Incompetent Cervix - stitch/cerclage - threatened labour

[Craigswife]

Twinkle, you're within touching distance of 24wks now, keep going my lovely.

Lizzie, I have a tendency to have night time orgasms!! (And general increased libido anyway, lol) My consultant wasn't worried and said there's no effect on the cervix, just thought I'd pick your brains too!!

Pink sparkle, I get way more discharge since having my stitch and it varies, some days it's watery, others its thicker and more yellowy and then it's also sometimes white and mucusy. I've come to the conclusion that this is normal as its been like this since the stitch and all swabs, tests etc have been fine.

Fabiel, glad your stitch went well, hope you continue to recover well x

Whistle, I had an elective stitch at 14eks, it went very smoothly and so far so good (she says cautiously!) I had a week off work and had my mum and hubbie look after my little boy. After that I kind of went back to normal. I have a desk job so can sit all day, I try not to be in the position where I'm standing for long. I've switched to online shopping and my hubbie takes care of most of the housework, well the physical stuff. I do light tasks, mainly for my sanity!

Hope everyone else is doing ok, as Twinkle says you don't like to miss anyone out!

I'm particularly good this week, which is so reassuring. My bump feels good, not too much pressure and no aches and pains.......for now, lol! Could be a different story tomorrow.
I've decided to pack a basic hospital bag this weekend, only bits for me, just in case, I'd been thinking that left to hubbie I'd end up with a strange assortment of things, probably highly unsuitable underwear, lol!! Twinkle~still fearing jinxing things but thought actually this is probably wise....no baby stuff in it.....that would be tempting jinxing it!!

 

[Gwenylovey]

Gwen, welcome The change from 4 to 3.3 in 11 days may well just be due to slight differences in the way you were measured, or the person doing it. Each clinician measures more or less conservatively hun. If this is a genuine change in length, then at this point I wouldn't call it catastrophic. If all women were internally scanned weekly, there would be huge normal variation in cervical length, and definite shortening as the pregnancy progressed. Its definitely worth keeping a close eye n given your history, but at the moment isn't cause for alarm.

Week 20+ is when the baby gets significantly bigger, and the uterus expands rapidly. It makes sense that there is some 'give' in all women's cervixes. It is a rapid and sustained shortening early on which rings alarm bells.

I'd be pushing for action if your next scan reveals further changes which say drop your cl below 3, and definitely ensure you get another scan sooner rather than later. Other than that at this stage it's very much a case of wait and see chick

Thank you Lizzie! This does set my mind at ease tremendously and hopefully I can relax a bit!

 

[ShelbyLC]

Just wanted to share this picture of the girls from yesterday. Hope you don't mind.

Britton on the left, Tegan on the right.

https://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab294/shelabama/37_zps18d86035.jpg

As of this past Thursday, Britton weighs 11lbs and Tegan weighs 10lbs 5oz. This is the most different their weights have ever been! I worry about how little they eat - I have a difficult time getting 20oz in them most days, never more than 24oz! - but they're gaining so I guess it can't be that much to worry about, right? I have found that the more they sleep = the more they eat. Their biggest "meal" of the day is breakfast, following a 12ish hour sleep. During the day, they fight their naps, and if I can get them to fall asleep and stay asleep long enough to move them to their crib, I can get as much as 4 hours out of them, and then they wake up and eat really well! But I have a lot of trouble moving them without waking them. (They fall asleep in the living room, either in the swing or a "blanket nest" on the couch, then I move them to their crib and put them on their stomachs. The only way to get more than an hour out of them is on their stomachs!)

Unfortunately, they only rarely go back to sleep once awake. During the day, they are perfectly happy with 20 minute catnaps. (By perfectly happy I mean incredibly irritable and wide awake but exhausted )

Lizzie, how old was your daughter when you started weaning her? My girls are nowhere near ready, but from what I've been reading, preemies usually are weaned according to their actual age, not corrected age? I'm trying to educate myself now so that I'm ready when the time comes, though I honestly think we have a little while yet. Their tongue thrust reflex is still very strong, though they're getting better with gagging on things!

Sorry this is so long.

 

[DAYDAY24]

Aww they are so adorable shelby

 

[jadey_fae]

ShelbyLC, they are sooooooooo delicious!

 

[lizziedripping]

Pink - stretchy, cloudy mucus VERY common and normal in pregnancy It's actually protective and keeps the area clean as far as possible. I had lots of discharge in all my pregnancies xx

CW - please don't worry about the orgasms. It's usual to have increased libido in pregnancy due to allthe extra blood flow down below. The occasional o is nowhere near strong, or often enough to cause cervical changes honey xx

Shelby, your girls are poppets They look so full of character already! Weaning-wise, I did wean Evie slowly from 5/6mths actual age (2mths corrected!). She was ready and just not satisfied with milk alone. My rule of thumb is always to go with the child. If they're happy on milk, settled and able to go 4hrs between, are gaining weight steadily then wait a while longer. If not then introducing a small amount of rice, or petis filous at this age will not be detrimental.

With the twins I began adding rice to their lunch time bottles at around 3mths, so technically the same age as Evie, because they were screaming with hunger but couldnt take larger volumes. For us it worked, and the boys thrived Go with your gut hun, a mother's instincts are rarely wrong. Remember that tho weaning is dependent on actual age with preemies, you should take their developmental milestones based on corrected age (confusing much lol)

 

[jadey_fae]

*WARNING TMI*
Sorry about the over share but I know with my daughter I got quite swollen down there But I don't remember that happening until a lot later on. I am sure it was to do with the pressure and weight of the baby
Today I noticed that my vagina lips feel ever so slightly swollen, fuller? Not red or sore though. If that makes sense. It feels weird when I walk around. I don't like it and it's making me worry
Any thoughts? I hope I am worrying over nothing. Wed can't come quick enough, scan time!

 

[ShelbyLC]

*WARNING TMI*
Sorry about the over share but I know with my daughter I got quite swollen down there But I don't remember that happening until a lot later on. I am sure it was to do with the pressure and weight of the baby
Today I noticed that my vagina lips feel ever so slightly swollen, fuller? Not red or sore though. If that makes sense. It feels weird when I walk around. I don't like it and it's making me worry
Any thoughts? I hope I am worrying over nothing. Wed can't come quick enough, scan time!

It's completely normal. It's all about the extra blood flow down there. That swollen-ness began with me at the end of my first trimester.

ETA: There's no such thing as TMI on this website

 

[Twinkle 3]

Faibel happy to here your stitch went well And you havnt bled too much I had terrible backache after from the spinal, I think it's the worst part.

Tlm thankyou for your message,it's so nice of you I really appreciate it and I love your positivity I really hope your right you have done brilliant aswel and I hope you can make it to your final goal of 36weeks

CW vday is coming so slowly I hope it hurrys up so I can start to feel a bit more relaxed and content YEY your packing a bag, i hope you dont need it for a very long time though I agree on the no baby clothes yet I'm super paranoid about jinxing things.. I'm happy to hear your feeling good I hope that Carrys on for you!


Shelby your girls are the cutest things imaginable! I love hearing how they are getting on. It's strange to think at 4months old they are still only 10 and 11lb but that's what my daughter was like. She was very tiny. She was born 3months early and did everything at her adjusted age such as crawl walk and i weaned her when her adjusted age was 6 months as I was scared she wouldn't be able to handle food. She use to have a tendency to choke alot on a bottle of water and her milk, she did well though when I started her on solids when she was about 9momths old, I tried her on baby rice first made from her milk then I started with porridge and things like baby yogurts

 

[Craigswife]

Twinkle, how are you feeling? Are you still having pain? I popped to Boots to get my toiletries for my bag, but the walk from the car to the shop completely finished me off!! I felt like i was carrying a right heavy lump as i walked and ached terribly after and then worried I'd done to much! Also on a light hearted note I caught a glimpse of myself walking in the window of Next and was walking like I had poo'd myself (this is the walk I seemed to have adopted since having my stitch!) But I've been sat down all afternoon and feel ok now.

Jadey-fae, my 'lady bits' have been swollen for quite some time, as Lizzie and Shelby said its the increased blood flow. Sometimes I'm aware of mine when moving around, however my biggest problem is it makes me feel very horny!! A mean twist from Mother Nature, a time when I can't do much in the bedroom is the time I feel like it the most, lol!

Shelby, your girls are so cute, they look lovely in their little outfits. I had the whole weaning dilemma with my little one, he was 12wks early and started at about 6mths real age, but took it really slowly and went with what he could cope with, but did baby rice for quite a few weeks and then added purée fruit in it.

 

[whistle]

Thankyou for all advice - I will have to wait and see how everything goes after Wednesday, though I think I will at least try to slow down.

Same as others, can't name everyone, but reading all your updates and will chirp in if I have anything constructive to add!

 

[Twinkle 3]

Hi CW I'm feeling ok thankyou, but only when I lay down and rest, as soon as I start doing things like standing up for too long then I am in agony. Towards the night time though no matter what I have done I ache so bad I just have to go to bed for a bit of relief. I have realised aswel that I'm suffering bad with ligament pain, I have a cold poor me and every time I sneeze my stomach aches so bad! I sneeze and cry in pain after which my little girl finds hilarious lol

I'm glad your feeling better after your trip to boots! I know how you feel when you do too much, I also have the same style of walking as you, i love how you describe it like you have pood yourself lol! I sort of waddle with my back arched and bum pushed out, my mum commented on it the other day then I realised how much I have actually changed how I walk but I can't seem to walk normal no matter how hard I try lol

 

[Twinkle 3]

I have a daft question and I know it sounds silly but I'm worried, I am in my danger zone as you all know, I'm counting down to 24weeks. I have had a cold for 3days now and I sneeze constantly through out the day. I sneeze that hard that its painful and I can't help it but I sneeze about 3-4times in a row, I read on the dreaded google (I know you shouldn't)
But I read that sneezing can irritate your stitch and put pressure on the cervix do you all think I'll be ok? It's on the worst week aswel that it could happen. I just want to get to 24 weeks and beyond. I feel as though everything's always against me

I'll just add that the baby wriggles a lot after some of the sneezes which results in him kicking low down on my cervix

 

[Craigswife]

Twinkle, can I say I had a horrible flu bug the week after my stitch, I couldn't believe my bad luck! I've honestly not been so poorly for years and years. I had a dreadful cough which was so violent and with the sneezing and high temp I really thought it would be game over. I asked midwife who said it wouldn't effect my stitch at all and even went to the drs and she said the same, but I worried myself something silly over it. They were obviously right because I've had my stitch checked since and it's fine. So I'm sure you will be fine. Xx

 

[Craigswife]

Oh twinkle, I googled it too when I was poorly and made myself feel a hundred times worse!!!

 

[Prayerfulmom2]

Hey guys. Missy is great. At her appointment Friday she was 7 pounds 13 ounces up from 6 pounds 3 ounces from from discharge 3 weeks ago. I did away with the fortifier for extra calories because it causes her too much belly pain. She's nice and filled out. She takes about 2 ounces of bm via bottle every 2-3 hours. Her tummy is tiny so her frequency is outrageous. Anyone know when to start adding cereal???
Shelby, did the dr okay sleeping on the tummy? My daughter is most peaceful there when she's on our chest but her monitor alarms... so we don't do it.. Here is a pic

 

[ShelbyLC]

Prayerful, Missy is too cute! I don't know about adding cereal. From what I've heard, it's no longer recommended to add to bottles as it's a choking hazard. I would ask her doctor.

Doctors didn't okay the stomach sleeping. We were given the SIDS lecture when we left the hospital but the girls don't sleep well on their backs at all. Their nurse that comes to weigh them weekly DID say it was okay though. She said that, in her opinion, there is no right or wrong and the guidelines are changed so frequently, so just do what's best for us. They slept on their stomachs in the NICU so are used to it.

Sorry for any typos. I'm using my phone

 

[shanny]

Just a bit curious -- when does the sticth come out for you guys?? Do you have a plan? My consultant usually does it as 34 weeks but was wondering if this the same for others..............obs not if I go into pre term labour..........

 

[TLM21]

shabby my Dr takes them out at 36 weeks, unless preterm labor occurs

prayerful missy is gorgeous!
Shelby I just saw the latest picture of.the girls, so precious!

thanks for the updates ladies very much appreciated

 

[Hope2302]

@ shelby and prayerful, cute girls!
@ shanny, around 36-37 weeks, the stitch comes out.

AFM, 39 weeks today and so ready to meet my lil guy! I am not having any contractions but I have lost my mucus plug yesterday and the day before which really doesn't mean labour is imminent. I am praying he comes this week healthy and strong. Isn't it funny how all through an IC pregnancy, you get geared up for baby to make an appearance at anytime and then when it's the right time baby stays put?
My obgyn says baby is 2/5th engaged, I am 2-3cm dilated and she could even feel baby's head and this was on Tuesday last week. Didn't think I'll get this far but I am thankful to God.