WEEK 26 : Week by Week Incompetent Cervix Pregnancy Guide - IC WITHOUT CERCLAGE

NOTE : For the regular advice on Week 26, 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 23 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.

 
 
YOUR LITTLE DARLING IS A 2 POUNDER THIS WEEK!!!  And her/his peepers which have been closed shut the last few weeks are starting to... yes, you guessed it, PEEPING NOW!!!  Ok, while the other normal pregnancy mommies are revelling in the colour of little babe's eyes and whether those Asian babies have a double eyelid or not (a constant discussion in this part of the world where I'm from), I understand that we IC mommies have other things in our minds.

Some of us are back to work as usual (that is, if our work designation allows us to do so, and our cerclage is textbook cerclage with no complications).  Many of us are still not supposed to exercise (Read WEEK 25) nor have sex.  At this point of our IC pregnancy, most of us are more or less settled with our cerclage, even for those of us who had an emergent one.  

 

Unfortunately, if this is your first pregnancy and first diagnosis, your doctor may have refused to perform the emergency cerclage as it is usually performed before Week 24.  Your doctor may also have refused to perform the cerclage as you are already more than 2 cm dilated, or your waters have broken.  Some doctors even refuse to do it if your membranes are bulging, but do get a second opinion as I have heard of doctors who successfully perform an emergency TVC even with bulging membranes.

 

If you do not have a cerclage, you are probably prescribed with strict bedrest and progesterone medication (it could be in the for of vaginal suppositories, injections or taken orally).  Some of us need to be in hospitalised bedrest and be in an 'upside down' position, otherwise known as the "Trendelenburg position".  The idea is always to take pressure off your cervix.

 

 

The latest technology suggests the use of a cervical pessary.  It is a device that fits inside the vagina and is designed to hold the uterus in place, in order to help lessen pressure on the cervix.  Being a fairly new technology it is still debatable whether the pessary works for us IC mommies, but then again, bedrest and cerclage are considered 'controversial' in some quarters too. 

 

 

Remember, miracles do happen and there have been many success stories.  You can still carry to term even if you have been diagnosed with an incompetent cervix and it is too late for a cerclage.  In fact, some women have reported that even after their waters are broken, they are able to keep the baby in with antibiotics and other medical intervention.  Have faith, and say a little prayer.  Do join the facebook Incompetent Cervix community where this group of ladies will just keep you company throughout your journey (they have helped me through my 1st emergency cerclage and my 2nd preventive cerclage and currently my 3rd baby!) without being judgmental or insensitive.  Take heart!