vaginal sweep

Hey. I had one the other day and it’s ok 🤗. A little discomfort but nothing our bodies can’t handle. Plus I told myself before I went if our bodies can go through labour it can certainly manage a 30 second sweep 🧹 🩷. Go with what you feel comfortable in doing. X

ok thank you just heard some bad things about infections and stuff so just a little bit worried. I’m not sure if the benefits outweigh the negatives or the negatives outweigh the benefits if you get what I mean xx

I'd be wanting to find out why they are recommending a sweep. Baby might be smaller but what's the harm in you waiting until you naturally go into labour. If they think baby needs to come early due to size they need to communicate this so you can make an informed decision

yeah I feel like they don’t really tell me anything like at my growth scans they said she is growing but just slowly and is smaller than average so they don’t want me going past 39 weeks And said I might need the sweeping to get things going. But I feel like they don’t really give me any information xx

I had a sweep and I regretted it. The sweep itself was fine but it instantly started labour and my daughter turned into an awkward position during contractions and I ended up having an emergency c section, I don't think she was ready to come yet!

yeah that’s another thing i’m scared about. I don’t understand why they want to take babies out early when they’re not ready. I’ve also heard it can start false labour xx

ring your midwife and ask for more information. You deserve to make an informed choice. If they don't think you should go over 39 weeks, they should be making you an appointment to speak to a doctor.

it was basically an induction which failed for me, not something I'd do again. However if yours is due to slow growth then it's the least invasive form of induction so may actually be in your favour! I'd sit with your doctor and write a pros and cons list xx

yeah it’s difficult as everyone is different and feels different. Some want it others don’t. Go with your gut. If your guts telling you to wait for natural labour and there is no risk to the baby to wait, despite baby being on the smaller side, then do that.

Infection hadnt really crossed my mind to be honest 🤣 I was very much I’ve had enough of being pregnant now so I’ll take the option of a sweep as they wouldn’t recommend it if it was to cause harm. My mums a midwife and she’d definitely tell me not to do it if it was to cause more harm than good. If anything she’s encouraging me to have more 🤣.

Everyone has their stories, negative and positive. I personally would say to blank out what others say (myself included🤣) and listen to your gut and the professionals. Xx

As far as I've heard, there's no evidence they work, it's hard to say because you can't tell if a woman has gone into labour naturally anyway. I think I'm going to avoid them as much as I can. I'm of the mind that he will come when he's ready x

ok thank you I can’t call my midwife I can only talk to her at my appointments so I will ask about it then xx

We did a hypnobirthing course and she went through different stages of induction. She said that you are allowed to say no or ask for different alternatives and always asks what are the risks for having it or not having it. She also mentioned that any form of induction, including sweeps are only successful if you're body has already started getting ready for labour. She mentioned something about a bishop's score which is to do with your cervix, babies position and something else (baby brain has made me forget) and that your bishop score has to be about 8 I think (again baby brain has kicked in) for it to actually be successful and not require further intervention. It might be worth researching into this more

As other have said, ask them lots of questions and understand why they are saying it’s a risk for you not to have the sweep. If you’re comfortable that the baby is healthy and there’s no problems other than a bit small, then you can decide if you’re comfortable to decline it.
My personal preference would be to avoid interventions unless they were saying there’s a risk to me or baby. But everyone needs to weigh up what is right for them.

I had three and unfortunately they didn’t work - the first one was awful but after having the two I put it down to the person doing it. The last two were uncomfortable not painful, I ended up being induced and probably wouldn’t have them again if it came to it x

Growth scans are not always very accurate. Personally, I would not consent to a sweep. They are not effective for many women and are super uncomfortable. Your provider needs to give you more information. They're working for you. You deserve to give informed consent to procedures, don't forget that.

Getting a sweep is nothing to be concerned about. It honestly felt like nothing for me and it ended up letting me have my baby the same day. Of course it’s your final decision and I agree, it depends on who does it! My ob was very gentle

Thank you all so much 🥰❤️❤️