Community› The Bump Message Boards› High-Risk Pregnancy
High-Risk Pregnancy
New Discussion

IC ladies, ? re: weekly internals (long)

UrAnIdiotUrAnIdiot
in High-Risk Pregnancy

have any of you thought about or actually refused weekly internals after a certain point? i was ok with the dr performing them while we were still in the "micro-preemie" time frame because any progress then would be the difference between me continuing bedrest at home or me being admitted to the hospital. at this point though, my cervix has not changed since 26 weeks, and  i am worried that weekly internals are actually just irritating my cervix/uterus more. i started refusing trans-vaginal u/s at 28 weeks because quite honestly, my ute is so short they can't get a very accurate measurement on it anyway.

i am wondering what everyone's thoughts are. my doctor wasn't expecting me to get past 28 weeks, and here i am at 30. i know they'll be surprised if i make it to 34 or 35. honestly though, i am listening to my body and with the home bedrest and the terbutaline my contractions have stopped besides the occasional BH (i still have a few of those every day or so). i feel like the hospital stay actually caused me more strain than it helped, my sleep cycle and frequency of bowel movements are just NOW starting to return to normal after almost a month. the babies have never had an issue so the daily NSTs (that the hosp required, NOT my peri) were invasive and caused more stress to the babies and myself. my babies HATE dopplers, and we'd sit there for hours on end trying to get a steady read... i don't think they ever got a reading with both babies on it for more than 5 minutes. i lost weight due to the hospital food, and was fairly shocked at the poor nutrition they provided. since i live approx 3 miles away from the hospital, at this point if it's just an issue of waiting around for active labor to start, i have decided to do that at home instead of on hosp bedrest. 

obviously if there were to be an issue compromising the babies health or my health i'd be in l&d in a heartbeat. i guess my issue is that since women can walk around dialated a few cm for weeks, and i have yet to experience any kind of active labor signs, i am contemplating asking the dr to hold off on internals for a few weeks and give my cervix a break. i hardly experience any cramping normally, and after an internal i experience pressure and extreme cramping for at least 2 days. i feel like they are doing more harm than good... i will obviously discuss this with my OB, but i wanted some other opinions.

sorry this is so long, it's been weighing on my mind for the last few weeks though! TIA for those who made it through the whole thing.

Report Reply to Post

Re: IC ladies, ? re: weekly internals (long)

  • UrAnIdiotUrAnIdiot
    p.s - i forgot to add i am not dialated at all, i have been short and closed the entire time i've been diagnosed with IC.
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • Yummy Sushi PajamasYummy Sushi Pajamas

    You know, I think this is a super personal decision.  For me, I enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that things are still looking good.  Then again, even with strict bed rest my cervical length has been all over the place.... so that might make a difference. 

    I have never experienced any discomfort or irritation after the exams, so I don't think that for me it is causing any kind of issues.

    If you feel better not having them, especially now that you're beyond the micropreemie stage, then I say you should talk to your doctor in detail about your concerns and feelings.  Maybe there is another way?  I know some docs and/or midwives do manual cervical checks...  less comfortable though.

    No matter what, I hope you make it all the way with your little one and you both end up safe and healthy at the end of all of this.  Best wishes!

    Report Reply
  • JCMJCM member
    What have your cervix been measuring at?  I have mine measured every two week not every week.  My cervical length has been all over the place so I can see why they would want to monitor mine, but if yours are steady I would think they could cut back to every two weeks. 
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
    Report Reply
  • Matt&WindyMatt&Windy

    First off, congrats on 30 weeks!  IC is such a scary thing (and silent) that I feel the need to have the internals weekly until 28 weeks.  I will probably just go to weekly visits after that - with no TVU.  I could try to go to bi-weekly, but I'm not sure my nerves can handle that.  I have IU as well, and the TVU does irritate my ute every so often.  It's not too bad yet, though.  I'm being "controlled" with Procardia XL.

    Of course, it's a very personal decision.  But I understand being okay with not being in the hospital now and having fewer "invasive" scans.

    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"