Incompetent Cervix - stitch/cerclage - threatened labour

[lizziedripping]

Good luck tomorrow JJ - will be thinking of you x

Kate, you ok? Hope the bleeding has settled again for you x

 

[book.fish2011]

Ah Lizzie you are a superstar, thank you so much.

As always explained simply and succunctly. Really useful.

Don't suppose you've thought of taking it up as a profession (?)!

I have my back-to-back scan at the clinic tmrw to check on my cervix & fluid levels. Wish me luck everybody - I've had a tormented week & I really need good news!

Will keep you posted. Hope everyone's doing okay.

JimmyJam xx

Good luck JJ. Wishing you all the very best for scans.

 

[book.fish2011]

Kate- so sorry you had to have this scare again hun but hopefully it is nothing major to worry about. What did the doc say? Sending you lots of positive vibes xx

Lizzie- hey...how come you are so knowledgeable really? you do sound like a professional, it s so reassuring to know we can talk to someone like you! Now as for the thrush...with ds i got thrush quite early on and used dactarin cream which took care of it. But if you really want to go all natural i m another one to suggest messy yet effective yogurt!!!

Larockera- so glad everything is working out babe, i was sure it was just a stupid flunctuation of the u/s and nothing more! You are at your final stage..yayyayayayyayyya!!

Bookfish- i know everyone's said so already but dont worry about the bleeding hun, i had it for like 3 days after the cerclage, the cervix is very sensitive so it is normal to bleed from where it was stitched!

Jimmyjam- i really dont know whether it could have something to do your extra amniotic fluid but i just wanted to say that i feel the exact same way too. I am bloated and feel as if i ve got a whole roast meal stuck somewhere between my throat and my stomach even when i wake up in the morning. Did you mention your symptom/feeling to your doc? Hope everything goes well tomorrow and you re back with some good news!

afm- a little update from me too..i couldnt wait for next week's scan cause i was completely freaking out that i am leaking amniotic fluid and that the stitch has already failed so i called my doc last night at 10. He told me to go in this morning for a quick scan and so i did. Thank God everything is still in place and no waters leaking. One thing he did mention which i meant to ask you ladies if you think is normal is that he said he'll be taking a vaginal swab every month to make sure i dont get an infection. Is it not dangerous to have a swab so often, especially with a cerclage in place (or does it not touch the cervix??)?

Thank you Christiana. Glad everything was fine when you went to the doctor. I too would be interested to know everyone's opinion on the scan question. After my cerclage, I was put through a transvaginal ultrasound to check if all went well with surgery, and it really hurt !

 

[book.fish2011]

Lizzie - my thrush was never, ever confirmed, they would just say one thing to me and then nothing would come back. But what I did was to get the rephresh gel applicators (you can find them in amazon for instance) and use one a week. I also used daktarin suppositories when (mis-)diagnosed with thrush as they tend to kill more bacteria, although I don't think you can find them in the UK. Eating a pot of yogurt a day or taking probiotic tablets may help. Also, my Greek obgyn suggested internal douching with a cup of chamomile and two spoonfuls of baking soda, although I've never done that. Not too keen on douching you see. :/

Kate- Booooo! Again in triage, just when you decided to take a breath. Please update us, okay? I'm thinking of you. Gah- this sucks so bad, I wish you would be granted a break eventually!

Bookfish - bleeding after cerclage is absolutely normal, I had it for almost a week.

Jimmy and everyone else, thank you for the encouragement, my lovelies.

And a bit of a nice update for me. Today I went and did the placental doppler ultrasound Lizzie mentioned and it all came back within absolutely normal ranges. Not only that, but they tried to estimate Xanthe's weight again, and today it was 2,460grams! . So she's steady on the 35th centile like three weeks ago. My doctor reassured me she is absolutely within the normal range and there is nothing to worry about. They also told me my fluids are normal, and even though they keep an eye on them, they don't want me back for two weeks, which is also reassuring. Stitch-wise, it will be removed either the Friday after this one (at 36+3) or at some point the week after. So all is good my side, and thank you ever so much for your wonderful support and advice, it was much needed, and immensely appreciated.

So happy about this news LR

 

[kateqpr]

Well, i'm back!!

Sorry for the radio silence. I was in hospital for 24 hours, but in a weird scary ward (it felt like something from The Shining for some reason) where my internet or phone signal just wouldn't work for longer than two seconds. So frustrating!

I had a bright red bleed on Monday night, just after putting Poppy to bed. My husband was at work that evening, so i got a neighbour to babysit and went to the hospital, knowing they would admit me, as any bleeding with me now means instant admission. So i was at least prepared with snacks and a book etc. They eventually checked me at 1.30am and told me i have a polyp on my cervix!! After all these months no one has ever said that, but it would explain a lot. All the bleeding over the last six months that has been unexplained. I had been told my cervix looked irritated, or had a 'spot' on it, but not a polyp. But i feel relieved, as polyps burst, show bright red blood, then disappear, only to refill and burst again. Exactly what i've had since 7 weeks pregnant. So was allowed home yesterday after nearly 24 hours of hardly any sleep. So so tired today!

The one thing that did make me worry though so my baby's heartbeat. I was on the monitor a lot, and her heartbeat seemed slow to me. It has a base line average of 130, but i sat watching the numbers, and it seemed to slow down to 115 quite a bit, then go up to 140. Never seen it go so low again. The doctors weren't worried, but if has given me something new to worry about ( i don't like to give myself a break, ever...)

Anyone have any idea why it would go up and so low so much?

Only other news is i have bad tooth ache again. I'm off to dentist and doctors today, as i don't know if its a failed root canal, or really bad sinusitus, as my cheek and eye are hurting too. Its all i need, two more bloody appointments and waiting rooms after i'm released back in to the wild from the hospital. Was hoping for a quiet relaxing day at home today....Anyway, enough about me me me.....


Christiana - great news all is okay with your stitch! I have had swabs every two weeks to search for infection, or for FFN, and that's at a high risk specialist centre, so am sure it's fine to do, as long as the person doing it knows your history and is gentle with you (which, of course, they will be!)

Bookfish - yay, you made it through the stitch procedure. Now your job is to sit and wait and not drive yourself mad with anxious thoughts and worries about fluid / infections / weird stitch pain. But you WILL worry, because its par for the course i'm afraid, but hopefully you can trust that here we've ALL had exactly the same worries and are all still going strong.

Lizzie - hello lovely. I had thrush earlier in this pregnancy, and was just given the usual pessary / cream. I also cut back on sugars / white bread / cereals etc to try to prevent it thriving. Though i suspect extra sex is the culprit in your case!!

JimmyJam - i now always picture you, dramatically wrapped up in posh scarves and big sunglasses, sunning it in your freezing garden in a Garbo kind of way. I so hope it goes well for you today and you get some good (even goodish would be a nice change) news on everything. Are you officially off work now? I know it sounds weird ( i don't mean this in a stalker way) but i am going to Chiswick next week for lunch with my brother. If you need or want anything to help pass the coming weeks, i have an arsenal here i can drop off. Knitting needles (from my bedrest scarf knitting week), piles of books (was given a kindle for Christmas and am still trying to convince myself they're a good idea, but consequentially have a pile of very good paperbacks i want to recycle to help pass the hours0, and a stash of posh magazines. Just shout if you want a mercy package, it would be no trouble at all.

LaRockera - hello my love. I am so glad things are going well for you, and that your nice doctor was able to reassure you. All sounds like things are nice and perfectly normal, so now you can just concentrate on worrying about (or looking forward to) your birth. Hurrah. Oh, and before Poppy was born all the doctors told me she felt and looked quite big, and would be around 8lbs. Turned out she was 6lb 6, so they were totally off the mark! So ignore most of what they say about sizes, as they truly never really know.

And God, don't feel worried about your what you said about your OH's grandmother. She sounds lovely, and you, a wonderful granddaughter in law. Just be easy on yourself, and if you end up feeling a bit conflicted in your feelings towards her (or anyone close to you) after the birth, it is totally normal. I had really difficult feelings towards my MIL after Poppy was born - she just annoyed me, or made me feel teary - and she really wasn't doing anything different to her normal self. I just didn't have the strength to be a new tired mum, AND cope with other people's opinIons, no matter how well meaning. I even was quite terse with my own mum, who is so so lovely and i am normally quite close too. Don't underestimate how hormonal you feel when you give birth, and in the months that follow. It is a truly special time, but your head and heart can be on such a roller coaster that its those closest to you who bear the brunt, but who will totally understand that you're going through the biggest change in your life you'll ever have. Your GIL (that's grandmother in law....!!) will understand. She is a mother, she's been there....

Oh, and i've been brave and booked a night away at the beginning of March. It's my husbands 40th, and i wanted a nice night in a posh hotel as reward for my shitty pregnancy, so i'm surprising him with five star night out of London to drink cocktails ( mocktails for me) and have a lie in and newspapers bed, things we just don't get to do now Poppy is in waking us up at 7.30 ever morning without fail. Can't wait! I just have to have a firm few words with my girl bits not to bleed that day...

 

[book.fish2011]

Thanks Kate for the sweet words. And sorry about tooth ache

It's strange they did not see the polyp earlier.

Am sure ladies here will know a lot about little one's hb.

Take care of yourself after a tiresome day at the hospital.

 

[JimmyJam]

Yay! Kate, you're back! I'm so glad the bleeding was simply an annoying old polyp, I was worried when we didn't hear anything from you. And although you've now got dentistry to deal with at least you've been discharged. If it's not something dramatic like a high-risk condition or bleeding, it's sore gums, constipation & thrush. Several people have said to me 'enjoy your pregnancy, it's such a special time' & frankly I just want to punch them! Such different experiences.

(Backtrack - I am not a violent psycopath, just a finally-pregnant woman under considerable duress...).

Your post made me lol. Ha ha! I wish I looked like a tragic Garbo figure. Rather than a destitute hybrid of invalid-cum-tramp. My belly is so inflated I don't fit any of my clothes - even the pregnancy jeans I was given as a gift - so I lounge about in Matt's oversized Abercrombies (he's 6' 2" & athletic!), no makeup, vampire-pale from self-enforced house arrest & minus my fav oversized shades so I can squint at the mid-winter sun in a desperate attempt to suck in some Vit D! I am usually a show off who likes to keep trim & dress up so right now even if I felt like being sociable I wouldn't be because I'm too damn vain!

I don't think you're a stalker, I think it could be nice to meet for coffee, although I have piles of books & box sets & stuff thank you. What I really love to do is sit on my laptop and trawl the net obsessing (confession alert!) just to really wind myself up. To be honest it's a bit of a rollercoaster at the moment, for the last month since I had the IC diagnosed & then shitty polybloodywater news it's been: Wednesday - lengthy wait at clinic & bad news, Thurs/fri work self into frenzy on Google, Weekend - panic & refuse to move b/c high-risk clinics are shut & if I have to go in & be admitted no one will understand my condition, Mon/Tues relief w/end has passed & anticipation of new news on Weds. So early in the week seems to be my best time to catch up with people - if you fancy?

I'm dreading what they're going to tell me today this excess water makes me feel like I'm sitting on a time bomb, literally waiting to burst like a water-filled balloon

LaRock, I was thinking about what you were saying about yr earlier rant & I think it's perfectly normal. Our tolerance levels have to be diminished from all the additional stress being high-risk puts on things when pregnancy is already hard work. No one can say the right thing to me now. All the lovely phonecalls & messages I got when I cancelled my 40th party just left me gnashing my teeth angrily - 'How can you possibly understand what I'm going through'? 'How invasive all your questions are, & how insensitive'! 'You try bloody feeling positive in my situation'! And 'the Good Lord has a plan' - enough of the platitudes, p**s off - 'no it doesn't make me better knowing that 'at least I know I can get pregnant', it took me four years of misery to get there and I love THIS baby'!!!

People are only trying to help and what can they say when the only thing you want is to hear 'the baby is going to be fine'? No one can tell us that for sure & none of us are superhuman.

Me least of all - I'm a scruffy, gnashing, internet-obsessed wreck trying to hang on to the vestiges of 'normality'.

Anyway - Bookfish, I hope you're feeling better today & the bleeding has subsided.

Christiana - thanks for sharing the bloating with me, it's good to know I'm not alone. It's just weird it gets worse & worse throughout the day but then as Lizzie says, there's a whole load of baby & excess water & organs & stuff in there all jostling for space ...

Lizzie - I'd ask how the thrush was doing today but maybe you don't necessarily want to share on a daily basis (?!!) - o, and I am so jealous you're allowed to have sex! If I even get close to term I've still got 4 months to go & by then I'll probably be too tired for sex anyway!

Finally One question before I go: with amniotic fluid does it fluctuate or just rise & rise steadily until you get to the stage you're ready to pop? I so want my levels to have gone down ... If all they do is rise I can't imagine how I'll make it to term

I've jabbered on enough now, time to get ready for appts. Will check in later.

Have a good day ladies.

JimmyJam x

 

[JimmyJam]

Ps - Kate, if your doctors think baby's heartbeat is okay I guess you have to listen to them. It's totally understandable to be paranoid but at this stage if there's anything to worry about I really do think they'd flag it up?!

But that said, if you're genuinely really worried insist they check it. Your peace of mind is most important & mother's instinct an important tool. Xx

 

[lizziedripping]

Christiana, monthly swabs are ok hun, and uusally part of the prem prevention management plan! They take a swab from high in the vagina, and though it is wise to avoid internals of any kind, the benefits of checking for infection far outweigh the very minimal risks. The process takes seconds, is essentially sterile and wo t interfere with your cervix or stitch. I was internally scanned every 3wks in the twin pregnancy, and it was fine x

JJ - amniotic fluid can rise and fall depending on how frequently it is replenished, by how much waste your baby makes day to day, and his/her frequency of swallowing etc. None of these things are exact so it might be that it has gone up or down accordingly. What they'll be looking for is a steady and consistent rise over several days/wks. If you remain around the 97th over several weeks then this is probably normal for you and less cause for concern. You are still within normal range remember so hold onto that fact unless you are told otherwise - good luck x

Kate - so relieved you have found a cause and that all is well again. As for hb, my eldest had a fluctuating hb, as did twin A. From 28wks they both had a lower end of normal hb, which woukd plunge dramatically every 10mins or so! It was monitored and dismissed as nothing to worry about. It wasn't an issue in the final analysis and thought to be related to my position (usually if lying on my back). Again, if there are brief periods of deceleration, but it picks up more frequently than not then its ok. It's when the hb is consistently low for more than a minute of so they get worried. I drove myself insane comparing the twins' hbs - one was text book, the other was always erratic. I have thankfully two healthy babies tho, so try not to fret sweet x

Thanks for thrush tip. I am reluctant to use any creams etc only because of changing ph down there, in case it affects husband's sperm. Will wait til ovulation window has passed, then hammer it with all 'over the counter' medication I can stomach lol x

Hope that's everyone answered - nudge me if not xxx

 

[book.fish2011]

Hi JJ, you write so eloquently. Am a very mediocre writer, and a dumb one at that. Also I don't get most English/British jokes

My only stay ever in England was for an year when I studied for my Masters in Nottingham, but sadly I didn't get much opportunity to catch up with English sense of humor.

Well, the little spotting is still there Am disappointed that it's not fully disappeared, however, as Lizzie may be it will take week?

I wonder where this blood must be coming from? From the Outside of cervix, near the stitch ? I don't know why it just cannot go away and leave me alone.

 

[lizziedripping]

Bf - blood is coming from stitch site hun. Imagine a graze or a cut anywhere on your body, it scabs, heals but occasionally bleeds apart of the process. This is a huge piece of type-writer like tape sewn through your cervix, it will wreak havoc with your body and take a while to heal. Mine was embedded when they tried to remove it and had grown scar tissue over it! There is bound to be bleeding with something so invasive

Btw, when were you studying at Nottingham? I was there in the early 90s - tho I'm probably years older than you, but our paths might have crossed. Dh still spends lots of time on the campus throughout the year x

 

[LaRockera]

Hello my lovelies.

Kate - Do not worry about your baby's heartbeat, it's absolutely normal. Anything between 110-180 is within the normal range, and it also depends on their activity. I've been hooked up twice and my rates fluctuated just like yours, with a low baseline that would rise up to 140/150. Absolutely normal, nothing at all to be worried about. HR usually rises when they give you a kick or they have some sort of movement acceleration, and the fluctuation indicates a very healthy heart. So your bubba is doing splendid, honey. Good news about the polyp too- obviously in the sense that you now know what it is and you know your baby is very safe in there. It's amazing how they didn't figure it out before, esp. after your visits there, but like I've always said, it really depends on the doctor.

And thank you for your post regarding my feelings about family, babe. It made me feel so, SO much better. It really did. It was immensely helpful, more than you can think of. Thank you again.

Jimmy - you're absolutely right hon, unless someone has been on the same road as you, they have no idea what it feels like. I've heard the most insensitive of things these last few months (my FIL's wife - not my MIL- even told me I should stop stressing so much because my baby is going to be born and say 'I don't want her, take her away' about me. . It was one of the cruelest things someone ever said to me. I know she didn't mean any harm, and trying to be understanding in the sense that I know she never had children of her own, so she can't really know. But it's still very upsetting.)

Thank you for your wishes and all the advice, too.

Bookfish - Thank you so much, hon. How's the bleeding going? I'm pretty sure it has subsided, even a bit?

Lizzy - agreed. Eat a bucket of probiotic yogurt for the time being, my MW even told me to apply some internally. Then we'll figure out what to do.


Okay, so I had to go to the loo about 5 times last night. The last time, when I returned, I experienced really bad menstrual-like cramps for like, 10 minutes. Baby was moving throughout this time, which was reassuring, but then this morning she was not as active as usual, and I got really worried. Thankfully, she started moving more and more intensely around midday, enough to give me more than 10 movements already, and then she went quiet again. I'd like to think she's having a lazy day. She has those before, and since there is some sort of movement every hour or so, I try not to get too paranoid. She gives me fewer intense movements, but she has given me two/three already, so I'm trying to think she just needs to sleep more today?

The worrying never stops, does it? Sigh...

 

[chistiana]

Lizzie thanks hun, i ll try not to worry about the swabs, i am happy we re being preventative but scared as my first big bleed started right after a swab (unrelated obviously)

kate hey so happy you are out and doing great hun (despite the stupid tooth pain) at least now you know what it was all along and if god forbid it happens again you ll know it s nothing to worry about!!!

BOokfish it s annoying and scary we have to go through extra bleeding after the cerclage after all we ve been through but it s definitely nothing to worry about, there is stretching and pulling on the wound and it is obviously going to bleed slightly until it s fully healed!

jimmyjam hahahaha your description just made me laugh! At least you wear your dh clothes...i dont even do that, i just lay around in my pjs!!i wouldnt know about the water thing by i d only assume they dont increase...i actually thought they decrease towards the end but some more knoledgable ladies on here can shed some more light on that!!good luck with you appointment!

To eveyone else hope you re having a smily day!xx

 

[lizziedripping]

Hi LR, what you describe is common after 35wks and will happen more often as you approach the big day. Also, movements tend to happen less often from now on with brief, but intense movements and long gaps of inactivity between. You can imagine how little room the twins had by now, and they could go a whole 8/9hrs with barely a flutter. It was my new worry after 34wks and I found myself constantly monitoring hbs to reassure me they were still with us. Try not to worry, but if movement doesn't happen at all in a 24hr period, then it's worth getting checked.

xxx

 

[book.fish2011]

Bf - blood is coming from stitch site hun. Imagine a graze or a cut anywhere on your body, it scabs, heals but occasionally bleeds apart of the process. This is a huge piece of type-writer like tape sewn through your cervix, it will wreak havoc with your body and take a while to heal. Mine was embedded when they tried to remove it and had grown scar tissue over it! There is bound to be bleeding with something so invasive

Btw, when were you studying at Nottingham? I was there in the early 90s - tho I'm probably years older than you, but our paths might have crossed. Dh still spends lots of time on the campus throughout the year x

Oh I see. Do you remember experiencing any pain between the legs while trying to get up from bed or changing sides?

I was in Nottingham in 2008-9. I studied in Trent university not the university of Nottingham. Does your dh teach there? I liked Nottingham, it's a nice place

 

[book.fish2011]

Lizzie thanks hun, i ll try not to worry about the swabs, i am happy we re being preventative but scared as my first big bleed started right after a swab (unrelated obviously)

kate hey so happy you are out and doing great hun (despite the stupid tooth pain) at least now you know what it was all along and if god forbid it happens again you ll know it s nothing to worry about!!!

BOokfish it s annoying and scary we have to go through extra bleeding after the cerclage after all we ve been through but it s definitely nothing to worry about, there is stretching and pulling on the wound and it is obviously going to bleed slightly until it s fully healed!

jimmyjam hahahaha your description just made me laugh! At least you wear your dh clothes...i dont even do that, i just lay around in my pjs!!i wouldnt know about the water thing by i d only assume they dont increase...i actually thought they decrease towards the end but some more knoledgable ladies on here can shed some more light on that!!good luck with you appointment!

To eveyone else hope you re having a smily day!xx

I just noted today that you are Chistiana and not Christiana as I was referring to all this while. Excuse my poor sight.

 

[chistiana]

hey bookfish..it is christiana in real only it was taken at registration!

 

[lizziedripping]

Bf - blood is coming from stitch site hun. Imagine a graze or a cut anywhere on your body, it scabs, heals but occasionally bleeds apart of the process. This is a huge piece of type-writer like tape sewn through your cervix, it will wreak havoc with your body and take a while to heal. Mine was embedded when they tried to remove it and had grown scar tissue over it! There is bound to be bleeding with something so invasive

Btw, when were you studying at Nottingham? I was there in the early 90s - tho I'm probably years older than you, but our paths might have crossed. Dh still spends lots of time on the campus throughout the year x

Oh I see. Do you remember experiencing any pain between the legs while trying to get up from bed or changing sides?


I was in Nottingham in 2008-9. I studied in Trent university not the university of Nottingham. Does your dh teach there? I liked Nottingham, it's a nice place

Hi. Pain between thighs when changing sides etc is definitely symphysis pubis - pelvis separates in pregnancy, but for some women it separates too much and causes pain. I had it with my first and the twins, tho never did anything about it. It's harmless to the babies just bloomin' painful at times and made worse because you're carrying two. Try sleeping with a pillow between your thighs, it helps to ease the discomfort.

I went to Uni of Nottingham, but it's likely we crossed paths at some point - small world. Dh guest lectures at University several times a year - its how we met x

 

[JimmyJam]

BF I would never have known English wasn't your first lnguage! There y'go, you must have a good command.

I reckon the bleeding will taper off in the next couple of days, give it time lovely. Sounds like you're well otherwise - are you drinking lots of water?

X

 

[book.fish2011]

Lizzie, omg. I think you are a doctor. Are you really? I exactly feel that kind of pain; the one you described. I will try a pillow.

It's so sweet you met your dh at Nottingham university