worried

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 18, 2003

I am sorry but you have to be specific: what information are you looking for?

Yes, I am concerned very much about your being 3cm already at 21 weeks. I foresee a long time on bedrest, PO hydration and possibly meds to stop any contractions. Beyond that, there is NO way I can help you.

I am so so SO sorry about your worry. I can see you are distressed, but without MORE information, I can't help you anymore beyond this. I truly wish you the best and hope you do go on to deliver safely and with a good outcome for you and your baby. Best wishes hon!:kiss

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Nov 18, 2003

I think you must be talking about 3cm thick and funneling. If your cervix was 3cm dilated it would not be referred to as funneling. Can you clarify?

amyBSN · Nov 18, 2003

I am sorry, let me clarify. They told me my cervix was shortened at about 3cm and should be about 4cm. However this could be just part of my anatomy, but they want to do another ultrasound in one week just to be sure that there is no funneling which then I may need a cervical cerclage. I think that I am just so worried that my mind is going in a hundred directions.

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 18, 2003

Ummm i thought a full-thickness cervix was about 1cm thick????? hmmmph....3 cm, i am not sure what this means. sorry I can't be of more help to you.....I wish you the best nonetheless. Sounds as if you need to be on the PHONE with your healthcare provider and getting some answers from HIM or HER....they are familiar with your history and diagnosis, not me. Good luck.

Browneyedgirl · Nov 18, 2003

Amy,

I"m just a student right now..but planning on becoming a CNM....you might want to do some reading on the benefits of cervical ***grr** i can't think of how to spell it right...clerage?

from what i've read, it's not always effective...

Just read and make an INFORMED choice...

Jolie, BSN · Nov 19, 2003

Dear Amy,

I also had a "shortened" cervix, diagnosed by my OB at my first prenatal visit. His suspicions were confirmed by ultrasound. The way he explained it to me was this:

The cervix is normally about 4cm long, thick and closed during pregnancy. (Much like a long-necked beer bottle.) Mine was shortened to only 1cm, which is to say that it was already effacing at my first prenatal visit. Not good, since effacement is usually a precursor to dilation. I'll spare you all the details, and just say that I did have preterm labor requiring long-term bedrest. I was not a candidate for a cerclage. My daughter was delivered at 36 weeks, a healthy 6lbs.

I know how worried you must be. Let your doctor know immediately of any signs or symptoms of pre-term labor, and if bedrest is required, let us know. We'll do our very best to keep you occupied and your spirits up. Best to you for an uneventful and healthy pregnancy.

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2003

What kind of ultrasound was it? Was it trans lady partsl or your basic fetal u/s. It's very hard to measure a cervix that way.

amyBSN · Nov 19, 2003

Thank you Jolie for your response. Were you placed on bedrest your entire pregnancy? Also to the next reply: they did both the abd. ultrasound and trans lady partsl ultrasound because we were really trying to find out the sex of the baby but the position was not working with the abdominal ultrasound.

Jolie, BSN · Nov 19, 2003

Dear Amy,

I wasn't placed on bedrest until I started contracting at 16 weeks. My doc didn't really know what to do with me, since he'd never had a patient contract so early before. By 22 weeks, I was dilating, and that's when we started with meds, home monitoring, and a perinatal specialist. I researched NICUs in the area, and made a plan regarding transfer, if necessary, since the hospital where my doc delivered was only a Level II.

PLEASE don't generalize anything from my experience, though. I had a history of very resistant pre-term labor with my first daughter, and because of a number of other complications, I wasn't a candidate for a cerclage.

What I really want you to take from our conversation is that you have a very good chance of delivering a healthy, term baby. It may not be an easy pregnancy for you, but the minute you lay eyes on that precious little one, all the hardship will be forgotten. If there was a "bright side" to having high-risk pregnancies, it was that I felt like I really knew my girls long before they were born. I had seen them so often on ultrasound, and actually had a really good picture of my older daughter's face. Out of necessity, I was so focused on my tummy, that I felt like we bonded long before birth. Had I been upright and working up to my due date, I think I would have missed out on a lot of that. But, I digress.

Please keep us posted and let us know how your next visit goes!