Day 1

I had thought that getting a preventative cerclage at 14 weeks would be the extent of the drama for this pregnancy, but I was mistaken. I find myself at the hospital on bed rest with a lot of time on my hands. May as well document the ordeal, right?

I have an incompetent cervix, which basically means it shortens and opens prematurely and some women don't know they have it until they lose their first baby. With Lila, we were so lucky that they caught it at my 20 week appointment on the ultra sound. Lila's hand playing in my cervix was a dead give away things weren't right! I had an emergency cerclage put in (a stitch that cinches the top of my cervix closed) and quit teaching to be on bed rest. The cerclage came out at 36 weeks and Lila was born at 39 weeks.

With this pregnancy, we knew I would need a preventative cerclage around 14 weeks. This means they can put the stitch higher and tighter because no opening or shortening should have happened yet. It went great and I was told I didn't have to be on bed rest, just not to lift over 20 pounds and not to walk around excessively (mall, Busch Gardens, etc). It was going well with me being able to let Lila play at the splash pad at the Y, spreading out any errands, putting Lila in a toddler bed and trying to get down time everyday. My appointments had been going well and my 20 week ultra sound showed I had plenty of cervix length (around 4 cm). I had an appt at 22 weeks with just a physical exam and the doctor said it felt great and I could come back at 25 weeks for another ultra sound and check up.

That was Wednesday. I had to take Lila last minute but brought the portable DVD player, some snacks,  and bought her a new toy to keep her happy. I had to do vitals, a glucose blood test, visit with the dr, have the ultra sound, then visit with the dr again to go over results. Poor Lila was at the end of her rope after 2 hrs plus there and skipping her nap. When I met with the dr at the end she made a sad face and told me my cervix had shortened quite severely. Meaning to less than a cm. She let me know I'd be going straight to the hospital (with Lila) to be admitted. I quickly called Chris to meet me at the hospital and help with Lila. I was doing really good until I got to the hospital and was valeting my car so I wouldn't be walking more. I asked the valet guy if he wouldn't mind just lifting Lila from her car seat into her stroller. He apologized and let me know he wasn't allowed and that they had cameras. I totally understood, but it was the icing on the cake at that moment and I started crying. I still feel so bad for the valet who apologized over and over. All I could do was nod my head! I gathered myself and checked in. Luckily my friend, Mandy works in the triage area and had been told I was coming. She got me in quickly and made sure I was taken care of.

Chris got there quickly to rescue an over-tired and cranky Lila from her stroller and to try control her while we waited for another ultra sound. She didn't quite make it, so Chris took her home where one of my young women saved the day by hurrying over and babysitting so Chris could come back to me. Meanwhile, I had the longest ultra sound ever! They measured every part of the baby, the fluid, the cord, the placenta, etc. She finally got to the cervix and my fears were confirmed when she said it was only 7 mm long. They also saw that the membranes and I think they said the water sack?? was resting right on the cerclage which was putting pressure on it. It also means there is a bigger chance of infection with it all resting so low. The doctor also did a physical exam and found that the cerclage was still holding tight, no membranes had come through and the cervix was still hard instead of softening. So at least there wasn't any trauma there! I was having some mild contractions that were not painful, just tightenings and only occurred every now and then and didn't last long. It was still a concern though since they could continue to shorten the cervix.

I was told I'd be staying for at least a few days with the chance of staying for a lot longer. It was decided that I should get steroid shots just in case the baby comes soon to develop his lungs and some other things. The only bummer with the steroid is that it causes my blood sugar to go up, meaning that they prick my finger after each meal to check my levels. I was brought to my room, given the steroid shot in my rear, was given progesterone suppositories, had all my vitals taken again and tried not to think about this baby coming too soon, what in the world I was going to do with Lila short and long term, the mess I had left in my house and everything else. It was a whirlwind and very overwhelming for me, but Chris was a huge support and stayed really calm and strong. He gave me a blessing before he left and it helped me feel so much better about our little boy and this situation. I am truly grateful for the power of prayer too and even though pleading with Heavenly Father usually makes me a little teary, I know He hears my prayers.