with consultants and going to the hospital for daily monitoring...

Well I never got the chance to have the sweep, even if I wanted it. Midwife was measuring my tummy and listening to the heartbeat on the doppler. Heartbeat was 108-120 which she said was too low for her liking in somebody who was overdue and packed us off to the local hospital for a 30 minute trace.

Turns out the baby was fine, knew she would be - she sleeps during the day and is awake in the evening/night! As soon as I got strapped up she started kicking away

So I have to go back to the hospital on the 28th if I still haven't had her, for my '+10 appointment', where I'll have another trace, a scan to check the fluid around the baby, and a membrane sweep. After that, I have another 4 days before I have to go down the medical inducement route. Midwife said that the thought of that normally scares people into going naturally

I had two sweeps - made not a scrap of difference to going into labour and the second one was really painful.

I am glad I had them though as apparently even if it does not make labour start it makes the labour easier when subsequently induced.

I have heard a lot of people say acupuncture works for starting labour naturally - next time I am going to try it. I don't usually buy into it but I am prepared to do anything to have a natural /calm labour next time. Being induced is bloody awful.

What dates did you have your sweeps on?

i had a sweep at 10 days overdue by a male dr who was so gentle, didnt even feel it. went into labour middle of the following night.

Jammy, I actually agree with you. The habit of sweeping is just another stage in the medicalisation of labour but it is a personal choice.

On the subject of induction it is important to remember that no one can make you have a induction, yes hospitals may have guidelines which they like to follow and you may get some rolling of eyes and tuts of disapproval if you refuse induction as I experienced with DD1 but it is your body, your decision. Induction can lead to more intervention in labour and may cause some very painful early contactions rather than your body 'easing' you into it as normally happens in a natural labour. My sister lives in Spain and says that induction is virtually unheard of as they don't put so much emphasis on the due date. The majority of babies will come when they are ready, DD1 was 17 days late and was average weight and perfect, not like a pickled prune as I was warned she would be!

I do understand the argument around home birth though, it's the only reason I agreed to a sweep at 10+ as I was getting close to the point where my midwifery team would have refused to attend me at home.

Oh goodness the trouble I had wanting a hb but the baby was late!

You really have to be strong and not be intimidated by medical 'authority'.

I had my 1st baby on the very last day of the 2 week overdue 'due date'. Baby was not in distress, heartbeat ok so I basically told them to get their mitts OFF.

Then the labour was slow at home and they told me I would have been induced/had episiotomy by now had I gone to hospital.

Luckily in my own environment I was able to dictate what was what.They said push I said I'm going to have a nap now.

In my own time my baby was born, and no interference from anyone. My subsequent babies were all born at home and again all late and those times I didn't even allow them to find out how dilated I was!

Stop medicalising childbirth unless you have to imo.

Jammy did your subsequent babies go as late as your first?

Yes and they were huge over 9lbs so they needed a little longer cooking time. I'm only small and slight too goddam I looked like a whale but hey, who's more important here? I didn't evict them, they decided on check out time.

I'm also small, very much against unnecessary interventions and I've never had an internal exam during labour. DD - 3 days 'late', born at MW centre - was a nice average 7lb 8oz. DS1 - 10 days late born at home after a sweep - was 9lb 8oz and DS2 - born 12 days late after 3 sweeps - was 10lb 1oz with a huge head. 2 days earlier I'd been monitored and his base heart rate was way too fast. I'm very happy to take on authority when necessary, but that underlying niggle about heart rate really made me want him to come out safely, at home. And his weight and head circ made me relieved that he hadn't cooked for any longer or he might have been stuck..

jammy did any go over 40+14?