Incompetent Cervix - stitch/cerclage - threatened labour

[lizziedripping]

Alisa Understand totally how you must be feeling Must confront you head on again with the terrible heartache of your loss

Try not to worry about the antibiotics honey, they're extremely safe and a year from now you'll not even give a second's thought to having needed them. Get some rest chick

 

[pinkladyangel]

Hi there ladies
Have just spent the last hour catching up on posts. Cant believe how quick this thread moves
Well I'm now 31+1wks. I can't believe I've got this far, having had my daughter at 25+1 last year. I guess the cervical stitch does make a huge difference. Perhaps now I can start to get a little excited.
Even getting this far still means lots of questions.
Will it hurt when stitch is taken out in 6wks time? It hurt worse than labour last year but it was an emergent stitch and I'd already started to dilate around it.
How likely is stitch removal to trigger labour?
My little man is moving loads but I'm sure I can feel him stamping on my stitch. It feels like a sharp burning pain. Is this normal.
Sorry for all questions.
Also my good friend (Rubies Godmother) is doing a sponsored skydive to raise money for the Neonatal Unit at bradford Royal Infirmary. This is where Rubie was looked after for the 15 days of her short little life. They were absolutely fantastic and work so hard.
If you would like to donate please follow the link below. Also please don't feel you have to.


www.justgiving.com/Rubie-Roo-Barnes

Many thanks
XXX

 

[angel229]

Hi guys, I am really sorry to be a pest and appreciate that all you lovely ladies have your own problems to deal with. I put a post on here yesterday (page 521 as it moves that fast, lol) and I am still really really scared and was hoping for a bit of reassurance.

 

[LindyB]

Hi Angel. I'm sorry you are feeling so worried - it is horrible. I had my stitch when I was 20 weeks this time. I went back into maternity triage about a week or two later as I had some slight bleeding. I was checked by a doctor who could see that my cervix was closed and he couldn't see where the bleeding was coming from. It did stop straight away and I haven't had anymore since.
I went back two weeks later as I felt sick and had pains in the top of my tummy. This time I saw my consultant and he did a scan, though not an internal one, and could see that my cervix was closed and the funnelling had gone. Strangely enough I felt a lot better after this!
I think its fine to go into the hospital and be checked. The midwives said that they don't mind. I think they expect ladies like us with high risk pregnancies to go in because we are worried - it's what they are there for.
The only thing is that you can't be sure which doctor you will see. The first time I went in I saw a very young doctor who said that he didn't have much experience with cervical stitches ( I think he meant none!). He was so young - he looked like Robert Pattison! Anyway he did an internal check which my own senior and very experienced consultant hasn't done since my stitch and isn't planning to do one. I think its because of the risk of infection or causing more trouble.
Definitely ring the hospital. We have a midwife direct number which goes straight through to maternity traige - do you have something similar? You have been through a lot over the last week so they really won't mind checking you to reassure you.
Takce care and let us know how you get on . xx

 

[angel229]

Thank you Lindy for the response. If it is still really bad tomorrow I am definitly going to call the hospital. Not heard from the consultant yet and was told I would have an appointment a week after leaving the hospital but I have still not heard from the consultant. I know they are busy and I dont want to become a burden to anyone.

I have only been given a sick note for 2 weeks and my boss is assuming I will be returning to work after that. I really don't feel up to it and want to just lay down for the next 21 weeks (if I am lucky enough to get that far). Every twinge I feel I start panicing.

Up until last week I had never heard of this and assumed once you got past the 12 week mark everything was ok. The doctor didn't seem to hopeful when he offered me the clerage and was trying to stear me towards not having it, which meant I would have delivered within days.

 

[angel229]

P.S. a Robert Pattinson look-a-like doctor would do me just fine

 

[Hopeful 4 #1]

Hopeful I've just notice you are 20 weeks already! Are you having a scan this week? Will you find out the sex? We tried to a couple of weeks ago when my consultant did a scan at 24 weeks but the baby wouldn't open his/her legs!

Hey hun. Ticker is wrong lol. I am 20wks on Thursday by scan dates. I have had my anomoly tho. She said she is "hesitantly saying female" cos she saw no boy bits. I was hopin to just take her answer but i am only 70% sure cos she was hesitant. So we have a private gender scan on 15th bubs was on their bum at anomoly scan too. Dont wanna pay for private but guess we will know for sure. I think girl tho x

 

[LindyB]

Hi Angel. You should definitley stay off work for longer if you can. I went straight back to work after my first cerclage with my second child. But that was put in early before any changes to my cervix.
This time my consultant said I could go back to work but just try to sit down more. I didn't want to so I rang my GP and he signed me off for four weeks. I'm a teacher and he signed me off until the six weeks holidays started. I think he would have done it for longer as well. My maternity leave starts the 1st week of September so I should be ok.
Ring your GP, they are usually very sympathetic and know how hard it is to speak to the hospital consultants.
The Robert Pattison doctor cervix check was sooooo embarrassing - I felt old enough to be his mum!!

Hi Hopeful! Glad you are well! My friend was told her little boy was a girl on her 20 week scan! She bought everything pink and didn't find out until he was born! She went on to have a little girl over a year later though.
Then she had a happy accident and had another little boy! x x

 

[angel229]

Thanks again I feel much more reassured now x x x

 

[bluestarlight]

Hi all, so much for my optimistic post last time :/
I ended up in ptl friday night. I was on my way home from work and I thought it was just the heat that was making me feel funny. I tried to rest, probably should have drank more water but our daughter was being very demanding and cranky and having trouble going to sleep. Shortly after we got her to sleep and started eating dinner, around 9pm it was like a switch and I started getting contractions every 5-7 minutes. I laid down again, drank 4 cups of water but called my L&D. Took them 40 mins to call me back...ugh...I had actually started to doze off in between contractions at that point. They told me with my history to come in. Got there around 11pm, they checked me, I was still contracting, they were showing up on the monitor and now I am a good 4cm dilated. So was admitted and placed on magnesium sulfate....I really don't like this med, made me feel like I had the flu...It stopped all contractions by 8am saturday morning but they kept me on it for 48 hours and gave me a second round of steroid shots. They said they would take me off of it and if I started contracting again, that would be it, she would be born because I was too far dilated to stop it much longer. And our hospital policy is no eating while on the magnesium. They took me off sunday night and moved me to a regular room. I thought I was going to be there until she was born but they told me to go home, took me off work again though. They are hoping with rest that I will make it another week now, hopefully 2 weeks but don't seem so optimistic about it
So now today is my big 3-0 birthday and I'm back home on home bedrest, no baby born though, so that is good. Though the nicu doctor came and talked to me again and said now that I am 32 weeks, its not so bad compared to when I was first admitted at 24 weeks.
That is my update of the last 72 hours of whirlwindedness...back home and resting again. My uterus seems more sensitive now than before, and I feel her lower, like she has settled more into my pelvis than she was a few days ago, crossing my fingers she stays in for a bit more...

 

[Alisa F]

Thanks hopeful x

Lindy - the frustrating part is theyre not keeping an eye on me, they tried to talk me out of urine culture again this time as my dipstick came up clear but i told them i had UTI symptoms even though i didnt really to get the culture - and again, same as before when they tried to fob me off, sure neough GBS in urine...

Lizzie - i know hon, i'm not happy to have to take antibiotics but i know i need them and will take them as i know they will at least protect my little one. Hubby and i were saying it feels a bit like history repeating itself with doctors and midwives just ignoring me. i'm so hypervigilant now, they think im a total whack job!

Ok, attitude readjustment, I'm sounding way too mopey and "owe is me" so i'm gonna snap out of it. Its just been a real stressful week at work (its only Tuesday!) and my dear old Mum is slipping into senility and its making me really depressed, so i think i take all my frustration out on the pregnancy issue. Note to self - chiillax, take deep breaths, smile, and hopefully i can look back on this time one day and realise i was worrying for nothing. No more mopey posts from me i promise xxx

 

[aegle]

Hey ladies,
I haven't spent much time in this thread because I haven't had a stitch, and it seems like most ladies here have had.

But I am hoping for some advice on what to expect.

I was at 1.6 cm long and 1 cm dilated at 26 weeks...

At 32 weeks now, my cervix is 3 cm dilated, still short at about 75% effaced (they won't do an exact measurement again)... and very soft and anterior. On top of that, baby has dropped and I'm feeling a lot of pressure.

I have had contractions constantly for the last 6 weeks, lasting anywhere between 40-90 seconds and occurring every 5-90 minutes. Quite irregular, but strong.. so I'm sure they're responsible for the change in cervix.

My doctors won't really give me any answers, as they're not sure what to expect either.

I haven't had a stitch, as I mentioned, because it was too late when they found out. And they didn't start me on progesterone because I have no history of ptl or miscarriage (this is my first pregnancy).

I've been going weekly for fetal fibronectin and it has always been negative... and that's where I get a bit uneasy. A negative fFN should mean I have at least 2 weeks.

But this baby feels like she's falling out of me. And I'd like the chance to get the steroids for her lungs if she will be here soon.

Anyone know what I should expect with that sort of a cervix? Seems to me that it's ideally ripe for labor and it won't be long.

Thanks so much for listening

 

[lch28]

aeagle - im sorry you are going throug that hun and i wish your doctors could give you more answers. i am very uneducated about this as i just got my cerclage but i am sure all the ladies on here will give you amazing answers. the good news is your baby has a great chance now you are at 32 weeks

thanks so much for all your support ladies =] i am home and in bed. Procedure went good.. didn't feel a thing.. except for the epidural =[ that hurt. took about 30 mins.. then i had to lay in the hopsital for 4 hours until i could feel my legs/use the bathroom. Dr used the doppler after the procedure so i heard the hb. i am having some bleeding and even though i have been told to expect it its a scary sight.. however my dr said the bleeding during the procedure was very minimal and he has seen much more.

question though. some of my blood is like.. stringy/mucusy. normal?

 

[angel229]

Hi,

I had mine placed 4 days ago and I started getting stringy/mucusy discharge to so hopefully it is normal x x

 

[chistiana]

Lch i m only guessing it is normal as i too had this kind of discharge/spotting. So glad everything went great, now jusy take it easy for a few days! If blood flow increases or contractions become regular or very painful (i m sure none of this will happen) contact your doc. Your baby is safe and snug in there! Yaaayyy

 

[LindyB]

Happy birthday Bluestarlight!
You have done so well - you don't have a stitch do you? It sounds like you will be able to go further as you have already done 72 hours. Just rest!
Aegle you are almost in the same position as bluestarlight. I bet you will both go further - you have both done brilliantly and are given all us 20 something week ladies lots of hope!
After 32 weeks babies do very well, I think they usually need just a little bit of help learning to feed.
Get lots of rest and let us know how you are doing.

 

[ChovieGirl]

Blue and Aegle... I can only imagine how tough it has been, but you ladies are doing great!

Ich... I am so glad that your procedure went well.

DMJ... I am also having a hard time with bed rest. I am so ready to do something or clean and I know I don't need to push it. All this laying around will be worth it in the end.

So glad to see that everyone seems to be doing well.

 

[lch28]

thanks ladies.. the stringy stuff went away.. now it is just some pinkish tinged discharge. less then i was expecting. i am seeing my doctor next week . is that not soon enough?

i am very very relieved to have gotten this done. i was so scared that all the doctors would say i would only get it if my cervix shortened. this is what the first one said. then i found my new doctor =] we are so pleased with him.

 

[aegle]

Thanks ladies.. it's nice to hear from ladies who are in the same position.

Bluestarlight and I do seem to be in the same sort of situation. It's pretty hard living day to day. I just wish someone could just let me know which day she'll be born and then I'd be all good, haha.

I'll definitely keep you updated as to how things go..

 

[Myownjoy]

Hello ladies, I've been following this thread and have gained a lot from it but I need your advice, please.

I'm 12 weeks today (thank God). At 11 + 2 weeks, i had intense pain which I initially thought was wind but after 2 nights of not sleeping, I went to the hospital where I was told that baby was fine but my cervix was funnelling and measuring at 29mm. I asked about having a stitch put in but the Dr said it wouldn't make any difference at that point and neither would bedrest. He said I had to get to 16 or so weeks before considering a stitch. The scan also revelaed a small area where there was blood and i was given dihydrocodeine for the pain. Pain went away for 3 days and came back today.

Has anyone had any experience of funneling at such an early stage? I put myself on bedrest though the Dr said it won't make any difference. I have also been drinking loads of water and praying a lot.

I have a follow up appointment next week to check my cervix but I am trusting God that it will not be worse.