![]() ![]() Image Courtesy of Jerusha Sutton Photography.Image Courtesy of Tara Mahoney, Motherhood in Focus.*Cue squishy babies to get the Oxytocin flowing!* As with any induction procedure, regardless of how devoid of medication it is, or how natural, they hold risks. Consequently, it increases the likelihood that one or both of you is not quite ready. Stretch and Sweep overrid es your body’s (and baby’s) own mechanis ms for initiating labour.There is not enough research to actually support routine use of stretch and sweeps for women and babies ( Cochrane Collaboration, 2020).Some women experience bleeding, ongoing pain, irregular contractions and increased mucous after the procedure ( Wong et al.it may kick off labour, but it doesn’t mean natural, unassisted birth will follow Cochrane Collaboration, 2020) No clear difference in rates of unassisted births (i.e.Most women (70%) find it significantly uncomfortable ( Wong et al.After pre-labour rupture of membranes, care providers tend to expect women to birth within a set time frame (i.e. In women whose cervix is already 1 cm dilated, stretch and sweep results in a 9.1% increase in risk of pre-labour rupture of membranes ( Hill et al.You always, ALWAYS have the right to decline any intervention! This is the case throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum, or any other time in your life. What about other natural induction options? Click here to read more! Risks of Stretch and Sweepsįirst off, let me note that if your care provider doesn’t discuss the benefits AND risks with you of a procedure, then you are not providing informed consent. It can be less invasive than other induction methods (noting that for some women, hands in their vagina is terribly traumatic and invasive).It can be repeated after 48 hours if there has been ‘no progress’ (NOTE: even if you can’t see/feel ‘progress’, your body and baby are still working behind the scenes to prepare for labour and birth).The woman can go home after the comparatively quick procedure (unlike in ‘formal’ induction methods).Doesn’t involve pharmacological management (no drugs).2010 as a side note, is NORMAL for some women to gestate to 42 weeks and beyond) It almost halves the likelihood of a ‘post-term’, beyond 42 week pregnancy ( Yildirim et al.Reduces formal induction of labour (assuming every woman who has a stretch and sweep would choose induction if it didn’t work Cochrane Collaboration, 2020).Stretch and sweeps are often offered to women nearing the end of their pregnancy in order to ‘get things moving’. Get In Touch! Supposed Benefits of Stretch and Sweeps While this ‘works’ in some instances, it typically just pushes forward a process that has already begun! Which raises the question, why not just wait for the body to do it when ready? There are, of course, instances where a baby needs to be born asap and in these cases, stretch and sweep may be a good option. These hormones help to prepare the cervix for labour. By separating the amniotic sac and cervix the woman’s body will theoretically produce prostaglandins (hormones). So what exactly is it? During a stretch and sweep a care provider inserts their finger into the vagina, ‘stretches’ the cervix, and ‘sweeps’ between the amniotic sac and cervix. Or, if you’d like to hear her talk, The Midwives Cauldron podcast is equally amazing! To see some of her thoughts written much more accurately and eloquently, please check out her blog, Midwife Thinking. Anything influencing the way labour plays out and the physiology of that woman in that moment is an intervention. I’m not sure I’m really doing her thoughts justice here, but what I took from it is that even being present with a woman in labour can be classed as an intervention! Suggesting a position change, changing your demeanour or even just *feeling* different can be classed as an intervention. Side note: I follow Dr Rachel Reed’s (an incredibly skilled, woman-centred midwife) thinking on classification of interventions. Yes, I know, care providers sometimes say that it isn’t an intervention! They’ll say, “It’s just a little stretch!” I promise you, anything involv ing sticking fingers into a woman’s body during pregnancy, birth or postpartum IS an intervention! Furthermore, Just because it doesn’t involve synthetic drugs, tapes or gels, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hold risks! What exactly is a stretch and sweep? Why do women get offered a stretch and sweep in late pregnancy?Ī stretch and sweep is essentially an intervention to help kick start/induce labour. ![]()
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