Bedrest

It is funny to me that I am posting this. Just about a week and a half ago I was told my pregnancy was going great, my cervix looked great and I could do what every I felt comfortable with and had the energy for. I had been taking it easy just to be on the safe side so we could see how my u/s measurements were doing.


All that being said, I really didn't do much more once given the all clear. The progesterone shots I get totally wipe my out so although I had great aspirations to go on lots of walks with the girls, summer movies and summer lunch, having sick kids and my lacking energy had me a bit less than enthusiastic for a busy HOT summer. Laying on the couch and staying at home seemed like a much better idea.

So here is what happened...
   I went in for my regular weekly u/s Tuesday morning before heading to work. The tech seemed to be taking extra long. She pushed on my uterus to simulate a contraction and noticed funneling. She waited longer looked around and checked the cervical length a couple more times, definitely funneling. She had me stay until the perinatologist (high risk OB) arrived to discuss my u/s. He explained what was going on and then proceeded to make me promie to go straight to the hospital where I would be observed and then receive a cerclage (stitch to keep cervix closed).. I felt so stupid going, I don't look very pregnant. I wasn't contracting. I had so many things on my mind and this came completely out of the blue I couldn't digest it all. Even with the funneling I still had a lot of cervix left and I wanted to talk to MY OB about it..
I went next door to the hospital and to OB triage. After waiting for a long while doing nothing my laying on a cold triage bed, I saw the on call OB. He said they wanted to do a cerclage to stitch my cervix shut that afternoon as long as I wasn't having any uterine activity. A cerclage is used to keep the cervix closed in women having cervical changes without any symptoms or contractions. They put me on monitors and I was contracting. they gave me Indocin to stop them... it worked for a while. They moved me to a room so I could be prepped for my procedure. Mid afternoon I was contracting more intensely than before, they gave me a shot of Terbutaline and that stopped the contractions. Ryan and his dad came and gave me  priesthood blessing, comforting me and blessing the baby and I that we will be ok and everything will go as it should. I saw the on call OB again who informed me that I had been contracting too much to do the procedure that evening and that after talking with my OB, Dr Mystie, my uterus would have to be calm for 24 hours before putting in the cerclage. So great, a night in the hospital. I had Ryan being me food, I was starving and hadn't eaten all day do to the impending procedure (no food 6-8hours before having a spinal block). The rest of the night was calm and I enjoyed seeing my girls when Ryan brought them to visit.
Wednesday morning I was able to have breakfast, but no more food after 10am to again prepare for having the cerclage placed. So I sat in the hospital all day with a monitor attached to me belly just waiting and hoping my uterus behaved. The OR nurses came to add extra meds to my IV and input information on the computer as preparation. Then it started, I could feel it. I was contracting again/. I couple are no big deal but this was one after another after another causing back pain and making me nauseous. I think I had 6 in 15 minutes. They weren't consistent but they hadn't been this uncomfortable yet in this pregnancy. It was literally within the hour of being taken back to get the cerclage placed. The nurses said they informed my OB and then returned a couple minutes later to let me know I would not be having the procedure.
My OB soon followed and said that we weren't going to do it for now and maybe not at all. My contracting so frequently doesn't fare well for the success of the cerclage. Fortunately I wasn't dilating yet but there had been some cervical changes found when examined. They would give me meds to stop the contractions and monitor me through the night, and if all went well I could go home in the morning. On bedrest.
Again Ryan brought me food after another day of starving and I had a pretty uneventful evening once the contractions stopped.
I had a hard time falling asleep until about 1am. Woke up at 2ish, 3ish 4ish, about every hour contracting or having severe irritability. The Motrin didn't help when I was due for it at about 8am, about 15 minutes later when I was still contracting a lot I was given another shot of Terbutaline that did stop the contractions.
I was monitored the rest of the day and discharged just before 6pm.
I will be on bed rest til I see my OB next week and then we will figure out what is next. I have to hook up to a contraction monitor for an hour each morning and evening at home. The machine sends the data to a nurse who shortly after follows up with me on how it went.
I am about 21.5 weeks now. I kind of expected some complications like last time... but not like this. sheesh. Glad baby girl is doing great tho.
Since I have been home I am going a bit crazy not being able to do anything, but my monitoring has shown little to no activity and I am feeling good, a bit tired from laying around but good. Anything to avoid going back to the hospital.