At this point I would be tempted to say to her, "And part of not wanting to be induced didn't you understand?" but that would be rude and counterproductive. The research says that according to the random assignment trials, stripping/sweeping membranes does tend to shorten the duration of pregnancy, but it doesn't reduce the cesarean rate or improve newborn outcomes compared with not stripping membranes, so it has no clinical benefits. And, of course, like all medical interventions, it is not harmless. It opens the possibility of accidently rupturing membranes or introducing infection. Also, in your case, with her plan to do it at 38 wks, you might end up with a baby who isn't ready to be born yet along with the complications that can entail: breathing problems, problems breastfeeding, underweight. The best way to tell when a baby is ready to be born is by awaiting labor. It is, after all, the baby who initiates the cascade of events that results in labor. Well, actually, stripping membranes does have one so-called benefit: it reduces the need for induction, but that could equally well be accomplished simply by saying "no" to the induction.

-- Henci