WEEK 14 : Week by Week Incompetent Cervix Pregnancy Guide - THE CERCLAGE

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 17 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.
So it is the week of your transvaginal cerclage if you are having one (of course this varies according to the development of your pregnancy, your doctor's personal preferences and other various factors).  For preparation, risks and what is expected to happen on the day of surgery, do read Week 13.

Today, we shall discuss what is to be expected AFTER you go home.  Usually after the surgery you will be expected to stay over a day or 2 in the hospital to monitor your condition, and to ensure you get the proper bedrest. Yes, this is the beginning of that dreaded (or welcomed) bedrest.

  
*Recovering at Home

• You may be prescribed medication to take at home. This may be medication to relieve pain. It may also be medication to prevent labor. Take any medication as prescribed.
  
• Take it easy for 2-3 days after the procedure. Plan to have others help you as needed. Unless you are instructed to do so, you do not need to stay in bed.
  
• Avoid having intercourse for at least 7 days after the procedure.
  
• Ask your doctor when you can return to work and exercise.
  

Follow-Up

Make a follow-up appointment as directed by our staff. During your follow-up visit, your doctor will check your healing. You can also discuss how your pregnancy is progressing. You will be told when to schedule an appointment to have the stitch removed.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your doctor if you notice any of the following:

• A fever of 100.4°F or higher
  
• Pain that does not go away even after taking pain medication
  
• Contractions or abdominal cramping
  
• Unexpected vaginal spotting or bleeding
  
• Fluid leaking from the vagina
  
• Bleeding from the vagina
  
• Foul-smelling drainage from the vagina
  
• Back or abdominal pain (*Source  : University of Minnesota Medical Center)
  

From my experience with my preventive TVC (transvaginal cerclage), the recovery was uneventful.  It was my 2nd TVC and a preventive one, as compared to my first dramatic rescue TVC at 23w4d.  It was mid-October, and by December I was up and about carolling with a local church choir.  But I was astute the weeks following my surgery to stay off my feet, staying on a strict bedrest, getting up to sit only for meals and walking to the bathroom when necessary with a twice daily quick showers (seated of course).  I moved around in a wheelchair, including attending my eldest son's kindy concert day in one (and the kindy principal very kindly arranged special privileges for me - front seat audience, special carpark and the use of the elevator).  I even climbed up the choir loft during Christmas eve mass and sang my heart out.  I carried till 37 weeks when my TVC was removed, and my 3.93kg baby was born on his due date.

However, with my current 3rd TVC (2nd preventive one) I am still battling a long battle to hold a healthy fullterm baby in my arms.  I was told that I had a cervical polyp during the procedure, and my doctor removed it.  He also mentioned scar tissues from the previous cerclages, and he had to sew around the scar tissues.  He told me to bedrest for at least a month, but of course, I thought this was my 3rd baby, I have had 2 successful TVCs didn't I? So I was up cooking, mopping and cleaning the house.  And just last week, a day after Week 17, I was told I had funnelled to my stitch. As I'm writing this I know the odds have just turned against me, thanks to my know-it-all attitude.  Ladies, if you have just had yourTVC, whether or not you have been advised to rest, may I suggest that you should.  Nothing else is worth a healthy fullterm baby in your arms.

Now, wouldn't you trade this for just a few weeks of your life without cleaning cooking and moving about?

Always remember, it also doesn't harm anyone to be paranoid - not to the extent of stressing yourself out unncessarily, but call your doctor, or go to the ER if you feel something is not right.  Trust your instincts, this is one lesson i have learnt in my incompetent cervix pregnancies - better be safe than to be sorry - this truly rings true from now on.