Incompetent Cervix - stitch/cerclage - threatened labour

[lch28]

kimbo i was told you can not use the vaginal stuff for that if your cervix is open. weird my doc and i were just talking about that the other day.

chovie i am going to see how things go. i had a normal bm today (tmi lol) so im not going to take colance unless needed. i do drink 80 oz of water a day (hoping thats enough as they told me to stay hydrated) and i am a very big fruit / veggie eater.

lizzie - you are so reassuring lol! i am actually surprised at how well i am feeling. i am not even bleeding anymore. maybe a tiny bit but not every time i wipe. i am feeling slightly crampy but only at times. i decided i will take out the build up only every few days instead of every day. today i don't feel comfortable putting my fingers in. i know the stitch is high up but i feel like im healing and shouldn't mess around up there. i am leaning towards the crinone. it is pretty cheap and the p17 is almost 3 times the amount, and hey if the less expensive is more effective that seems like the way to go! i have my tvu in 3 weeks. they said they will tell me the gender! i was not aware that they could see the baby from that at 16 weeks. i thought it was only in early pregnancy .

 

[kimbotrav]

ich28-thank you thats what i thought aznd my midwife said she asked her registra and they said its fine but i couldnt see how that could be fine so think ill stick to the creme x

also was wondering ladys if most of you have been put on progesterone as well as ure stitch i had an emergant 1 placed at 18 weeks and since have been given no progesterone creme or anything as my consultant said i dnt need it. and where i was 1 cm dilated when i had the stitch does the stitch close you completely back up or is it still possible to be a little dilated i have the shrodikar i think.
and not sure as to when i can start driving again ive only been told to not do as much as normal and no real heavy lifting so im guessing driving is ok? xxxx

 

[lizziedripping]

Hi Kim, I didn't have progesterone during the twin pregnancy, just the stitch and I was fine. I would have liked the option, but back then progesterone trials weren't complete so my consultant was unsure of its benefits or whether it carried any risks.

The stitch might have closed the slight opening altogether, or atleast pulled it closed enough to be funneled above the stitch but closed below. A good result either way xxx

 

[angel229]

Hi all,

Just an update on my situation. I finally got my follow up appointment with consultant for 17th August which will be exactly 2 Weeks since I had the stitch placed. Not finding this very reassuring as I was given no instruction from the hospital on dos and don't s. Not sure if I am suppose to be resting or carrying on as normal, was given no medication either. I am just going to put myself on bed rest until my appointment to be on the safe side. Still getting quite a few twinges in my back and belly but nothing really painful and (tmi) my discharge has gone from stringy to watery which I hope is ok. Does anyone know?

 

[lch28]

angel everyones doctors give different instructions. perhaps you could call them. i was told no lifting and no baths. only bed rest for day of my surgery and then he said i could get back to normal but take it easy. i decided to take this week off of work however even though he seemed very confident i could go back. i dont know about the discharge because i just got mine on Tuesday

so wait? am i supposed to be on antibiotics or something after my stitch? i didn't get any med either? lizzie?? lol

 

[DMJ]

Hi ladies just a quick update from me ...

I had my 4d scan yesterday it was amazing to see and told me he's already a big baby weighing 3.2lbs at 27.5 weeks.
Also had my midwife today and she's referring me to see another consultant for a growth measurement scan as I'm measuring 31 weeks
And she's also referring me to see a physio as iv got SPD sleeping on my side is becoming so uncomfortable now..
Next cervix check is on the 22nd

Hope everyone is ok xxx

 

[lizziedripping]

Hi angel, sorry that I seemed to have missed your first posts Given that you were fully dilated at the time of the stitch, I would definitely recommend rest, atleast until you can see how your cervix looks now since the procedure. Don't ever expect hospitals to commit to post op rest as an approach, they rarely do. Trust your own instincts sweetie, they're usually right! Good luck and you know where we are xx

Ich - it isn't routine to give antibiotics after stitching, tho some Doctors do. I had IV meds before and after the emergency stitch, but this was because my cervix was already dilated with membranes bulging. Don't worry, everything that can be done is being done, and you're gonna be fine

 

[Alisa F]

i've just been put on progesterone suppositories today (Cyclogest 400 once daily). The doc said its a vaginal suppository that works "locally" so shouldnt cause constipation as it shouldnt be absorbed elsewhere. i didnt think to ask her if it is indeed supposed to act locally, then MUST i put it in vag. she did say i can do it rectally, and the packet says vag and rectal suppository. i dont want to put anything in my vag daily as im prone to infection and cos of the stitch.

does anyone know if it matters if i use the cyclogest rectally, is it the same? xxx

 

[lizziedripping]

Same rectally or vaginally Alisa x

Dmj - glad all is well hun. Don't worry about the bigger baby scan, often it's just genetics which make baby large. They ALWAYS query my babies being on the larger side as a potential GD issue, and to date it never has been. My singleton and one of the twins were both just under 4Ibs at 28wks and ended up being 9Ibs+ at term - just big boys and no problem to carry at all, even with a dodgy cervix xx

 

[ChovieGirl]

Hi ladies just a quick update from me ...

I had my 4d scan yesterday it was amazing to see and told me he's already a big baby weighing 3.2lbs at 27.5 weeks.
Also had my midwife today and she's referring me to see another consultant for a growth measurement scan as I'm measuring 31 weeks
And she's also referring me to see a physio as iv got SPD sleeping on my side is becoming so uncomfortable now..
Next cervix check is on the 22nd

Hope everyone is ok xxx

That is so exciting! I was thinking about having a 4d scan as well. Were you able to see the baby's face? I really want to.

3.2lbs is big. My baby measured last week right at 2lbs (which was just barely at 26 weeks). So if the baby's measurements show 31 weeks with the 2nd person what does that mean? Would you be further along than you thought? That would actually be kind of nice...closer to the finish line!

I feel you on the discomfort from sleeping on your side. I have felt uncomfortable the last couple of nights with my hips and lower back. I am using two body pillows which help some, but not as much lately.

 

[DMJ]

As of yet they havnt said anything about changing dates forward .. Will hopefully know more once iv had the scan. My main concern was when they would take the stitch out due to my dates showing me bigger? I wonder if they will keep it the same? My midwife said to me that he was measuring bigger because I was on bed rest but tbh I don't think I believe that lol!

The 4d scan was amazing .. We saw his face and made everything seem so real. He opened his eyes a few times and we watched him drinking the fluid
The DVD and photos are lovely to look back on in years to come

 

[lch28]

dmj that is amazing!!!!!!!! i think with sophia i had a 3d scan?? im not sure but we saw her face and then she put her thumb in her mouth.

has anyone ever stopped bleeding in 1 day? i got my cerclage tuesday morning and was not bleeding by tuesday night. i don't even have a tinged discharge or anything

 

[lizziedripping]

Dmj, bigger baby does not influence stitch removal nor does it mean they'll adjust your dates. Baby weight charts are based on averages, with all babies falling somewhere either side of the average weight at any particular gestation - it doesn't mean the dates are wrong. In the first 12wks all babies grow at a,uniform rate, so if there is a discrepancy they do tend to change dates. After 24wks babies vary in how quickly they grow and how much weight they gain week on week. This is normal, and down to individual variation not incorrect dating.

My twins were 3.2 and 4Ibs at your gestation and were measuring 3 and 4wks ahead for twins - it didn't change anything, and I just have bigger babies. Some women have smaller than average babies. It is never cause for alarm either way unless a baby suddenly drops off its own particular growth curve.

Also, it has been shown that rest or over exertion does influence birth weight, with women who work hard until their due date delivering smaller babies in general - not such a bizarre idea after all Certainly here there do seem to be lots of ladies on bed rest, who have delivered larger than average babies.

Ich - my bleeding had all but stopped by day 3 and was never very heavy - more like e end of a period xx

 

[lch28]

i never had hardly any not complaining though! so from what i have read on here.. at my tvu on august 16th i should hope for 2.5 cm or above?

 

[melshell]

Hello everyone! I've pretty much been lurking on this forum aside from one question I posted a several weeks ago. I love reading everyone's question and posts! So encouraging and helps me to know I'm not alone.

My first son was born at 24+5. This time around I had a cerclage placed at about 21 weeks and am on modified bed rest at home. I'm now almost 28 weeks and was told today I have gestational diabetes--very disappointing as I have none of the usual risk factors aside from age.

Anyway, I'm very concerned about this as I've read it can lead to delayed lung fetal lung development and I'm already at high risk for delivering early.

Anyone else with a cerclage have experience dealing with GD? Thanks!

 

[aegle]

I'm feeling her more lower down too since have the preterm labor. How come they haven't tried to stop your contractions yet if you have been having them for 6 weeks? that isn't good, I would think that would change your cervix and they would want to give you steroids. They are in 2 shots, 1 every 24 hours and the second shot needs 24 hours to circulate fully to the baby. They told me the steroid are good until they are about 34 weeks then its less effective because baby is already producing its own surfactant in its lungs. If your doc won't do anything, have you called your local L&D to see what they would suggest? This is my first pregnancy with IC so i'm learning as I go along, I only have my limited experience to offer so far from what my doctors have done or what I have read up on here and elsewhere.

It's great that you're home and doing better. I totally understand about wanting to be done with it though... one minute, I feel like rushing into L&D, the next I feel like I might even make it to term. It's driving me nuts.

I got to L&D every week and I have 2 great doctors. The contractions I'm having aren't true contractions (not painful)... and they're not changing my cervix quickly enough to try to stop them. It's technically not PTL, but they are causing changes slowly.

They tell you to go in if you have more than 4 contractions in an hour, but I have 12/hr everynight for a few hours... and 2-3 per hour most of the rest of the time. They're just not doing much.

The good and bad news is that my uterus is going to be like ironman by the time i go into labor. Good news if she's ready, bad news is that if she's not, I don't think they'll have time to stop it.

They're also relying on the fetal fibronectin test. It's 95% true, so they just assume I won't go into labor in the next 2 weeks. I read that they baby's hormones are what start labor, so if she's not ready, nothing will happen unless she literally falls out cause my cervix is too weak.

I might ask my doc for the steroids next appointment.. I'd feel better. But I'm sure she'll say no if the tests are still negative. I'm almost to 34 weeks anyway. So close!

I also found out today that her weight is in the 13th percentile. She was 3 lbs 8 oz at 31w 5d. My maternal fetal med doctor told me that she's on the small side but it's nothing to worry about, but didn't tell me the percentile. My next appointment isn't until 36 weeks... so if I do make it that far, I think I'll probably be induced for IUGR (I'm at risk for IUGR because her cord is missing an artery)

They only induce if the baby is under the 10th percentile. I feel like she hasn't been growing much at all. My OB seemed concerned, but the maternal fetal med guy has been doing this for much longer and I guess they both assume that she's gonna come out on her own before it becomes a problem.

Holy crap this is long. Sorry!

You updated a few days ago... how are things with you now?

 

[kimbotrav]

Hi Kim, I didn't have progesterone during the twin pregnancy, just the stitch and I was fine. I would have liked the option, but back then progesterone trials weren't complete so my consultant was unsure of its benefits or whether it carried any risks.

The stitch might have closed the slight opening altogether, or atleast pulled it closed enough to be funneled above the stitch but closed below. A good result either way xxx

thankyou i feel much better now i just kept seeing ladsy were having that as well as the stitch an it got me concerned and yes definately a good result xx

 

[lch28]

hi ladies..

im a little freaked out. TMI but i was cleaning out my crinone with my finger and i felt two strings. i wasn't sure if it was dried up progesterone or the stitch so obviously i stopped fiddling over there . am i supposed to be able to feel the stitch?!?!? i got a shridokar.

 

[lizziedripping]

Yes Ich, they leave the stitch threads hanging down so that they can access it at removal day. You're not the first to feel it, and it's totally normal xx

 

[lch28]

lol okay!! thank god. i thought it was coming un done or something. see this is why i think its weird he told me i can have sex! im not going too but jeez ..i would not want to puncture my fiancee!