Messages

1

What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: Back for round 3

« on: April 20, 2018 at 08:07 PM »

Thanks things have been even better today with hardly any pains. I hope your bleeding resolves quickly, nothing more terrifying than a fresh gush of blood. I'm surprised I've not had a new one start since I'm due based on my cyclical bleeding.

I'm surprised they didn't keep you as an inpatient for bleeding at this stage..was it just a small amount?

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: Back for round 3

« on: April 19, 2018 at 11:38 AM »

Good news, my uterus finally seems to be calming down. Bouts of contractions and cramping less frequent last night and this morning so I think we escaped with just a scare for now.

Wasn't really the individual dr that was the problem otherwise I would be complaining and asking for second opinions: hospital policy is only to prescribe things to stop contractions when you are in active labor and they are trying to buy enough time for the steroids to work...it was the same thing at the hospital I went to with my previous pregnancies before we moved. Same with the FFN, hospital policy, not that it would have been particularly helpful anyway since I'm already receiving high-risk care, but a negative result might have given me a small bit of relief.

22 weeks 3 days now. Determined to make it to viability.

Unfortunately I've picked up my kids cough now, and I'm disproportionately scared of coughing hard enough to break my waters or trigger a new bleed. Been much more strict about staying off my feet this week, it was scary watching the cervical length scan since when they added only the gentlest bit of fundal pressure my internal os visibly collapsed from a V to a U (but still with enough cervix left underneath the U if that makes sense).

This was my first inpatient visit to this hospital and the nurses were great and the drs did listen just have their hands tied with what they can do at this point. I am really anxious about ending up with a longer hospital stay now though since I learned they have a very strict "no children under 12 rule" for the maternity ward and labor and delivery ward. i.e. I wouldn't be able to get any visits from my son the whole time I'm there. Will also need to wait for a babysitter to get here before going in to the hospital if I'm home alone with my son since I'm not even allowed to bring him in an emergent situation. This makes me so nervous since the hospital is an hour away and I take less than an hour to dilate 0-10cm so waiting around 30mins for help with my son could be disastrous.  My husband brought me in for my hospital visit this week but wasn't allowed back with me since our son was with him  .

One good side note I can update on is our dog is doing great. We took out a big loan we can't afford and got him state-of-the-art stereotatic radiation therapy for his nasal cancer. He was a real trooper for it, went into each treatment wagging his tail and hasn't had a single side effect from the radiation. If we are lucky it will buy him another year or two so at least we won't be dealing with a dying dog and a critically ill infant at the same time.

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Preterm Labor: Anything and Everything / Re: Makena Injections ????

« on: April 18, 2018 at 02:19 PM »

Hi,

I too made the mistake of reading the full warning label and prescribing info for Makena. They are required to warn you about the things that went wrong for their study group;  but the reality is they were studying a group of women who were at high risk for those complications anyway and it probably wasn't taking the Makena that caused those losses. There were lots of losses in the control group too. And overall it does reduce the risk of preterm birth.

I was less than impressed with the overall results of the study. It is by no means a miracle drug, but it is one of the few defences out there against preterm birth so I still take it. This is be my second time on it and I did get 6 weeks further along on it with my son than I did with my daughter for what that's worth.

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: Back for round 3

« on: April 17, 2018 at 11:33 AM »

Another update, went to L&D yesterday for severe cramping and back pain since Saturday. They found me fingertip dilated so kept me overnight for observation and possible cerclage.

Looks like i'll get to go home today since the ultrasound this morning still showed 3cm of cervix despite significant funneling and the slight dilation. Dr thinks risks outweigh the benefits at this point since he's worried putting a stitch in would irritate things even more and might not help since it's really the uterine septum that's my underlying issue not cervical incompetence. Couldn't sleep last night for close painful contractions but at least this morning it has returned to the more crampy feeling that I came in with. Will need to turn around and come right back in if things get worse. I'm frustrated that they aren't giving me more treatment options at this point. They won't prescribe any maintenance tolycotics and have recently changed hospital policy so they no longer run FFN tests.

I don't feel like I'm going to deliver in the next day or two but at the same time not feeling like I have long left either.  On the plus side no new bleeds and amniotic fluid levels look normal.

5

What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: Pregnant again after early loss

« on: April 16, 2018 at 09:58 PM »

Oh the not knowing must be so hard!! I hope your most optimistic dr ends up being right. Have they put you in touch with support groups and other resources in your community to help prepare you for coping with his Down's syndrome and other challenges? It can be so isolating having a sick child, really helps to get to know other parents in the same situation.

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Making the Best of Bed Rest / Re: Monday Roll Call for April 16, 2018

« on: April 16, 2018 at 09:36 PM »

Still here at 22 weeks now.  Had to go into L&D today after finally acknowledging that the severe cramping and back pain i've had since Saturday wasn't going anywhere. I'm fingertip dilated now but otherwise things look good. They insisted on keeping me overnight as a precaution and may do a cerclage in the morning depending on how things look then. So hating being back in hospital again but we can't be too careful.

I guess my mantra is "it's not over till it's over"

@obmom best of luck to you, hope you keepbaby in a little longer yet

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Preterm Labor: Anything and Everything / Re: Pelvic pressure?

« on: April 13, 2018 at 09:43 AM »

Quick update: The pelvic/vaginal pressure turned out to be completely positional, Sunday night in bed she was kicking up a storm and I felt her do a big flip moving from head-down-pushing-on-my-cervix to laying sideways and just like that all the pressure was gone. Went in for my ultrasound yesterday and my cervix was still over 3cm, and she was small but had maintained her growth since my last check (25th percentile which I'm happy with).

This is the last time I'll be able to ignore symptoms now I'm far enough along for steroid shots, so kind of hoping she doesn't flip back to head down any time soon.

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Preterm Labor: Anything and Everything / Re: Ultrasounds after week 24?

« on: April 11, 2018 at 10:27 AM »

Hi Amanda,

Just wanted to let you know that this is standard practice where I am too. With this pregnancy and my previous one my different MFM groups (Vermont with my son, NY with this pregnancy) have both said they don't do any routine cervical length checks after 24 weeks because it lacks predictive value after that point. My checks have all been vaginal, but they usually do a quick belly measurement too and I haven't noticed a big difference between the measurements.

Like OBmom said they will still check you if you go in with ANY symptoms at all. As you reach viability it is very important to go in at the first warning sign so that the steroids have enough time to help baby's lungs.

Congrats on the great cervical lengths and staying stable!

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Making the Best of Bed Rest / Re: Monday Roll Call for April 9, 2018

« on: April 09, 2018 at 11:47 AM »

Hi,

Still here at 21 weeks now. Only one more week to go till they will attempt to save the baby if I deliver so I am finally feeling more hopeful.

Not much of a beauty routine for me, I go for the "natural" look, so wash my face with diluted ACV in the morning and put on some argan oil if my skin is too dry. Easy to maintain! My one good tip for bedridden beauty is to buy a shower stool if you want to keep shaving your legs, that way you aren't standing too long in the shower.

I braided my hair on previous bedrests since that seemed to hold up best to being on a pillow all day, but it's not quite long enough for that this time.

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: 2.2cm- bed rest?

« on: April 09, 2018 at 11:33 AM »

Hi Star32,

I was on bedrest from very early on when I had previa with my son, but that was because I had a lot of bleeding with it and a history of preterm birth. Talk to your boss/HR and see if they can accommodate you working from home. I was able to work my "desk" job laying on my side in bed at home and then later in bed in the hospital right up until I gave birth. Was a wonderful distraction to be able to focus on my work! Good luck

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Preterm Labor: Anything and Everything / Re: Pelvic pressure?

« on: April 07, 2018 at 05:22 PM »

Hi,

Thanks for all the kind responses :-)

I've been staying off my feet and laying down as much as possible this week and it seems to have helped, slightly less pressure today so I plan on procrastinating until my appointment Thursday to get checked out unless any additional symptoms develop. I'll make sure to ask that they check my urine for a UTI, I've not had any other UTI type symptoms but worth ruling out.

Unfortunately the way my insurance works now I've transferred my care to the MFM I'm supposed to go through them for all my prenatal care, it's making me wish I'd stuck with my regular OB. My last trip there they were backed up and it took me 4 hours to get seen, between the long drive, the waiting, and the exam room florescent lights I ended up with a migraine and had to have my husband finish work early to drive me home...makes it hard to justify going in unless I'm sure something is wrong!

It's so hard for me to know when to go in since my baseline in pregnancy checks off multiple of the "get seen right away symptoms". Every day since 16 weeks I get at least a few hours where I have painful regular contractions, every single day without a break since 5 weeks I've had bad menstrual-type cramping. Today is day 6 of vaginal pressure, the lower backache sometimes accompanies the cramping, always accompanies the contractions. At least I've had a break from the bleeding for a little while now, interestingly my big bleeds were all preceded by diarrhea the night before. Baby has been kicking less for the past few weeks, but it's still too early for kick-counts so I'm trying not to worry. A sense that something just isn't right is also a daily feeling, but to be expected!!

Not far till viability now, we are hopeful.

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Preterm Labor: Anything and Everything / Pelvic pressure?

« on: April 05, 2018 at 09:23 AM »

Hi Ladies,

20+3 right now, should I be worried about a significant increase in pelvic/vaginal pressure this week? Since Monday I've been having a heaviness between my legs with a something-could-just-fall-out kind of feeling. My last cervical length was still great at 3.5cm, and my next one is scheduled a week from today. Really don't want to go to the dr's if it is just an irrational worry because now I'm switched to the MFM it's a long drive for an appointment. Bothers me most when I'm standing, but is still enough pressure when I'm laying down that it is waking me at night so I get up to pee and try and relieve the pressure which doesn't seem to help.  My guess is my girl is just in an uncomfortable position for me, but I do still worry about any change in symptoms.

Thoughts?

13

Making the Best of Bed Rest / Re: Monday Roll Call for April 2, 2018

« on: April 03, 2018 at 11:42 AM »

20+1 today and still cooking :-)

Everything seems relatively stable right now but it I'm nervous about this time window, 12 days till my waters broke with my 1st child,  and only a week till my hospitalization for abruption with my second, so I'll be feeling much better if I can make it through the next few weeks without any disasters!

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: Cerclage out at 27 weeks, Still cooking!!

« on: April 03, 2018 at 11:37 AM »

Congrats on your baby girl, that's fantastic that she is already off oxygen. Best of luck on your NICU journey.

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: Back for round 3

« on: March 30, 2018 at 07:09 PM »

Had just a cervical length check yesterday,  still over 3cm so no worries there. we decided to persue treatment for our dog so my hubby will be gone all week to bring him to a specialist.  Little nervous about something going wrong with the pregnancy while he's gone since I won't be able to be off my feet as much but I am stablish going into the week at least!  Hoping for a good growth scan in two weeks