WEEK 15 : Week by Week Incompetent Cervix Pregnancy Gude - TO BEDREST OR NOT TO BEDREST?

NOTE : For the regular advice on Week 14, I suppose there are hundreds of other websites to tell you how it goes. This blog serves to supplement those sites, my personal favourites being What To Expect, Baby Centre UK and Parents. Do take note, however that I am not a professional physician, I practise law for a living and the only thing I know about incompetent cervix is through my own experience as a mother of 2 and a 18 week old baking in the oven! :)  The purpose of this blog then is just to simply share the joys and heartaches, the blessings and curses, the sadness and happiness and the disappointments and the pleasant surprises of our journey as a mom with an incompetent cervix.

  You should still be home resting.  Or for some of you who had the transabdominal cerclage (TAC) or if you preventive TVC was placed before any changes took place in your cervix, you may be allowed to resume normal activities by now.  With some restrictions, of course - this varies widely from women to women, pregnancy to pregnancy, country to country, hospital to hospital.  It is very individual and it is best to ask your doctor what suits you best.  You have to take into consideration several factors, including :

1) Your cervix length
2) Whether there are any effacement or funnelling of your cervix, if so, how badly
3) Is this your 1st TVC? Are there any scar tissues from previous stitches? If so how may it affect this one?
4) Are you on any progesterone injections/ suppositories or any other medication to prevent preterm labour?
5) Work arrangements and finances
6) Older children
7) Availability of someone helpful at home
8) Personal preferences (yours or your doctor's)

In any case, all very much depends on further changes to the cervx too.  Some went through deterioration, and yet some will actually experience what is called "reversal of the cervix", in other words, your cervix length actually improved after your cerclage!

To know more about follow up and resting at home, do read Week 14.

You should also be getting your follow up appointment this week and this is the time to ask lots of questions, especially if the last 1 week you have been burdened by bleeding, occassional cramping or you felt hardening of your uterus.  Do remember that there is a foreign object, that is, your stitch, at your cervix and your body will naturally attempt to flush it out.  Also, give the stitch some credit - it is there for a reason so trust it, but at the same time, take it easy. Keep off your feet as much as you can if given the choice, but on the other hand follow the doctor's instructions to the letter if you are not given any choice.  Nothing is worth the life of this child.  After all, you have made it so far.

As you may only be bedresting for a week, you may not feel the real impact yet, physically and mentally, of the effects of bedrest.  But perhaps it's time to gather your thoughts about what you would want to do while lying down.  Artwork, blog, DVDs, novels, magazines... and of course internet games and social media... but being on my 3rd prolonged bedrest currently, I can tell you - there is only so much TV and facebook you can with stand - we are human beings and towards  the end of the day, we need human interaction.  Allow visitors, but don't be shy to make it clear that you do not want small children running around nor do you want a mess after that to clean up, because you can't.  And also excuse yourself for having to lie down or sit up once in a while during their visits, and if necessary, allow girlfriends only as you may feel uncomfortable lying down in the presence of their husbands or boyfriends.  Whatever it is, just remember : Your baby is of utmost importance at the moment!