What is breast stimulation?
This is where the breast is stimulated for about 3 hours a day. You can use a breast pump to perform this task. We know from some studies that if you do this every day for 3 days you have a 1 in 3 chance of labouring within a week of starting the stimulation. What is sweeping the membranes? Sweeping the membranes is an old method for bringing on labour. It is thought that sweeping increases the levels of naturally occurring hormones called prostaglandins around the cervix (neck of the womb). This causes the cervix to soften and dilate. This is the beginning of the process of labour. This is easier to perform if you already have had one baby before as the neck of your womb is already slightly open to allow a finger to be passed through. If this is your first baby, sweeping may not be as effective as your neck of the womb is still shut tight. How is sweeping performed? Sweeping is performed during a vaginal examination. A finger is placed through the neck of the womb into the lower part
