Cerclage .. Need some advise..

[Amie12]

Hi everyone. I have had a previous loss at 20 weeks due to IC/ preterm labor(not sure what came first) I had severe painful contractions one day and when we reached our dr she said i was 3 cms dialated already and the waterbag was buldging out. it was so scary and eventually next day we lost our baby .... Now i am 8w4d pg with a singleton and my doc wants to do a preventative cerclage at 14 weeks and then progesterone suppositories starting at 17 weeks. I agree with her plan but i am so freaked out with the idea of getting a stich placed in my cervix. I would love to hear some success stories from you all who have gone through this, i think that will give me some positivity and strength to go forward. ALso what should i expect after the cerclage? SPinal vs Anesthesia, whats better?

[PinkTinkRN]

Hi, I lost a child at 20weeks due to IC in Nov 2010. At 18 weeks my membranes were bulging and they were able to do a rescue cerclage. I had a spinal and I was in there for hours vs the 30min procedure, but I didnt have any issues with it. They keep you in a twighlight. I was put on bedrest at that point and a weekly progesterone shot, but 2 weeks later my water broke at home, We found out when we got to the hospital it was infection that weekend the membranes. The chance for infection of course goes up greatly when membranes are bulging(I felt mine hanging out in the bathroom at work!!) I am currently 6 weeks and if everything works out I will have a cerclage placed at 12wks and start progesterone shot at 16weeks. I will then be monitored closely and if there are changes in the cervix, I could be put on bedrest off and on throughout pregnancy. So that is my doctors plan. If I had it my way I would be sewn up yesterday!!! I don't want to ever go through that again! Hope this helps....good luck!

[Amie12]

Thanks Pinktink. I am sorry for your loss last year. I hope everything goes great for you this time. I am guessing we will be having our cerclages around same time, sometime in the late April.. My doc also plans to monitor me closely(every 2 weeks) to check my cervical length and hopefully that will help. Good luck ..

[BC-MiracleTwins]

Success story here!

I lost twins at 19wks in 2007 ( due to doc negligence). 6mon later I got preg again with twins and switched docs. We did a cerclage at 15wks. I delivered my twins at 34wks 1d. NICU for 12days and are 3yr old. I had a spinal for this cerclage. I got preg again and now I have a 6mon old! I got a cerclage with her at 14wks and did progesterone shots. I also chose for anesthesia for this pregnancy. It was much easier and i was able tog o home quicker than I did with a spinal. I delivered her at 38wk :-)

You can get through this! Keep me updated! I am sorry for your losses. Be proactive, and dont take no for an answer. If you feel like something is wrong, call your Doc right away and insist to be seen :-)

[Amie12]

Thanks BC-MiracleTwins. Your story definitely helps and gives me a hope to go near full term with a cerclage. I havent spoken to my OBGYN yet about the anesthesia, but i have an appointment next week and will definitely discuss about it.

[Jody24]

I had a cerclage placed at about 21 weeks when during a check the ob said i was dialted to 1 and funneled. I think I might have been having some small contractions to. She sent me to the hospital right from the dr's office and I had a cerclage placed the next day and spent 3 weeks in the hospital on bed rest. I came home at 24 weeks and spent the next 6 weeks on complete bed rest at home. I was not suppose to get up unless I had to use the restroom and when i did that was when I could get a snack or a meal. I hooked up to a contraction monitor 3 times a day also. I had my cerclage removed at 36 weeks and delivered at 38 weeks. I had a spinal and did not feel anything. I was a little shocked though to have my legs way up and spread with at least 4 people starring down there and what seemed like stadium lights shinning at my crotch lol! I had a little bleeding for about a week after wards. My dr wants me to have one at I think like 14 weeks next time.

[Ashley9603]

I suffered a loss with my first child at 21 weeks.A few years later we had a cerclage at 20 weeks with my daughter.We went all the way to 36 weeks.Im pregnant now with twins and had a cerclage placed at 12 weeks.Cerclages are safe and its an easy procedure.I was given a spinal and the whole procedure only took 15 minutes.I had to be able to eat,drink,pee and walk before they discharged me.Im now 20.5 weeks now.So far so good.The earlier the cerclage is placed the better results you can have,there is nothing to be afraid of.

[trsouthe]

Hi ladies! Thought I'd pop in to share another success story. I lost twins in Nov/Dec 2008 due to IC/PPROM and a little bit of doc negligence on my MFM's part to boot. So this last pregnancy I switched MFMs and got a cerclage placed at 12 weeks...12 is the earliest you can get one so I begged to get stitched up the day I hit 12 weeks! I had a little PTSD rearing it's ugly head during my pregnancy too after the ordeal with our twins (stillbirth with our son Rafe and 34 days in the NICU before our son Solomon lost his battle with NEC), so my docs were super nice and screened me weekly to make sure the stitch was holding tight. I insisted on general anesthesia because even though I wasn't diagnosed with PTSD at that point, I knew I was already having panic attacks at the thought of going back into an OR pregnant. My MFM actually said he preferred it that way anyway... so general anesthesia it was. I have met many many women on here that have had successful pregnancies after IC, so there is plenty of hope. I did also did 7 months of modified and then strict bedrest to get my miracle DD, and took the 17p shots starting at week 16 through week 35. I finally delivered my lil girl at 36 weeks and 2 days.

[Amie12]

Thanks Jody, Ashley,trsouthe. Your stories gives me strength and assures me that i can carry a baby close to full term.I am 11w2d today and my cerclage is sometime in the last week of April(date yet to be finalised). My doc is not a big fan of Bed rest but i anyway plan on being on on Bed most of the time so i dont mess anything up, just want to be careful. My CL was 3cm on 9w5d and i go back to check it on wednesday again, i hope it hasn't changed since then. Thanks

[suhanimom]

Hi Miracle Twins,

I am hoping you are still receiving emails from this forum. I lost my baby boy due to IC at week-20. I am prego this time currently and having cerclage tomorrow at week-14. I am not sure which one to choose anesthesia vs. spinal. Why did u chose anesthesia? Also, did u have to do bed rest with your baby gal? I appreciate a lot for giving your time to answer my question.