(Read My First Cervical Cerclage for reference)
At 23 weeks I was put on bed rest due to my cervix funneling. My cerclage was holding, but it wasn’t enough. Even though I was on bed rest, I was positive that I would make it to full-term again since things worked out so well last time. I adjusted accordingly and continued on with my daily routines as best I could. I worked from home Monday through Friday, had more time to spend with my one year old, spent time with family and friends who came by, and even decided to write about my cerclage and bed rest experiences.
At 25 weeks I had my regular cerclage appointment. Over the last month I had been seeing two different doctors at the same office. At this 25 week appointment I saw the doctor that had me go to the hospital a couple of weeks before. She still seemed concerned with how my cervix looked and was adamant that I rest over the weekend and come back on Monday to see the other doctor since he was the one that did my cerclage and also discharged me from my recent hospital stay. At this point I was frustrated, because with the last pregnancy, once my cerclage was in, my cervix length was stable and there weren’t any issues or concerns for 16 weeks. Anyway, the weekend went by without any problems, and my spirits were lifted tremendously when our home team, the Atlanta Falcons made it to the Superbowl. On Monday at 25 weeks and 6 days, I had my follow up appointment and after another thorough check, this doctor said everything looked fine and I would go to 28 weeks and beyond. I felt relieved for the first time in days.
That night I went to bed earlier than normal. I was extremely tired, but couldn’t sleep due to cramping. I drank tons of water and hoped to fall asleep at any moment, but the cramps were getting worse. I didn’t have cramping issues the last time, so for me this was strange. Then they went from feeling like period cramps to….contractions. I called my OBGYN to see what they thought and of course they said I need to go to Labor and Delivery if the contractions continued. My husband drove me to the hospital and sure enough, I was in labor at just 26 weeks. I was in denial that this was even happening. I was given medicine to stop the contractions but they kept coming. My baby was ready to make her entrance into this world. Before that could happen, a doctor I’d never met had to remove my stitches. I know every pregnancy is different, but in that moment I just couldn’t understand how things ended up on the complete opposite end of the spectrum this time. Once my stitches were out, my little girl came a few minutes later at 1 lb 13 oz. And just like that my pregnancy was over and we were now part of the NICU world.
It’s been four weeks since Alayna was born. She is progressing and doing well, and will be a month old in a couple of days. It took some time, but I’ve finally accepted what happened and am at peace with how this pregnancy ended. Other than having a short cervix, I do not know what caused me to go into labor so early.
Over the last two years I’ve read a lot of cerclages stories that helped me get through these pregnancies. Pregnancy is an awesome experience, but it definitely has its ups and downs. And becoming part of the Cervical Cerlage world is the last thing a mom-to-be expects. For me the best part about having a cerclage was making it to another week and then passing the milestones of 24, 28 and 32 weeks. The first time I was so proud of myself and baby girl when I got to the ultimate milestone – cerclage removal at 36 weeks.Obviously I only made to the 24 week milestone my second time, but I am so thankful my second daughter was delivered safely. Now that my cerclage chapter has ended, I am now focused on caring for my daughter in NICU and the other at home. Stay tuned…
SweetSerenity Mom 