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high risk of preterm labor

630 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  littleteapot
I am 16 weeks pregnant with my first baby. My DH and I tried for a while to get pregnant. Last month, I was diagnosed with having a bicornuate uterus and a higher chance of preterm labor. Even though my doctor is telling me not to worry since there is nothing that can be done and he is seeing me every two weeks, I am having a hard time getting excited about my pregnancy with the thought of possibly losing my baby. I keep thinking that something is going to go wrong. So I mentally prepare myself to not get so happy. Is there anything I can do to stop being so depressed and get excited.
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I don't know if it makes a difference in your ammount of worry, but many women with bicornate uteri go on to have healthy term babies. There is at least one story of such in Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin- maybe reading it will calm some fears.
You can do some things that every pregnant woman can do to lower her risk of preterm delivery- eating right withplenty of protein, and calcium-magnesium, and water are excellent routes for all pregnant woman bicornate or not.

Good luck! Value the baby you have within you as a full fledged child- with any luck you will meet him or her within two or three weeks of your due date.
My sister has a bicornate (heart shaped) uterus and just delivered her 2nd baby last week - a healthy, 8 1/2 pound boy, born 9 days "late"! Her first baby, now 2 years old, was delivered by c-section - because she was breech and was tangled in the umbilical cord. The midwife said that the first baby was "stuck" in the dip in her uterus and could not turn. Same with the second baby - but during an US 2 weeks before her due date - surprise - the baby had turned and was head down. She delivered him VBAC. Smooth labor - no complications - no pain meds!
The risk of preterm delivery was not mentioned to her by her midwife... so this wasn't a concern for her - just the position of the baby.
I hope that these "success stories" help put you at ease.
Congratulations!
I've known several people with this condition. One goes over 37 weeks each time, the other had both her children at 34 weeks.

Enjoy what you have, don't mourn what has not and may not ever happen.
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