Post by susanr on Dec 15, 2006 9:45:17 GMT -5
I thought I would share my story. I have fraternal twin girls, 8.5 months old, thanks to IVF with ICSI. They were born at 31 weeks, after 15 weeks of bedrest, 4 of those in the hospital.
Here is the story of how I found out I had IC, and how my pregnancy was saved.
It was a snowy day and I had a peri appointment at 1pm. When DH got to work he called me and told me that maybe I should re-schedule because the roads were really bad (the peri was an hour away). I said, no, I'll just leave early. Then my mom called and I was telling her about all the snow we were getting. She also suggested that maybe I should re-schedule my appointment.
But I decided to brave the drive and just left with lots of time to get there.
When I arrived they did a quickie U/S and I saw my little girls moving all about. Since I was 16w5d I asked the NP if she could possibly see what their sexes were yet, but not on that U/S machine...bummer. Then she said she wanted to check to see if the peri wanted to do a T/V U/S to measure my cervix length. Normally they start this at 18 weeks but since I was here she wanted to see if he just wanted to do it that day. He did, so I wouldn't have to come back in a week.
As soon as he put that wand in and got a view of my cervix, I could tell by the look on his and the NP's face that something was very wrong. Eventually after trying different angles he told me what he was seeing. Basically, my cervix had no length (2mm) and it was funneling. Something that is definitely not supposed to be happening at 16w5d pregnant. He briefly discussed a cerclage but said I'd need to stay overnight to see if they could at least get my cervix to stabilize at its current drastically short length.
The NP brought in a wheelchair, made me get in it, and whisked me up the back elevator up to L&D...at 16w5d being taken by wheelchair to L&D is a very scary thing! I was crying, trying to call DH, and not getting him on the phone. That was the day he started carrying his cell phone on him at all times, as this was not my only time of being whisked up to L&D in a wheelchair.
I was allowed one more real bathroom use, then it was into the bed in the trendelenberg position (head down, feet up) and only able to use the bedpan. DH arrived and the peri came in to talk with me more about the cerclage and that they would do it in the morning if I stabilized at at least where I was at. The next time I used the bedpan there was blood - a lot - and then I was completely terrified. But it stopped and I think it was just due to the T/V U/S. I never did bleed again my entire pregnancy, even after the cerclage.
The next morning they did an other U/S and I was stabilized at 2mm. They had me sign the consent for the emergency cerclage and said there was a 50% chance of it working due to the short length of my cervix. I cried at the fear of the spinal, the fear of it not working, just cried and cried.
But it did work. It held those babies in there for 15 more weeks, despite Lily kicking away at it pretty much that whole time. And all the bedrest was so worth it in the end, tedious when it was happening, but oh so worth it!
Susan, mommy to Lily & Grace
8.5 months old
Here is the story of how I found out I had IC, and how my pregnancy was saved.
It was a snowy day and I had a peri appointment at 1pm. When DH got to work he called me and told me that maybe I should re-schedule because the roads were really bad (the peri was an hour away). I said, no, I'll just leave early. Then my mom called and I was telling her about all the snow we were getting. She also suggested that maybe I should re-schedule my appointment.
But I decided to brave the drive and just left with lots of time to get there.
When I arrived they did a quickie U/S and I saw my little girls moving all about. Since I was 16w5d I asked the NP if she could possibly see what their sexes were yet, but not on that U/S machine...bummer. Then she said she wanted to check to see if the peri wanted to do a T/V U/S to measure my cervix length. Normally they start this at 18 weeks but since I was here she wanted to see if he just wanted to do it that day. He did, so I wouldn't have to come back in a week.
As soon as he put that wand in and got a view of my cervix, I could tell by the look on his and the NP's face that something was very wrong. Eventually after trying different angles he told me what he was seeing. Basically, my cervix had no length (2mm) and it was funneling. Something that is definitely not supposed to be happening at 16w5d pregnant. He briefly discussed a cerclage but said I'd need to stay overnight to see if they could at least get my cervix to stabilize at its current drastically short length.
The NP brought in a wheelchair, made me get in it, and whisked me up the back elevator up to L&D...at 16w5d being taken by wheelchair to L&D is a very scary thing! I was crying, trying to call DH, and not getting him on the phone. That was the day he started carrying his cell phone on him at all times, as this was not my only time of being whisked up to L&D in a wheelchair.
I was allowed one more real bathroom use, then it was into the bed in the trendelenberg position (head down, feet up) and only able to use the bedpan. DH arrived and the peri came in to talk with me more about the cerclage and that they would do it in the morning if I stabilized at at least where I was at. The next time I used the bedpan there was blood - a lot - and then I was completely terrified. But it stopped and I think it was just due to the T/V U/S. I never did bleed again my entire pregnancy, even after the cerclage.
The next morning they did an other U/S and I was stabilized at 2mm. They had me sign the consent for the emergency cerclage and said there was a 50% chance of it working due to the short length of my cervix. I cried at the fear of the spinal, the fear of it not working, just cried and cried.
But it did work. It held those babies in there for 15 more weeks, despite Lily kicking away at it pretty much that whole time. And all the bedrest was so worth it in the end, tedious when it was happening, but oh so worth it!
Susan, mommy to Lily & Grace
8.5 months old
