![]() ![]() That particular post was prompted by a brief encounter with a new mother. And horrifically, even more hundreds wrote to share their stories of non-consenting, painful, and violating membrane sweeping when there was no reason for it, aside from the care provider’s decision that they had agency over their patient’s vagina and could do what they wanted when they wanted. I also heard from hundreds of women whose births were ruined by days of painful, non-progressing contractions triggered by a membrane sweep that ended up in a fully medicalised all-the-interventions arrival for their baby that they didn’t want. ![]() In general, the sentiment was that I should most definitely be having sexual relations with myself, after which, I should be locked up and forever silenced. The post went viral and I received hate messages and emails from around the world defending this procedure. I talked about its risks and the fact that the clients I worked with called it a sexual assault when done without consent Visit the websites of Rachel Reed’s Midwife Thinking or Dr Sara Wickham for a great breakdown of the evidence and pros and cons.I’ve written about many topics over the years but nothing has ever generated as much discussion, opposition, and vitriol as challenging the cherished routine membrane sweep/stripping, aka stretch-and-sweep.Ī few years ago, I wrote a post about how I’d like to see the routine, prior-to-40-weeks, without-medical-indication membrane sweep banned from obstetrical and midwifery practice. Infection, light bleeding, discomfort, irregular surges which may be associated with a longer, more uncomfortable early labour and accidentally rupturing the amniotic sac. To the worst ‘the midwife ruptured my waters while doing the sweep, after 24 hours I felt pushed into a full induction’. ![]() Although the stretch and sweep has been normalised by its regular use and lack of discussion about the pros and cons - it is far from normal.įeedback from women ranges from the positive ‘I went into labour that afternoon and had my home birth’ to the negative ‘It was very painful, I had three and nothing happened’. Nobody can put their fingers into your vagina without your agreement. (See Dr Sara Wickham’s Inducing Labour, Making Informed Decisions) However, this figure assumes that all women would decide to have induction, which is not the case.” (Wickham 2018). The most recent Cochrane review of the research on this topic by Boulvain et al (2005) found that, while these may help bring on labour a bit sooner than otherwise would be the case, eight women need to have a stretch and sweep in order for one woman to go into labour without needing more induction interventions. This action may release hormones called prostaglandins that may prepare the cervix for birth and may initiate labour. They then use a circular movement to try to separate the membranes of the amniotic sac, from your cervix. Your midwife or doctor puts a couple of lubricated, gloved fingers into your vagina and inserts their index finger into the small opening of the cervix or neck of your womb. Some midwives offer this because they are asked to as part of their hospital trust’s guidelines. Many midwives offer this because it is considered an easier form of induction than a chemical or mechanical induction such as synthetic oxytocin or a Foley Bulb. ![]() It is done while doing a vaginal examination for which you would usually be lying on your back.Ī stretch and sweep is a form of Induction of Labour, therefore it is offered to stimulate the uterus and bring on labour earlier than it might otherwise spontaneously start. A stretch and sweep is a procedure that can be done by your midwife or obstetric doctor which involves them sweeping a finger around and/or within the opening of your cervix. ![]()
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