Cerclage

It has been a while since an update. It has actually been pretty great in these part! I have a recap of a great time to Nova Scotia with some girlfriends that I'd like to share. But I think I'll have a lot of time to do that as from now until the baby comes, this Momma is going to be taking things a little easier. 

To say this has felt like a long pregnancy already would be an understatement. Counting down days until the next milestone. It was been both a comfort and trouble getting to the hospital that is over an hour away to be seen by the high risk doctors. 

From the beginning of this pregnancy, I was always told "you'd be lucky to make until 34 weeks" but that everything looked good. Apparently by nature, I have a shorter then average cervix but it was stable and not moving so they just thought it was just the way my body was made. Thankfully, they were still checking it every two weeks. A week ago today at my last measurement, my cervix wasn't stable anymore. In was now shorter then what they like to see at this point in a pregnancy. It means that my cervix was no longer stable and if it got any shorter, it could mean early dilation and pre-term labor. Being that last week I was only 21 weeks and some days pregnant, it could mean (depending on how much more it shortened) another loss of a baby for us.

I am so thankful that they caught it and even more thankful that my doctor assured me we were still at a good point (lots of cervix left and not too pregnant) to still get a cerclage. But it did mean that the following day (Thursday, October 5) I was back at the hospital and getting day surgery. 

Going into the OR that looked so similar to the one I went into in March brought on a wave of emotions and a panic attack. Through the panic I kept telling them I was getting a cerclage, not a D and C. They kept assuring me yes they knew which procedure I was getting but the lights and smells were all too familiar. I couldn't catch my breath and I was dizzy, feeling like I was almost in the middle of a dream. It took one strong willed nursed to snap me out of it by telling me they may be forced to give me a sedative (they didn't). 

After that episode, I was most freaked out about getting a spinal as I had never experienced that before but it was a breeze. The difficult part was that like normal for that procedure, I began contracting shortly after the surgery (and freezing) was done. The nurse and doctors kept assuring me that it was normal and would end soon and offered me a narcotic to help. I agreed and thankfully the narcotic not only knocked me out but also helped the pain from the contractions which did end within an hour. 

I was able to go home and have been enjoying my home from a horizontal angle since. I will be heading back today to check and make sure the cerclage is doing what it is suppose to do but I actually feel good and hopeful it's working and will continue to work for some time. 

So begins the counting down to a new milestone, viability...24 weeks. 11 more days, and counting. 

xo