WEEK 10 : Week by Week Incompetent Cervix Pregnancy Guide - PRE-CERCLAGE ARRANGEMENTS

NOTE : For the regular advice on Week 10, 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 16 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.
Ok, this may be the week where one of the things you would want to do before bedrest commences, would be to bring out those boxes of pregnant clothes which you have stored away some couple of years ago waiting for this day! :)  If this is not your first baby, you are probably starting to show, even if you are not, your probably can't squeeze into your skinny jeans anymore.  Your colleagues whom you have not broken the news to may think you should start laying off those daily afternoon tea (which comprised of 3 scoops of chocolate mint ice cream and 3 packets of Twisties and 2 large mango smoothies... and they do wonder why you don't drink coffee anymore at 4pm when your blood type previously was essentially COF2E2?) as you do look fuller and rounder.

Of course if is your 1st pregnancy and you don't even know you have incompetent cervix yet, you may still  be hitting the gym 5 times a week looking like a fitness instructor still.  But if you are reading this, perhaps it's time to just be a little aware.  Unfortunately this condition does not show itself until much later, well into your 2nd trimester.  Perhaps that's why old people always warn us against too many activities during pregnancy - they know many things can happen.  Besides, this is one condition that is almost symptomless and not very common. You may want to read myWeek 9 post for some of the horrors that can befall upon us. 

For those of you with twins, of course you are starting to look pregnant! I'm not really sure about twin pregnancies - whether you do need to go in earlier for a cerclage. I have read somewhere that yes you may need to but perhaps only a week or two earlier, as they really do need to be sure that your placenta is fully formed and you are past your 1st trimester (at least at the tail end of it) before they attempt a transvaginal cerclage.  They also want to ensure that there are no structural abnormalities and that the foetuses are of a certain growth rate before they decide to place the TVC.

In any case, start preparing for that dreaded (or welcomed) bedrest.  Have you made meal arrangements? Laundry and cleaning arrangements? What about your older kids? Mentally prepare yourself, and mentally prepare dear hubby. He will have to juggle a full time job, a little bit of housework, managing and caring for the kids (who are probably still preschoolers/toddlers) and of course work arrangements with your boss.  Yes, you will have to let him/her know at some point VERY soon.  You may even get the green light from your OBGYN to go ahead with normal activity except heavy carrying, exercise and pelvic activities, but I always tell myself "Prepare for the Worst, but Hope for the Best"