There's a heartbeat :) And some surgery...

[Mrs.Music]

I went in to the OB today to talk about getting my cerclage. They did a quick little ultrasound to listen to the heartbeat so I got to see the baby. I will post pictures later. The hb was 171 bpm. We scheduled an u/s for Aug 12th so they can get all the measuring stuff (and measure my cervix) then I have a pre-surgery appt on the 30th and get the cerclage on the 31st. The doctor drew out a little picture of the procedure for me. He says I'll probably go into labor the day they take it out (end of January) but I'll get my homebirth. Of course he had to mention that I'm so small and the baby might be too big yadda yadda OB fear mongering... But I'm optimistic. Apparently if I contract with the cerclage in it'll really hurt... which sounds unpleasant. I don't tend to notice when I'm going into labor until it's clearly too late so that'll be quite a difference. And he says I may end up having to get weekly shots to keep from having the aforementioned painful contractions. The price we pay for full term babies, I guess.

[myk]

well i hope it all goes well! i've never had preterm or cerclage, so i don't know what to say about that really but SO awesome that you could see the baby!!!

[paintedfire]

Yes, don't listen to the OB about you being small/the baby being big. You've had two preterm babies - how dare he try and scare you over the idea of a large, healthy newborn.

I've still got my fingers crossed for that Feb. baby by homebirth, no matter what is going on with me.

I can't wait to see the pictures.

[LM96]

Your doctor is probably talking about progesterone shots. I think they start them around 19/20 weeks and continue until 36 weeks or so. They are supposed to help prevent some types of preterm labor (usually they help stop contractions). I think you need one or two per week.

Boo to the OB about trying to scare you about having a full-term, regular sized baby.

[m0xxie]

Seems like I learn a new vocabulary word every day here, it's quite an education... today's word: cerclage.

I'm glad for you that there's a procedure that will help you get that healthy full-term baby we all yearn for... best of luck to you!

[Mrs.Music]

Originally Posted by paintedfire

Yes, don't listen to the OB about you being small/the baby being big. You've had two preterm babies - how dare he try and scare you over the idea of a large, healthy newborn.

I've still got my fingers crossed for that Feb. baby by homebirth, no matter what is going on with me.

I can't wait to see the pictures.

Thanks

Originally Posted by LM96

Your doctor is probably talking about progesterone shots. I think they start them around 19/20 weeks and continue until 36 weeks or so. They are supposed to help prevent some types of preterm labor (usually they help stop contractions). I think you need one or two per week.

Boo to the OB about trying to scare you about having a full-term, regular sized baby.

Thanks for the info on the shots

Originally Posted by m0xxie

Seems like I learn a new vocabulary word every day here, it's quite an education... today's word: cerclage.

I'm glad for you that there's a procedure that will help you get that healthy full-term baby we all yearn for... best of luck to you!

Cerclage is like a drawstring of fishing line in the cervix. I hope you never need one. And thank you.

[Mrs.Music]

I posted u/s pictures and fixed them so the links should work now... they didn't yesterday apparently.

[shelbean91]

Good luck. A friend had a cerclage removed at 36 weeks and doc told her she'd deliver w/in a week or two. She almost ended up being induced before going into labor at 38.5 weeks! CONGRATS!