Short Cervix and suggestions please!

lgmom2010

So my friend is in the hospital for tonight. Her cervix is 1.8 cm I think she said and it's supposed to be 3-5 cm. She was having some pressure for a few days so they checked her cervix and she was 1.5 cm dilated. The baby is totally fine and she has had no bleeding/cramping. She is on strict bedrest. They are going to have a plan tomorrow, but said there's not much they can do bc they usually don't do cerclage after 18 wks. They will do the weekly progesterone shots though. She is really having a tough time and wants to hear positive stories.She's having a little boy :)I also need some suggestions from you ladies. I am going to be putting together a bedrest survival kit for her. I've been there and done that, so I have a few ideas, but thought you ladies would have some good ones too! I am going to teach her how to crochet and we are going to register online and then I am going to bring her some books and snacks....recommendations for snacks and books? Also any other recommendations of what I should put in the basket? And please keep my friend and her baby in your thoughts and prayers! Thanks mamas!

Marcy248

How far along is your friend?  My cervix shortened around 22 weeks and I've been on bed rest ever since.  It's a long, boring ordeal, but it sounds like you have exactly the right plan (i.e., snacks, distractions, etc.).  You can tell your friend that when I was admitted to the hospital at 22 weeks, I was basically told that the baby was coming and wasn't going to survive and here we are at 33w3days! 

Tell her to hang in there! 

buggles

Hello. Here's my post from this thread from a little while back.

 

buggles:

Here's my story:

Last pregnancy, I started off with a 3cm cervix immediately following a preventative cerclage though. My cervix began to shorten over the next few weeks and by the time 22 weeks rolled around, I had only 0.5cm of cervix left WITH funneling. My peri then after sitting me down in the office told me how sorry she was but that she had to send me to the hospital.

So, I got there not knowing what to expect; not knowing how long I would be there for. Since I had chorioamnionitis the previous pregnancy, they immediately put me on the antibiotics zithromycin (fews days following admission) followed by ampicillin. Then by 24 weeks I had the betamethisone steroid for lung development. After a while I started having an irritable uterus and was given over the course of the next few weeks, terbutaline then weeks later alternating doses of indocin (indomethacin) with the terb.

I must say that I was scared not knowing how far I would get. At the beginning they had me meet with a neonatologist every week who let me know what to expect should the baby arrive that week. I spent 42 days (6 weeks) there and was released at 28 weeks because I had no change and at that gestation if baby arrived, the outlook looked bright. They felt it okay for me to continue the bedrest at home since things were stable. So the next few weeks passed and I made it to 39 weeks!

If your friend needs someone to chat with, I'd be happy to share my experience and how to get through those days. At first it felt like I was in prison but then I had an entirely new family in the staff on the high-risk perinatal floor.

......

 

Just let your friend know, although hard to do when you're worried, to remain as positive as possible. Distraction helps to keep ones mind off too!

 

buggles

Oh and as for getting through the days and hospital food, I would suggest:

Dried and fresh fruits, healthy frozen dinners as backups like Kashi meals, nearby take-out delivery menus, granola bars, microwaveable popcorn...

Two years ago when I was admitted to hospital bedrest, at first I felt like I was in a prison but I got through the days by looking forward to certain times during the day (which helped to break it up). For example, I knew in the a.m. the residents would stop by and ask questions, so I'd get groomed. Breakfast would soon come, then the nurses for a check or meds. Then the cleaning crew for the bathroom or the assistant would make the bed. Lunch would soon follow then waiting for visitors or watching a series (I found Desperate Housewives and became an expert after seeing all the reruns). Dinner would then make it around the corner but I would save room for dessert so I could call to have it sent up at a certain time. By the time dinner was done, it would be dark outside and that was promising because the day was soon over. Enough time for the baby to have made progress growing.

If she partitions her day, she can have events to look forward to and the day can race by fast. Also, she can partition her week: I would set Thursdays for days when I would order food for delivery as a treat to escape from eating the hospital mush.

I also had a calendar to strike off the days me and baby survived. I hung it on the wall for everyone to see.

See if this works for her and keep us updated.

Starting a project, is another quick time-passer. Especially if you learn something new, like a free online course or teach yourself something. Perhaps, she can immerse her thoughts in creating a scrapbook or designing/ remodeling a room (there's software for this or I think you can do it online on HGTV) like the nursery!

Tell her to feel free to join our bed-rest daily check-in on here as well.

christykell

Hi! I've been in the hospital on bed rest for almost 5 weeks now. When I first got here and realized I was going to be staying while, I almost died. I had no idea how I was going to make it. The first days / week are the hardest by far. Getting into some sort of routine and having a plan for the day are crucial. For example, I get up and brush my teeth hair and freshen up before the nurse and doctor come in. Then I order my breakfast. Then I watch some tv. After tv I usually get on the computer and then shower in the pm, then watch tv and read. Not very exciting, but it works to have a routine. Trust me.

Setting little goals has been helpful too. Make sure they are small and frequent. Hospital bed rest is nerve wracking, and every day, every hour counts- being able to see even small accomplishments helps keep the sanity

My last bit of advice for her is to keep things in perspective. Nobody ever stayed pregnant forever. And end to bed rest will come. Also, think positively as much as possible. There is no doubt in the mind / body connection! 

lgmom2010

She's 20 weeks along

lemen99

T&P!

jerol

With my last pregnancy, at 24 weeks my cervix length was 1.9cm and extremely dynamic.  I was 1cm dilated but not effaced.  With bedrest alone, I was able to keep the baby in until 35w5d.

 

For the basket:

magazines

trail mix

movies

books (there's a fiction book called Bedrest)

scrapbooking stuff (if she's interested in that)

notecards