Incompetent Cervix - stitch/cerclage - threatened labour

[ShelbyLC]

Girls are beautiful! Careful with the blankets while you're away those are beautiful too by the way

Thank you

They usually don't have that many blankets in with them. At night they're each covered in a lightweight cotton blanket and a knitted (crocheted?) blanket, which is very breathable. And of course they also have their apnea monitors, so we're as safe as we can possibly be

How is Missy today?

 

[lizziedripping]

Does anyone else only feel baby kicks real low. My lil boys on kick above pelvic bone

Hi day - glad to see youre doing ok Baby kicks low down is very common with twins. I used to cry out with pain at times, especially at night. In the later weeks I had to go on all fours and stick my butt in the air, it was the only way to move the boys away from my cervix and ease the discomfort. My leasing twin remained breech throughout so this was a real issue for me - never had heartburn as a result tho xxx

 

[lizziedripping]

Glad to hear everyone is doing ok Shelby your girls are adorable, and I marvel at how well you're doing with twins and especially given they're your first babies. I was 29 when I had my first baby, and I wasn't coping nearly as well as you with one let alone two! Xx

 

[Twinkle 3]

hi everyone im happy to see your all doing well

so happy that your feeling better wunderful.

baby maybe bet your so excited for your little one to be here soon. i hope i can make it to my stitch removal and carry on a week after!! it would be such an acheivement!!

shelby your girls are gorgeous and its nice to keep seeing photos and hearing how your getting along.

hope everyone else is good

As for myself im recovering well from the stitch procedure. still resting though as when i walk around alot or do strenuous things i can feel the stitch pulling. has anyone else felt this?

I also get alot of family members ask the same questions about the stitch and i never know how to answer. can any one help...

The main question they ask is. will the stitch prevent preterm labour ? and when i say theres still a chance of me going into labour early they then ask what is the point of the stitch then?

how should i answer this ? my understanding is the stitch will prevent the cervix from opening due to the weight of the baby but i can still go into labour is this true?

i also get asked alot about group b strep and will the stitch prevent it from getting in my womb or causing preterm labour .... which to be honest i dont know the answer to that either.

does anyone?

(i really should ask my doctor these questions but i always forget when im at the hospital)

 

[Prayerfulmom2]

Girls are beautiful! Careful with the blankets while you're away those are beautiful too by the way

Thank you

They usually don't have that many blankets in with them. At night they're each covered in a lightweight cotton blanket and a knitted (crocheted?) blanket, which is very breathable. And of course they also have their apnea monitors, so we're as safe as we can possibly be

How is Missy today?

Aww. She's doing well. Weighing in at 3 pounds 9.5 ounces. She's using her pacifier now and is 32 weeks 3 days. She's wearing clothes too! All her feeds are still via tube but its all good.

 

[Prayerfulmom2]

hi everyone im happy to see your all doing well

so happy that your feeling better wunderful.

baby maybe bet your so excited for your little one to be here soon. i hope i can make it to my stitch removal and carry on a week after!! it would be such an acheivement!!

shelby your girls are gorgeous and its nice to keep seeing photos and hearing how your getting along.

hope everyone else is good

As for myself im recovering well from the stitch procedure. still resting though as when i walk around alot or do strenuous things i can feel the stitch pulling. has anyone else felt this?

I also get alot of family members ask the same questions about the stitch and i never know how to answer. can any one help...

The main question they ask is. will the stitch prevent preterm labour ? and when i say theres still a chance of me going into labour early they then ask what is the point of the stitch then?

how should i answer this ? my understanding is the stitch will prevent the cervix from opening due to the weight of the baby but i can still go into labour is this true?

i also get asked alot about group b strep and will the stitch prevent it from getting in my womb or causing preterm labour .... which to be honest i dont know the answer to that either.

does anyone?

(i really should ask my doctor these questions but i always forget when im at the hospital)

Hey twinkle! Good questions! I'm no professional and I did have a stitch and ill tell you what I was told. A stitch helps to carry a pregnancy closer to term. You can go into labor with a stitch ( I did and started to dilate). A stitch helps to support the weight of a baby on an incompetent cervix. A stitch can actually cause preterm labor due to cervical irritation but the benefits usually outweigh the risks of a weAk cervix trying to carry unassisted. Think of a water balloon held with the opening untied at the bottom. The opening is the cervix and is closed with a loosely placed rubberband for closure. picture that as a stitch. The pressure from the water inside the ballon would cause its contents to comeout
without a closure ( stitch). The rubberband helps to delay this process as long as possible! I tried my best to paint a picture and answer your question. Hope this helps. Tell your family the stitch helps your cervical issue. Other issues that could cause preterm labor in an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy could still arise. Xx good luck
Also with group b strep, it can still pass your stitch. It was actually the culprit for my preterm labor. It spread to my placenta. I wouldn't stress about it but I would make sure the dr watches it. In many women it causes no problems at all and isn't treated until delivery.

 

[baby_maybe]

Pretty much what prayerful said twinkle. Ptl and incompetent cervix are actually separate issues but both can be caused by each other if that makes sense. Generally if your only issue is the cervix and you get a stitch you shouldn't have issues with ptl, although as prayerful said a stitch can irritate and cause ptl, hence one of the symptoms of having a stitch is getting a lot of braxton hicks, for me these have not set off ptl but it is possible. With the gbs, I've never had an issue with it making its way upwards, but my cervix does stay long and closed with a stitch in so that probably makes a big difference. I've only ever had it treated in labour and never in the actual pregnancy, even with a stitch in place.

 

[Agiboma]

@baby 38 weeks wow
@prayerful great weight gain, she will probably start to take breast or bottle around 34 weeks when the sucking reflex comes in
As for me im so tierd these days and my little boy has so much energy, trying to keep up with him

 

[Twinkle 3]

Thank you prayerful and baby for the explanations,I will know what to say now when family ask me questions I think I will use the example of the water balloon! It will help people visualise it better. I think incompetent cervix is so scary, I feel like every day I'm lucky to make it a day further just hope the stitch can hold my cervix closed shut until 36 weeks

Group b strep scares me aswel my consultant dosnt seem worried about it though. I don't really understand group b strep apart from it can cause preterm labour or infect the baby when it's being born. I'm just hoping it won't cause me any problems.

So nice to hear missys doing great prayerful

 

[Twinkle 3]

Also baby maybe just want to say that you give me so much hope and faith that I can get close to term with the stitch. Well to be honest all the ladies on here do aswel but with you having so many sucessful stitches along with group b strep and how far you have carried your children even after the stitch was removed is brilliant. Every time I worry about the stitch and giving birth too early I always think of how many you have had and how far you have made it. I would be the happiest person in the world to make its as close to term as you

 

[Melblizz]

Hi Lizzie,
I been following this forum singer last week back from the very beginning (2010) and your advise is always comforting as you seem to know so much about IC. Any advice you can give would be appreciated and please don't stop encouraging us all oxoxox

 

[Melblizz]

@ abigoma.. Thank you so much! Happy to be part of such as inspiring forum. Hope I am doing these post correct. Is there a way to reply Separate?

 

[baby_maybe]

Aww thanks Twinkle, I'm sure you will make it to term as well hun

 

[Prayerfulmom2]

@baby 38 weeks wow
@prayerful great weight gain, she will probably start to take breast or bottle around 34 weeks when the sucking reflex comes in
As for me im so tierd these days and my little boy has so much energy, trying to keep up with him

Agiboma she already started sucking a pacifier and her saturation stayed good. Maybe I can ask if she can try a bottle feed at 33 weeks. It's a thought??

 

[Agiboma]

@ prayerful and a very good though to certainly does no harm in asking.

 

[lizziedripping]

Prayer honey, it never hurts to ask but dealing with a bottle is actually harder than a pacifier so don't be disappointed if she doesn't cope with it just yet It's the sucking, swallowing and breathing all at the same time which is the challenge before 34wks, whilst not impossible its tiring for preemies because their lungs are not quite there. Evie did bf at around that point and coped well, and your lo is a girl so she may prove the theory wrong too - girls seem to be born to deal with most things lol, so it's defo worth a try. Hope you're coping ok with your nicu journey sweet

Twinkle, hi The other ladies have answered your questions but if you don't mind I'll throw in my ten cents worth too . Ptl and IC are indeed seperate issues, BUT when an emergency stitch is placed the cervical changes which have already occurred can progress into ptl. The surgery itself can trigger it too in an already irritable/changing cervix. This isn't common, but more likely with an emergency versus elective stitch. All that said, ptl is usually as a result of seperate and unrelated issues which are no more likely in you than any other pregnant lady - the IC and stitch placement in themselves only increases your risk slightly. As a purely mechanical issue, IC is literally 'fixed' by the placement of a suture (the earlier the better). Although it cannot remove any other issues which might put you at risk of ptl, it does solve IC in most women most of the time, thus eliminating a major complication of pregnancy

As for BV - this is a definite 'chicken and egg' scenario. It isn't known for definite which comes first, the BV or ptl. Current thinking is that ptl happens, the sterile barrier between vagina and uterus is breeched and the BV (a common organism part of the general 'flora and fauna' of many women's nether regions) tracks up into the uterus and infects that environment after the fact. In that case a closed cervix (even if short and funneling) will not allow BV to do any harm, and indeed with the stitch in place its unlikely it can go anywhere but the vagina.

Incidentally I was swabbed routinely at 20wks and 4wks later (Christmas hols meant I didnt get the letter!) was told I had BV. Only then were antibiotics started, but despite that it caused no problems for me whatsoever. It is such a common infection that it's likely thousands of pregnant women have it unawares so it goes unnoticed. If it were a genuine threat (i.e. could trigger ptl) then many more women would be having premature babies. If you have the option to be tested and treated then great!! it never hurts to rule out any possible risk, but please try not to worry, if your cervix remains closed (and there is no reason why it shouldn't) it isn't any real threat

 

[lizziedripping]

Hi Melblizz and welcome

Have just read through your post, and remember being exactly where you are (except was 23wks) 8yrs ago and remember also just how frightening the whole thing was, you have my sympathy and support sweetie

Ok, a dilated cervix and bulging membrane at stitch placement is not ideal but neither is it catastrophic - you are already doing better than I did after my emergency stitch, and because a week has now passed since surgery things are looking more and more positive for you and this pregnancy honey, so hang in there and keep the faith.

Firstly, I'm puzzled that they say you were only open at the bottom- for the membranes to bulge your cervix must have been dilated throughout. Also, it's impossible to be accurate about length or cervical status from an internal, manual exam alone - only an internal u/s scan give an accurate picture. I would strongly discourage them from keep doing manual checks too since this only irritates an already changed cervix and raises the risk of infection - both definite 'no no's' with IC! If you feel able, please ask them not to keep checking and press for an internal u/s at regular intervals to determine how things are looking.

The fact that you haven't bled nor had cramps since the stitch are good signs. The pressure might indicate a funneled (open above the stitch) cervix, but this would be expected in an incompetent cervix and is not typically cause for alarm - funneling can be detected by u/s alone. You aren't dilated below, or through the stitch because you'd have symptoms of such changes at this point so you can rest assured that for now the stitch has closed things back up and is holding well. Even if your cervix is now short (and it shortens before dilating), the stitch should keep it closed enough. The pressure down below you're experiencing is indicative os a cervix under strain and can be normal for IC ladies - it doesn't necessarily mean anything sinister is happening. I did have lots of pressure with my 24wker which indicated imminent delivery, but I also had copious bleeding and contractions, it was obvious I was in ptl. To reassure you I had exactly the same pressure and discomfort with the twins (which is why I was scared to move even an inch in 7mths), but I sailed relatively easily to 38+wks with them. You have had a lot going on down below this past week, it makes sense that you have some resultant pressure. It's amazing you aren't experiencing more!

My advice now would be to listen yo your body. If you feel pressure when upright then stay horizontal as much as is possible. Any changes unusual for you get checked immediately, and insist on an TVU not just a manual exam. Wishing you lots of luck honey, please keep in touch and don't hesitate to post as many questions as you need to help get you through this difficult time

 

[DAYDAY24]

I keel having urgency to urinate but can't does anyone know what this could be?

 

[ShelbyLC]

I keel having urgency to urinate but can't does anyone know what this could be?

It's called "there's a baby sitting on your bladder." Sometimes if they're sitting really low, it makes going really hard.

 

[Tink_0123]

Lizzie, glad to hear from you!! Hope you're doing well

Day, I sometimes feel the need to urinate and nothing happens, so I have to sit there for a few and completely concentrate in order to get anything to happen. In your case, carrying twins the weight on your bladder is twice as much as with a single baby in there.

Prayer, Glad Missy is progressing so well. Hopefully she'll be able to bottle feed soon, thats one step closer to being able to go home..

All other ladies, glad you're doing well. Keep those babies cooking