Natalie Benanti* was 39 weeks and five days pregnant with her first child when she went in for her last scheduled obstetric appointment. Her usual OB was off that day, so another OB in the clinic saw her. But the pelvic exam was surprisingly painful, and when she asked the doctor what was going on, she said she had done a stretch and sweep.
?We had never discussed it?not before, and not that day,? Benanti says. ?I was surprised and upset.? But it was also Benanti?s first pregnancy, so she hadn?t known that stretch and sweeps are normally optional.
In this procedure, the doctor or midwife inserts a finger through the cervical canal and uses a sweeping motion to detach the amniotic sac, or fetal membrane, from the cervix. Also called a membrane sweep, it releases chemicals that help soften and open the cervix for delivery, encouraging labour. Some people might want the procedure if they?re eager to avoid being medically induced or are past their due date. Benanti had planned on going home to rest and wait for her body to go into labour naturally. She wasn?t feeling uncomfortably pregnant, and she hadn?t been anxious about her due date or considering an induction.
After the stretch and sweep, she began to bleed profusely and had to go straight to the hospital from her doctor?s office. Then contractions started. At the height of the drama, there was talk of a C-section, but 24 hours later, she eventually gave birth vaginally.
Many pregnant women feel a loss of control of their...