FTM with short cervix question

mrshump · August 2012

Hello ladies,
I have been lurking on this board for a while. I have been diagnosed with a short cervix. I've been taking 200 mg of progesterone nightly via vaginal suppositories but my cervix is still shortening. Today it was 1.2 with quite a bit of funneling so they started me on steroids. I have not been having any contractions and my cervix is still closed but I'm almost 26 weeks and I fear the bigger baby gets the shorter my cervix gets.
I was wondering if there are any mommies on here who had short cervixes. Did you have multiple steroid shots just in case pre term labor happened any day ? What did they do for you if your cervix continued to shorten ?

I am preparing myself for this baby being here earlier than expected but I'm just wondering what the journey ahead will look like especially considering that my cervix is getting shorter and shorter.

thishappyhouse · August 2012

The good news is that you are nearly 26 weeks. I think many people that are dealing strictly with cervical issues (and not pre-term labor + cervical issues) are much shorter or have already delivered by this point.

I was at 2.4 at 21 weeks and .3 at 22 weeks... it was a drastic and unexpected change. I was immediately admited to the hospital with some pretty grim predictions from the doctors. We lasted 3 more weeks with strict bedrest and progesterone suppositories. I had one set of steroids at 24 weeks. If I made it to 27 weeks they were going to consider another roind of steroids if delivery seemed immanent. If you are being closely monitored prior to dialating labor can often be held off long enough to get the steroids in.

What kind of bedrest are you on now?

I had read that sometimes as the baby gets bigger (I think about 2.5 lbs) that some of the weight distribution goes to your pelvis rather than right on the cervix.

Id recommend going to keepemcookin.com ; I found it helpful to read the stories on there.

Good luck! I hope your baby stays put for a long time!

mrshump · August 2012

thishappyhouse:
The good news is that you are nearly 26 weeks. I think many people that are dealing strictly with cervical issues (and not pre-term labor + cervical issues) are much shorter or have already delivered by this point.
I was at 2.4 at 21 weeks and .3 at 22 weeks... it was a drastic and unexpected change. I was immediately admited to the hospital with some pretty grim predictions from the doctors. We lasted 3 more weeks with strict bedrest and progesterone suppositories. I had one set of steroids at 24 weeks. If I made it to 27 weeks they were going to consider another roind of steroids if delivery seemed immanent. If you are being closely monitored prior to dialating labor can often be held off long enough to get the steroids in.
What kind of bedrest are you on now?
I had read that sometimes as the baby gets bigger (I think about 2.5 lbs) that some of the weight distribution goes to your pelvis rather than right on the cervix.
Id recommend going to keepemcookin.com ; I found it helpful to read the stories on there.

Good luck! I hope your baby stays put for a long time!

well, i see a doctor at MFM and i have a regular OB. they both are in communication with each other but also have conflicting views on bed rest and therefore have left me unclear. but i have been pretty strict with myself and do a lot of laying around and i don't really leave the house unless it is to go to a doctor's appointment. however, today in L&D i was told i need to be laying on my side and when i'm on my back i need to have my feet elevated. i haven't been given any strict showering or bathroom regulations but i have my GTT on Tuesday so I'm going to ask my doctor to really lay out the rules and regulations for me since we are at this point.

thanks for your words.really appreciated.

jacque_z · August 2012

I have incompetent cervix unlike you it wasn't diagnosed until it was too late. I went to the hospital to get 'checked out' and discovered that I was 5cm dilated with bulging membranes. My D was born a few hours later at 26w 5d.

All I can say is bed rest. I assume you are being closely monitored. If your cervix does continue to shorten they'll probably put you on hospital bed rest. Not fun but it's the safest place to be! Just remember every day that you can stay pregnant matters! I hope you don't join us preemie moms. Good luck!

thishappyhouse · August 2012

There are so many conflicting views on bedrest. My feeling always was that bedrest has almost no direct risks to the baby. As long as you are smart about the risks to you (muscle atrophy, DVT, mental health) it is one of those things that seemingly can only help.

Have they done any ffn tests? It seems like that may be helpful to you at this stage when deciding on timing of steroids.

I do not want to scare you but If you are not in the hospital, just listen to your body carefully. Id go right to L&D triage if you have a change in discharge, any contractions at all (painful or not), any back pain, or just feeling off. If your baby is going to come early you want it to be in as much of a controlled way as possible.

Set mini goals... 28 weeks is only 2 weeks away and is generally considered to be a big milestone in the preemie world.

mrshump · August 2012

thishappyhouse:
There are so many conflicting views on bedrest. nbsp;My feeling always was that bedrest has almost no direct risks to the baby. nbsp;As long as you are smart about the risks to you muscle atrophy, DVT, mental health it is one of those things that seemingly can only help. nbsp;nbsp;Have they done any ffn tests? nbsp;It seems like that may be helpful to you at this stage when deciding on timing of steroids. nbsp;I do not want to scare you but If you are not in the hospital, just listen to your body carefully. nbsp;Id go right to nbsp;Lamp;D triage if you have a change in discharge, any contractions at all painful or not, any back pain, or just feeling off. nbsp;If your baby is going to come early you want it to be in as much of a controlled way as possible.Set mini goals... 28 weeks is only 2 weeks away and is generally considered to be a big milestone in the preemie world. nbsp;

I was in the ER last Saturday and they did a Ffn test which came back negative. I go to the hospital for anything strange so I am a familiAr face. My first milestone was 24 weeks. Can't wait to make it to 28. I'll be back in the hospital today to revive another shot and NST as well another ultrasound. Hopefully nothing has changed or at leAst looks better. The biggest reassurance is that I'm not dilated. But I do want to know if I continue to shorten what the next steps will be.

iristony · August 2012

I started having contractions at 24 weeks (2 min apart) and learned my cervix had shortened, I was 1 cm dialated and fully effaced. I was put on hospital bedrest for 4 weeks and home for 1 week on bedrest. They did the steroid shots when I was admitted at 24 weeks (24 hours apart) and then when I came in at 29 weeks in labor again they did another shot. My son arrived at 29 weeks due to this. My suggestion is trust your instincts and be your best advocate and get to L&D if anything changes ASAP. Take it easy. I was on serious bedrest- had to stay in bed in hospital- was allowed to get up to use bathroom and that was it. I was also allowed to sit up to eat, but they preferred I stay laying for most of the time.

BetsyDawn · August 2012

Hi there,
I am also a first time mom that was diagnosed with a shortened cervix during my anatomy scan at 20 weeks. I was .5mm and had an emergency cerclage put in the next day. I was also on the 200mg suppository. From that point on I was on bed rest at home. I too was given a grim outlook.

At 26 weeks I was given a round of steroids. My cervix however continued to grow. I forgot to mention I had funneling as well that was no longer viable at my follow up.

I made it to 31 weeks 4 days and my water broke. I was out having lunch with a friend instead of on bedrest. As the weeks went on I started to get overconfident that I was going to make it to term. Although there is no solid evidence that bedrest helps I believe it helped in my case. Being off my feet and not working at my overly stressful job is what I think my body needed.

Upon admission to labor and delivery I was given magnesium sulfate I have never been so loopy in my life to slow my body contractions down. I was able to get a second round of steroid shots in before I delivered

I delivered my daughter at 32 weeks 1 day. She weighed 3lbs 10oz and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. She had no major medical issues and was a "grower and feeder".

I just wanted you to hear a story with a positive outcome and I wish you the best. Everyone's body is different so please don't read too many horror stories like I did. I set mini goals instead of focusing on the due date and that helped me a lot as well.

I wish you and your family the best.

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