Incompetent Cervix - stitch/cerclage - threatened labour

[lizziedripping]

Thankyou TlM for the info do you feel pelvic pressure? It's what iv been feeling a lot of lately and it only goes away when I rest. The more I stand or walk the worse it gets? Don't know if it's normal to still feel pressure with a stitch in

It is normal and it might indicate some funneling, but not much more - please don't worry

 

[lch28]

twinkle i felt the same around 34-35 weeks, nervous! I had no time to prepare with my water breaking before i even got my stitch out. when it broke i felt a huge sense of panic. i even said to my mom "BUT IM NOT READY!!" lol. But then I had Jonathan and it just felt so right. I was like WOW I CAN DO THIS!! hes sleeping right next to me now. cant believe i ever lived with out him lol

 

[chocolatecat]

Glad you hospital bedrest ladies are doing well, it must be so worrying!
Hope you make it home soon wunderful. I'm so lucky to be 10 mins from an excellent hospital (which considering I'm there every friday afternoon for 3 hours is a good job!)

Twinkle, it's ok to worry, I do the same, but so far with the pressure and cramps its not turned into anything, my cervix is still at 35-45mm. Of course that all said I'm now into my 'danger' time. Next 3-4 weeks I want to take it easy, but of course stuff still needs to be done, I feel guilty for not doing stuff and making hubby do it all, then feel guilty if I'm on my feet for more than 30 mins!!

Just wishing the next few weeks (and then some!) away - as you all are!!!

As for drugs in the UK, I wasn't given them last time, but have made a plan with my consultant to have them this time, though we've not discussed if my stitch will be taken out as soon as I have contractions or not... will need to check that!
Anyway, the point was to talk to your consultant and ask to have tocolytics and have it written in your notes. If that's what you want of course.

Hugs to you all

xx
PS shelby - soooooo cute!!!

 

[Agiboma]

congrats that is great news wunderful

 

[Prayerfulmom2]

Tink, your belly doest look big it looks long! Lol you're gonna lose that weight FAST!!! So happy for you.
Wunderful congrats !

 

[Twinkle 3]

Thankyou everyone for the advice it's really helped I'm hoping time flys until I'm 28weeks. I think that's the only time I'll relax and enjoy pregnancy. At the minute I feel like I'm living a nightmare as each day I wake up I'm so scared something is going to go wrong. Iv got such a long way to go aswel so it's reassuring to talk to women who are going/gone through the same situation as me. Also with the midwifes and doctors not being much help it helps knowing what you all are feeling or felt during your pregnancy. Iv always got an ache or pain. Especially when my bladders full it's so painfull. I can 100% say that I definitely have incompetent cervix after all the symptoms I'm having again. I'm hoping this cervical cerclage can surprise me and keep my baby in I will be the happiest person in the world if the cerclage does it's job. I just thought it would have took away all the feelings and symptoms of incompetent cervix with it reinforcing the cervix but I'm feeling all the symptoms of IC x

 

[sweetbuthyper]

Twinkle I totally relate to the waking up scared every morning altho I am at danger week and so am petrified to cough (how it all started the day Nathaniel was born), also I get the bladder thing usually in the morning which doesn't help believe its because the weight of your bladder and baby is heavy and adds pressure on the stitch which gives you the feeling as although its doing its job your body still sees it as a foreign object.

The way I think of it is this if you had a stitch in your arm for a cut it would be bruised and sore for weeks, if you then applyd weight to it it would hurt more right, your cervix is no different its sore from the op plus weight = pain. Also stitches that have healed remain sore as they pull on the skin and thus will still hurt if you add pressure.

I dunno if that helped but is how I picture it to calm My self sometimes

 

[Craigswife]

Sweetbuthyper
That's a really good way of looking at it! And unlike if you had a stitch in your arm you can't see our stitches, so can't be reassured that they are ok!
I was told by a midwife friend of mine that the material used to stitch is actually more like a woven tape, so i think it must be pretty strong stuff. My ob's gave me a really good success rate for cervical stitches, I hang into that when I get my worry head on! I really want to enjoy my pregnancy and look at cute babygro's etc but just too scared to get excited.

 

[baby_maybe]

I can vouch for what the stitch looks like, I've actually kept the last two I've had. I know it's weird, but I really wanted to be able to show the kids what it was that kept them baking safe for all that time. It's very strange looking at them in reality, because it's this tiny length of stuff that looks like the tape they stick over bad cuts to hold them together. Its one of those things that you could see and think 'wow, that doesn't look like its capable of keeping my baby safe for all this time' but it just did! So strange!

 

[Craigswife]

Baby_maybe, wow so it looks like those butterfly stitches! When she said it was woven tape I thought it would be industrial scale, lol!!

 

[DAYDAY24]

The pulling and stabbing type pain in my cervix scares me

 

[TLM21]

hello ladies I'm just reading your recent posts and the feeling is so relatable. to be honest I don't know if I will be able to enjoy the pregnancy without feeling super scared. baby is moving so I enjoy that as long as it's not too low, then I freak out...lol I know after all this I
probably laugh at myself. I'm trying my hardest not to sneeze, cough, move to much...
I had to read some more spiritual things to remind myself that everything happens for a reason and it will be ok, sometimes I remember that sometimes it's a little harder... I learned how to.take the quickest showers and how to deal with being in bed most of the day without.going crazy.
I still count the hours and days of course.
I think the cramps and aches are hard, but the mental component of going thru this is for me way harder.
thanks for all of you being in the blog, look forward everyday to reading it. I know we will be fine and just have to hang in there...
sending all a huge hug and positive vibes

 

[TLM21]

day I know, super scary, but I think normal. sometimes I get them when I have a full blader, I take care of that and it eases it. I also try to change position and sometimes it helps.

 

[Princess4Life]

Hello Everyone. I was searching for success stories on google and came across this thread. I have been reading all morning and I know I'd need a week of daily reading to get halfway thru...but I have been blessed and encouraged by the stories on here.

I had a shirodkar cerclage put in on Saturday cos during my last scan (at 19 +1) I was told that I was funnelling a bit.. my cervix isnt too long at 3.4 so I got scared. I and Dh were Ttc for about 5yrs b4 marriage and 2 yrs after. This miracle is so precious and loosing the baby scares us so much dats why I had been going for regular check up. Anyway the cerclage was put in and dr. only asked me to rest for a day or so and i could resume work. I had to insist that I needed sick leave for atleast 5 days cos my job needs me to move around a lot. I really wish I could resign and put my feet up all day but we need the extra income with the baby on the way

I was given Antibiotics, Salbutamol, Flagyl, Paracetamol for pain, and am still taking my Prenatals (Folic Acid, Ferous and Calcium). The Dr. says to come back in two weeks but I plan to go for a private pelvic scan in a week's time to check that all is fine.

Sorry if am rambling...just going outta my mind with worry that hardly anyone else seems to share. Like monitoring my discharge which turned from red to dark brown to yellowish brown. Pls is this normal?

 

[Hope2302]

@ wunderful, great news.
@ baby, really? That's what the stitch looks like? Can't believe you kept yours, not a bad idea at all
@ Tlm 21, I can truthfully say I only started enjoying my pregnancy at 30 weeks. IC is scary to say the least and its normal not to feel relaxed or enjoy the whole process when there is so much you are worrying about.
@ day, I had the pulling pains too. If they become unbearable or your instincts don't feel like sthg is right, pls go to l&d. When are you having steroids?
@ princess, welcome! At least the cerclage has been placed in good time. It is right you insisting on a couple more days off work. Wishing you a long pregnancy and healthy baby.

 

[DAYDAY24]

Hope had steroid shot and on hospital bedrest I was just having a lot of those pains yesterday but dont wsnt them down there unless necessary

 

[Agiboma]

@tlm i understand the nervousness i did not start to feel comforteble until 32 weeks and now im still anxious to make it to term
@hope look at you coming along very nicely 32 weeks YEAHHHH
@dayday good to know things have settled down
@wnderful i hope you are settling back at home now
@princess welcome

 

[baby_maybe]

Yeah it actually does look like those butterfly stitches although I'm sure it's a lot stronger than that stuff. If it won't gross too many of you out I'll post a pic of it

Forgot to add its been washed so there's no grossness on it

 

[Tink_0123]

TLM, it took me very long to actually feel comfortable about everything. From about 13 weeks till 24 weeks I would go to the dr weekly or twice a week due to some unknown symptom that didn't feel right, the ladies there must've thought I was nuts since I would call in for the smallest of things. I just recently started enjoying my pregnancy or whats left of it really. I can honestly say I feel comfortable at this time, but will not be 100% until I reach 37 weeks. When I was at your gest. the weeks felt like years, once I passed 28 weeks they've just flown by. My advice to you, just take it a day at a time, try not to give things too much thought. One thing I did that helped me a lot was read the stories in the preemie section. It gave me a lot of hope that regardless of when she came she would have a good chance of making it. Just hang in there hun, sending lots of your way.

 

[Twinkle 3]

hi princess welcome to the thread sorry your going through all the worries too.
To answer your question i was told yellow/orange discharge after the stitch is normal and more discharge than usual is normal too as the stitch is a foreign body and your body will make more discharge to try and get rid (but obviously the stitch won't move)

As for myself. Thankyou so much everyone for all the advice you all provide me. It is so much help! I have been to the hospital today as I woke up in a panic believing something was wrong. My symptoms was pressure, pain in bladder especially when it's full and I felt like I wasn't able to fully empty my bladder.

I have come back in an extremely positive mood. The doctor I have seen was the best one so far, she answered in great detail every question i asked and she made me feel like getting this baby to term is an acheivable goal.

I'll write what she had to say so if any ladies who are in my position are worried with the same symptoms then they can get a bit of reassurance from this...

I asked a number of questions and this is how she answered:

Q1- I asked is pressure normal to experience even with the stitch in place. As I thought when the stitch was placed the symptoms of IC would disappear or be relieved...

Answer- it is normal to feel pressure and symptoms of IC with the stitch in as all the pressure will still be there but instead of been on your cervix the pressure will be on your stitch but it shouldn't open as that's why the stitch is there in the first place

Q2 - I keep getting pains in my bladder and it dosnt feel like its emptying properly, this is a sign of incompetent cervix should I be worried,

Answer - no the Uterus, bladder and bowel are competing for space, the uterus will be sat on the bladder and that's the problem. So nothing to worry about.

She also told me if my cervix is open or funnelling not to worry as the stitch should hold it all in place.

I asked for a cervical length scan and why I don't have them. She said so I don't worry if I see any funnelling.
A

I also asked for proestrogen shots and she said there only on trial here and I can't have them yet until they've been tested

I asked about bed rest aswel she said America and India promote bed rest but the UK dosnt due to the high risk of blood clots.
Iv been told NOT to rest which I really didn't like the sound of as I feel MUCH better when I do rest.

I'm thinking of asking the consultant to give me blood thinners to prevent clots.


What is everyone else doing to prevent clots? Iv had 3 different doctors telling me to stop resting which is scaring me about clots

Anyway sorry for the long post once again. Hope your all doing well and hope baby maybe has her little boy soon