Membrane sweep!!

nats3006

yeah i had the oxytocin drip and that made labour too quick it hurt like hell!! not had a good experience with labour really!! the midwife i currently see does not explain anything to me its as if i know it all with already having one and its a quick in and out when i go which i find very irratating but dont say anything as i dont like to cause a fuss and makes things worse i dont know much as first baby i had gel that didnt work so they broke my waters at 8am in morning has son at 4.50pm same day so quite a while from when they broke my waters!!!
thanks all
xx

savingsgirl

I had a membrane sweep with my 2nd and I subsquently refused one with my 3rd. In fact I put it in my notes that I was not to have one under any circumstances! You have the right to say no and if I remember correctly its not very effective percentage wise.
I was induced with a pessary with my 2nd and that was fine.
Best of luck - you have happy days ahead

earthmother

I had sweeps with all three - and not once did they have any noticeable effect.

Done well, at a time when everything is already softening, and there's no pain. But, I will admit, the one I had with no.2 was very painful - I must have had the midwife with the world's shortest fingers, and she was trying it too early, so everything was well back and closed up.


I had the drip with no.1 - I was thankful for it after over 24 hours of slow induced labour, but it most definitely had a very strong and fast effect - there is a reason they call it liquid dynamite.


No.2 (natural) and no.3 (induced but fast) were 'walked out' - I did a lot of hip swaying and wiggling (think belly dancing) in the last few weeks of pregnancy, and during labour. Find a song you like and dance around to it - play it enough and you have a ready-made lullaby for when the little one arrives (trust me, it works). Stay on your feet as much as possible during labour (you do not need to lay down for heartbeat monitoring, it's just easier for them if you do), keep positive, and you'll be fine.

happygal_3

I had two membrane sweeps with DD3, one on my due date and one a week later. DD3 was born 48 hours later after a four hour labour.

If you are keen to avoid hospital induction I would personally have the sweep a few days after your due date when things may be getting ready to happen anyway. Then go for a really long walk - I cleaned our estate car inside and out and had a 3 mile walk!

Remember though - it's your body and you can refuse any proceedures you don't want, don't be bullied by anybody

kathyd_2

I had the gel with my first which took me into labour about 4 hours later. Had a sweep with the second, which I found quite painful, but I was rather tense. It didn't work. So they tried the gel. That didn't work this time round and I was sent home the next day. Two days later I was back in hospital after waters broke. After all that I ended up with caesarians with both of mine.

Good luck

inkie

Worth a try if you go overdue, but next week you will only be 40+.I would leave it a bit longer - I actually had some of my ladies asking for a sweep!! You say you have no one to look after your Little one - have you made plans for the birth?

moozikgal

Hi there,

having just had my little boy 16 weeks ago i can let you know that a membrane sweep will only have an effect if your cervix is ready and you are dialating without contractions.

After 3 days in hospital with the midwifes trying to induce labour with it not working, i got annoyed and discharged myself and came home to have a chinese and went back in at 9am the next morning for them to try a new approach! After having 5 sweeps, 3 prostin tablets, 1 prostin gel, ARM (artificial waters breaking) and the drip to get contractions going he still didnt want to come and I ended up with an emergancy section as they had messed around with me so much he got distressed and had to come out there and then. I

wish i had told them to stop messing when i had the chance and let him come out when he was ready. As it turned out he could have done with another little while in there as he was not as big as they though he was going to be and was also still covered in hair!

If the midwifes complain, stand up for yourself and dont let them bully you as some of them i found could be very pushy when they wanted to be!

I hope it all goes smoothly and you enjoy your little one

Take care
Vicky

Sunny_Angel

Hi Nats,

Wow a lot of differing viewpoints so I thought i would throw mine into the mix.

I completely agree with what everyone else says about it being your body and you do not have to have the sweep if you dont want one.
Why has a sweep been advised?
Are you aware that although the medics like the baby to be born by 41 weeks you can choose to refuse induction and carry on your pregnancy after that?

With my second child i was due to be induced in hospital on my 30th birthday. I had planned a home water birth and was gutted by the potential hospital experience. My midwife suggested a sweep and when i questioned it, She said that they advised induction by 41 weeks due to the fact that the placenta has probably passed its best and is not as capable of supporting the baby by then but some women do refuse and she would go along with that if that is what i wanted as long as i knew all the facts, statistics etc etc.

Once i looked into it i decided it was probably better (for me) to have a sweep in the hope of avoiding hospital and any problems.

I ended up having two sweeps, one on the Tuesday by Midwife A which didnt hurt at all. I would compare it to putting a tampon in. That evening I had some niggles, a very long walk, but nothing to get excited about. On the Thursday Midwife B gave me a second sweep and by God did I know about it. It then became obvious why the first one didnt work. But I am so glad i had it. 7 hours later i went into labour and gave birth 3 hours later, with no other intervention other than the Midwife holding my leg as i got the shakes in it in the pool( ?) I even "caught" the baby and held and cuddled him in the pool for about 10 mins before anyone else touched him. He didnt even cry, breathed straight away, was soooo alert and just stared into my eyes. (The photos are magical) :cool:

The reason i am waffling on is...ummm let me gather my thoughts....oh yeah, I think it boils down to why the sweep was suggested
.
Re your son being there... at two can you not put a video on and let him get engrossed in it. My daughter was 2.5yr when i had mine and she was right down there with the midwife "helping". It had started with me reading a story to her while the MW got on with it but no DD was too nosy. TBH i have no qualms about this now, its all just about life isnt it.
IMO there is no reason why you cant tell him the lady is making sure the baby is ok and he will feel more a part of it if he can help, ie hold the bp cuff or the thingy they listen to the heartbeat with(jellybrain:rolleyes: ), or your notes for when she is ready to do her writing etc.


Another thing that has struck me about your post is how uncomfortable you feel with your midwife. It dosent sound like the best relationship at all. Now I am not saying you should be best buddies but you should be able to talk about how unsure, worried, or nervous you feel about any part of the whole thing. Its such a shame and prob too late to change now.
Try to relax a bit more in her company now as you will end up baring all to her probably. She wants to help you not make you feel like you have no choice in any of these matters. Just be yourself. Hugs

Best of luck with it all, sorry about the essay but i do tend to waffle:o

Keep us informed and hope it all goes well.

HTH
Sunny Angel

nats3006

hi yes i have plans for someone to look after son when i go into labour but nobody willing to have time off for sweep unfortunately i cannot make them have time off as they wont get paid and dont know if it would be a success as they are to have time off when i go into labour! fingers crossed it will happen itself!! are u a midwife inkie??
thanks for replys
Nat
x

nats3006

thanks for your long but interesting post sunny, my son doesnt like the midwife even touching my belly to listen to the heartbeat or when i lie on the bed let alone let someone do that!!!!!!!! son is very nosy so will be around at all times and fussy little so and so!! only time anyone could come near me is if he was asleep but it isnt all down to son being there i dont want it done i just dont feel comfortable with the idea!!
thanks xxx