How's the bedrest coming along? Whether it is a modified bedrest, strict bedrest or simply told to 'take it easy' after the cerclage placement, your lifestyle would have changed quite a bit. If you were a health freak to begin with (read : 3 hourly 5 day weekly intensive gym sessions) then any form of 'take it easy' will be enough to make you cringe by now. After all, it has been 3 weeks. I felt totally incompetent after my strict bedrest with No.1 (it was an emergency TVC at 23w4d that no one saw coming) but at the end of it when I held my full term baby in my arms (truly, my miracle baby, as I didn't even know the implication of being 100% effaced and 2 cm dilated at that point of time), it was all worth it.
Listen to your doctor. Even if you feel upbeat, anything can happen anytime. Your cerclage is not foolproof. You don't really want to take a gamble, because once it happens... there is no way to stop it. And there is no turning back. You would have lost a baby, as your baby is not yet viable at 17 weeks, and you really don't want to be going through what I went through (and am still going through) (read Week 16). You just have to be mentally strong, for the sake of your baby. I agree that no amount of preparation would prepare you for a prolonged bedrest, but see it as an opportunity to gather your thoughts, indulge in your hobbies like reading, crocheting, or maybe just being a couch potato for once. I mean, since the birth of your oldest child, when was the last time you caught up with the latest season of CSI and CSI: New York and Law & Order : SVU?
Well, you may even want to catch up with friends, arrange for them to visit, or a simple chat over the phone or over the internet. Learn to meditate, pray, start a blog, and what I learnt 19 weeks into my 3rd bedrest is... HAVE A SCHEDULE! If you can get yourself into a routine, time will pass faster. I have even arranged for my miracle 6 year old to be home after school instead of daycare so that I can spend some time with him. He can even help with fetching me a glass of water or picking up the toys he and his 2 year old brother left behind the previous evening. Once there is a routine going, it wouldn't be so bad. Here's an online forum which offers great help, advice and sharing from moms who are in the same boat as you! http://mamasonbedrest.com/2011/01/2100/
Also, this week, especially if this is not your first pregnancy, look out for the familiar flutter in your tummy. You may begin to feel the little one moving, and it is another milestone where you are suddenly reassured that there is actually a little human being inside you. Continue to eat well, and be alert and aware at all times of any tightening, and any discharge. Many of us worry about colourless discharge at this point, as we often worry about leaking amniotic fluid due to our incompetent cervix. But bear in mind that you may be on progesterone suppositories, and this may increase some watery discharge. If the tightening persists over long periods of time, or becomes too often throughout the day, do mention to your doctor. In normal pregnancies (and you may read this on other normal pregnancy guide websites), this is called the 'practice contractions', or the Braxton Hicks contractions, which, in NORMAL pregnancies, may not affect your cervix. But we already know don't we, that our pregnancy is far from normal. In fact, it is a high risk pregnancy. And an incompetent cervix means you dilate without symptoms in the first place. So any form of contraction is no good.
The take home this week is : Stay alert.
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