Membrane sweep at 39 weeks success rate full#

'If you have a cervical sweep you can still have a water birth,' Dr Philippa tells us. Oooh, good question, especially as we know lots of mums-to-be like the idea of having a water birth if it's at all possible. Can you have a water birth if you've had membrane sweep? You'll then start to have contractions as your body begins to give birth. This may be followed by your waters breaking, though this may not happen until you're in full-blown labour. 'I had bleeding after both too, brown to start with, then pinky/red. In addition, if the sweep has worked, you may have a “bloody show” as the mucus plug sealing your womb comes out.Įrinsmummy on our forum explains that this is exactly what happened to her: 'I had a sweep with both my babies and went into labour the next day with the first and the same day with the second. With my first, they didn't hurt a bit - with my second child they hurt.'Īs Dr Philippa says, immediately after your sweep, you may notice irregular contractions and some women experience spotting. were late - one 10 days the other 11 days - I had loads of sweeps. However, it does seem as though the pain of a sweep - afterwards as well as during - can vary. 'When used as a means for induction of labour, the reduction in the use of more formal methods of induction needs to be balanced against women's discomfort and other adverse effects.' ? 'Routine use of sweeping of membranes from 38 weeks of pregnancy onwards does not seem to produce clinically important benefits.

Membrane sweep at 39 weeks success rate full#

I had a show a few days after it also and then was induced 2 days later so I'm not sure if it did anything for me.'Īnd when we checked out an article on - the US National Library of Medicine website - titled Membrane Sweeping For Induction of Labour ( read the full article) the final comment does suggest the benefits of having a membrane sweep may not necessarily outweigh the discomforts/pain of having a membrane sweep: 'In fact after it I had to lay in bed for a while as I was in so much pain. Some of the mums on our forum did find themselves in quite some pain after their sweep too, as mum Cher tells us: 'I had a sweep done a week before I was due and it really was the sorest pain I've experienced.

'The examination and sweep take a few minutes and can be quite uncomfortable, so keep breathing!' Dr Philippa advises. Some women do find it a little painful, so try to relax and practice any breathing techniques you may have learnt in antenatal classes, if you had them. Will a membrane sweep hurt during and after you have it?Īs mentioned above, a membrane sweep can feel a little uncomfortable, as your cervix may be difficult to reach before you go into labour. When we looked into information based on trials that had been done regarding the success rate of membrane sweeps for starting labour, we discovered that on average, having a sweep can cut your pregnancy by between 1 and 4 days - according to Evidence-based Birth. After this, more comprehensive methods of induction are available,' says Dr Philippa. 'If it doesn’t work the first time, you may be offered another sweep a few days or a week later. In many cases, it will only work if your cervix is already nearly “ripe” and softened ready for birth.Īs Dr Philippa Kaye, advises: 'A sweep works best if the cervix is soft and already slightly dilated to about 2cm.'

What's the success rate of a membrane sweep starting labour?Ī membrane sweep won’t definitely start your labour. If this isn’t your first baby, you’ll be routinely offered a sweep at 41 weeks. If you choose not to and still haven’t gone into labour by week 41, you’ll be offered the chance again. If this is your first pregnancy, it’s recommended that you're offered a membrane sweep at your 40 week antenatal appointment.

When will you be offered a membrane sweep? What natural ways of bringing on labour are there?.You definitely shouldn’t try this one at home ? But it can be a useful way of stimulating labour if you're overdue and other traditional methods of encouraging birth haven’t worked. 'It is a bit painful because your body goes into self-defence mode and you contract your muscles in an attempt to protect yourself but it may well get things going by stimulating your cervix.' 'Even if the midwife can't actually sweep the membranes away by inserting a finger into the cervix you can stretch it and massage it slightly, and again, help start labour.'Ĭan't quite imagine what it's like? Mum twonklemum on our forum had one and explains what happens: 'Basically the midwife uses a lubricant and puts her fingers inside your vagina, reaching up to the cervix which she then 'sweeps' her fingers around.