Incompetent Cervix - stitch/cerclage - threatened labour

[chistiana]

Thanks lch! I was 35+3 and she was born 2160... She stayed in the nicu for 4 days and i took her home 2 kilos after i argued like crazy with the docs and the hospital.

 

[Alisa F]

I'm going to join the cerclage club tomorrow, am scheduled for a modified shirodkar at 7.30am. Cross your fingers for me please I feel like I need all the luck I can get....xxx

 

[DMJ]

Chovie girl -

Yes Hun I'm 22+2 today, I've got my next checkup on Wednesday and also I'll be having my first FFN testing which I'm really nervous about .. Has anyone on here had it done?

How many weeks are you now Hun? My boy also weighed 14oz at our 20+5 scan

Xx

 

[DMJ]

I'm going to join the cerclage club tomorrow, am scheduled for a modified shirodkar at 7.30am. Cross your fingers for me please I feel like I need all the luck I can get....xxx

Good luck Hun

 

[lch28]

chistiana she is beautiful! is your son in your avatar too? i am so glad she was okay. was this due to IC?

alisa good luck i am getting the same cerclage done

 

[LindyB]

Lizzie can i ask you a question?

I haven't had any blood or discharge since my stitch on Friday since this morning when there was some brownish discharge. Can you lose your mucus plug through a stitch? I was funelled before the stitch was placed. Google images show the mucus plug in different places on the cervix. I'm hoping that if I hadn't lost it prior to the stitch then the stitch may prevent it coming out now. I never saw my mucus plug with my previous 2 labours. Just a huge gush of water as they broke both times.
It's confusing.

 

[JJEE]

Hi Ladies,

So pleased to hear everybody is doing so well!

Lindy, I only saw my mucus plug with my son, but if I remember rightly it was a largish jelly like blob, quite distinctive. I am sure the brown discharge is just old blood from the stitch site.

Chistiana, did you have your stitch removed prior to your beautiful daughter being born, or had labour began so it was removed then?

xxx

 

[chistiana]

Lch- thanks hun, yes my son is in there too, kissing his sis!

Lch and JJEE I m not sure what triggered labor, i was overtired and i felt a prolonged pain... I called my doc and he asked me to go in to check me.. By the time i reached the hospital in 30 minutes i had contractions every couple of minutes so they did an emergency c section because i still had the stitch in and it was about to rip through my cervix plus my lo was coming feet down. Doc said he doesnt want to think of what would have happened had i not gone in. I dont want to scare you ladies but it goes to show you should always contact your doc if you have even the slightest concern. Dont worry about bothering them, that s their job!

Alisa, good luck, hope everything goes well!

 

[candichic1]

Hi Lindy - I've been reading this thread for quite some time now but wanted to respond to you about the brown discharge, as it had concerned me as well after my stitch (especially since it didn't happen until almost a week later!) Anyway, my doctor told me this was totally normal and it is just old blood making it's way down and out. I had this for about a week but I've heard that it can last even longer sometimes. So you can rest easy about it

 

[LindyB]

Hi Lindy - I've been reading this thread for quite some time now but wanted to respond to you about the brown discharge, as it had concerned me as well after my stitch (especially since it didn't happen until almost a week later!) Anyway, my doctor told me this was totally normal and it is just old blood making it's way down and out. I had this for about a week but I've heard that it can last even longer sometimes. So you can rest easy about it

Thank you! It's probably because I have been resting in bed so it will take longer to work it's way out I suppose. My husband said that I perhaps need to be out of bed a bit more so I don't get any clots. Then when I am out of bed he tells me I should be in bed with my feet up!

 

[LindyB]

One more question. What about lying on your back? I thought it put too much pressure on your blood vessels and can be bad for you. Does anyone know of the best positions when you are trying to keep the weight off your cervix and the worst? For instance my 2 year old is deaf and we have to squat down to his level to get eye contact. This position must be putting lots of weight on my cervix. I have tried sitting in the armchair with my feet up and letting him come up to me. Any advice?

My consultant and the midwives advised against bed rest but I am giving it a go. Not 100% - I do get up to get a drink or snack or go the loo. Plus I've been swapping to the sofa/armchair too with my feet up. My consultant said I could go back to work but I'm a primary school teacher so it's impossible to stay off my feet. Once you are in a class with 30 seven years olds you can kind of forget about everything else. I'm going to get my GP to sign me off until my maternity leave starts. I'm sure he will agree.

 

[ChovieGirl]

Chovie girl -

Yes Hun I'm 22+2 today, I've got my next checkup on Wednesday and also I'll be having my first FFN testing which I'm really nervous about .. Has anyone on here had it done?

How many weeks are you now Hun? My boy also weighed 14oz at our 20+5 scan

Xx

I am right behind you! 21+3 for me. My doctor mentioned that I will have the FFN test as well when I go back, but I do not go back until July 18th. It is soooo tough waiting that long. I do not know much about the test other than they swab you and if they find FFN then it is a good indicator that labor is coming soon. It is nerve racking! I think will also start getting steroid shots at that time too.

As far as movement goes, I really felt my baby a couple of days ago, but now his kicks don't feel as prominent. Is that normal this early on? I know that movements get stronger and more persistent the further along you go. I was told that my placenta is more in the front and read that this can also make it harder to feel the baby at times.

If it is not one worry, it is another. LOL

 

[ChovieGirl]

I'm going to join the cerclage club tomorrow, am scheduled for a modified shirodkar at 7.30am. Cross your fingers for me please I feel like I need all the luck I can get....xxx

How did everything go? Hope you are feeling good and resting.

 

[ChovieGirl]

One more question. What about lying on your back? I thought it put too much pressure on your blood vessels and can be bad for you. Does anyone know of the best positions when you are trying to keep the weight off your cervix and the worst? For instance my 2 year old is deaf and we have to squat down to his level to get eye contact. This position must be putting lots of weight on my cervix. I have tried sitting in the armchair with my feet up and letting him come up to me. Any advice?

My consultant and the midwives advised against bed rest but I am giving it a go. Not 100% - I do get up to get a drink or snack or go the loo. Plus I've been swapping to the sofa/armchair too with my feet up. My consultant said I could go back to work but I'm a primary school teacher so it's impossible to stay off my feet. Once you are in a class with 30 seven years olds you can kind of forget about everything else. I'm going to get my GP to sign me off until my maternity leave starts. I'm sure he will agree.

I have been told and read that the best lying position to keep weight off your cervix, reduce pressure and maximize blood flow is lying on your left side. Lying on your back can restrict blood flood, but I believe they say that is more once you have hit your 4th month. I am super paranoid so I stopped laying on my back as soon as I knew I was pregnant. I am on modified bed rest (only get up to get food, bathroom) and my doctor said that it was okay for me too use the recliner instead of laying in bed all day. I usually recline pretty far back, with legs up, unless my neck starts getting sore. It is nice to have a couple of options. Another thing that my doctor told me I could do was float (not really swim) in the pool once week. I would definitely check with your doctor before you do that, but if you have a pool or have someone close with a pool, the fresh air can be nice.

 

[lizziedripping]

Hi ladies

Lindy, candichic said it all really, brown blood is old blood and defo does not sound like mucous plug to me hun. It's not unusual for there to be some blood loss several weeks after stitch - I'm amazed you haven't had more.

As for positions, as Chovie mentioned, left side is best but not crucial for your cervix or baby. I spent most of my time on my left mainly because it felt most comfortable. Back lying can constrict blood flow to you and cause light headedness, and always feels wrong to me somehow - unnatural. However, please don't be freaked out if you occasionally do it.

Why not try kneeling down to your son? Occasional squatting is unlikely to cause a problem, but anything remotely uncomfortable low down, I'd avoid if possible. Bed rest wise I spent 80% of my day time on the settee, getting up to make the odd meal and get the kids into bed etc. I managed being upright in short bursts of around 20/30mins, but felt sooo nervous that even that was reduced as time went on. I didn't really leave the house after 20wks except for hospital appts mainly because I was in pain and felt lots of pressure down below. On reflection this was likely prolapse and twin related rather than failing cervix, but who was I to argue? Lol xx

 

[lizziedripping]

Chovie, movements at 21wks can come and go and feel scant Hun. I never really felt huge, persistent kicks and punches until atleast 24wks if not more. Ironically movement was the only thing I didn't worry about lol, and believe me the 'worry list' was long for me xx

 

[lch28]

what length is concerning for cervical length ? i just want to know before i start getting measurements

 

[LindyB]

One more question. What about lying on your back? I thought it put too much pressure on your blood vessels and can be bad for you. Does anyone know of the best positions when you are trying to keep the weight off your cervix and the worst? For instance my 2 year old is deaf and we have to squat down to his level to get eye contact. This position must be putting lots of weight on my cervix. I have tried sitting in the armchair with my feet up and letting him come up to me. Any advice?

My consultant and the midwives advised against bed rest but I am giving it a go. Not 100% - I do get up to get a drink or snack or go the loo. Plus I've been swapping to the sofa/armchair too with my feet up. My consultant said I could go back to work but I'm a primary school teacher so it's impossible to stay off my feet. Once you are in a class with 30 seven years olds you can kind of forget about everything else. I'm going to get my GP to sign me off until my maternity leave starts. I'm sure he will agree.

I have been told and read that the best lying position to keep weight off your cervix, reduce pressure and maximize blood flow is lying on your left side. Lying on your back can restrict blood flood, but I believe they say that is more once you have hit your 4th month. I am super paranoid so I stopped laying on my back as soon as I knew I was pregnant. I am on modified bed rest (only get up to get food, bathroom) and my doctor said that it was okay for me too use the recliner instead of laying in bed all day. I usually recline pretty far back, with legs up, unless my neck starts getting sore. It is nice to have a couple of options. Another thing that my doctor told me I could do was float (not really swim) in the pool once week. I would definitely check with your doctor before you do that, but if you have a pool or have someone close with a pool, the fresh air can be nice.

I know what you mean! I've avoided sleeping on my back since I was 4 weeks pregnant and did the same with my 2 sons. I even panic if I wake up on my back. I need to chill out a bit!

 

[LindyB]

what length is concerning for cervical length ? i just want to know before i start getting measurements

I think in the UK the guidelines have changed. With my last son the same consultant as I have now put a stitch in at 17 weeks without measuring me. My 1st child was born at 34 weeks so not too early but a gynocologist had said I had a very small cervix when he looked at me at about 31 weeks when pg with my 1st.

Now I think the guidelines are to place a stitch if the cervix is below 2.5cm and/or showing signs of funnelling and if you have a previous pre term labour or mid term miscarriage.

Although when I met with my consultant again at 13 weeks he said "Well shall we do a stitch again?" I then mentioned that I had never been measured before so he went down that route. I wish I just said stitch! I was 2.9cm with no funneling from 14 weeks to 18 weeks. Then at 20 I was 1.9cm /2.0cm with funneling. I feel so stupid. But I suppose I have no idea what length etc my cervix was with my 2 boys as I was never measured.

Sorry to give you my life story! It's because I'm doing bed rest! Lizzie will give you a much more brief and scientific answer!

Right I better stay offline for a bit!

 

[LindyB]

Chovie I am 21 weeks too and I feel a lot of movements some days and not so much on others like yesterday.

I'm sure I felt flutterings etc earlier with my 2nd so I was worried this time but my placenta was still quite low when I had the scans so that was why I couldn't feel as much.