cervix opening and closing?

I am 21 weeks with b/g twins and am on total bedrest. I have had contractions consistently since I was 9 weeks along but with no cervical changes. my last appointment my doctor checked my cervix again, as I'd had more contractions last week. It was nice and long at 4cm, and just as he was about to remove the ahem, apparatus when I started to have a contraction. We could see on the ultrasound my nice long cervix completely open up to be just 1 cm and then close up again. Has anyone ever even heard of this? Apparently this means I am not a candidate for a cerclage, as he said I would just rip the stitches out when I had another contraction. I am just on bedrest and nifedipine. We are freaking out. Somebody share success stories about this situation PLEASE!

 

I never had opening and closing of my cervix, at least I dont thnk I did. I started contracting at 18 weeks, I thought they were BH. At 24 weeks I went into labour, was contracting every 3-5 mins, was 2 cm dialated and 60% effaced. I was put on complete bedrest and they stopped labour a total of 5 times for me. My boys were born via scheduled c-sectin at 37 weeks. Stay in bed, dont get up for anything accept for the necessary reasons you would need to get up obviously. Good luck it can be done

 

are you in the hospital? i would think they'd want you to be there for about a week. sorry--i know it's scary! i'm on bedrest because of my cervix but the shortest i've been so far is 2.5cm, which is still decent, but it was just weird because i've gone from 4.0 to 2.5 in 6wks. your cervix is not really opening and closing (unless they've told you that you are also dilating)--it is effacing, which is getting "thinner" or "shorter." my perinatologist always pushes down on my uterus during the ultrasound to see how short my cervix would be with a contraction. mine doesn't change that much, only .2-.4 change from a calm position to a contracting position. but i know someone on another forum i'm a member of who is also having twins and hers changed from 3.5 to 1.9 during a 'contraction'. she was told that her cervix is more sensitive to pressure, so she is also on bedrest now. then the next time she got checked it went from 3.0 to 2.7, so it somehow improved. i'm not sure if this is called a dynamic cervix or what. if yours lengthens, maybe you can ask about a cerclage again.
my contractions are not very frequent so i'm not on any meds for that except progesterone suppositories which help calm the uterus. i'm sure they told you, but call your Dr if you're having 6 or more contractions per hour. i would probably freak out if i had more than 4 because i really don't want to go into labor this early!

 

Hi, I had something similar. I started having contractions and a very short cervix at 23 weeks and 6 days. My cervix dropped to 6 mm and they told me I would most likely deliver soon. I was in the hospital for a week on complete bedrest and on meds to slow labor. After a week, my cervix was 1.5 cm and I was discharged home. I was on strict BR at home, and had to keep my hips slightly higher than my shoulders. I was allowed to take a brief shower every other day, and I took nifedipine. During one of my peri exams, my cervix did the same thing as yours. She showed me on the screen. Every checkup, my cervix measured differently (but all very short).
I ended up making it to 36 weeks. I was in and out of the hospital with contractions about 5 different times. Each time I would stay for a day or two and go home. I was finally taken off of BR at 34 weeks. I was induced at 36 weeks because my BP started going up and I had a csection. I wasn't eligible for a cerclage, but I did get two rounds of steroid shots. Hang in there. I know this is so scary!! hugs, Beth

 

thanks everyone for the encouragement! I just had a dr.s appt and learned that it is called a hyperdynamic cervix with, along with irritable uterus. the good news is that my cervical length is now 4.4 cm and dr said we are progressing in the right way! He still thinks I'll be on hospital bedrest for several months. Anybody have ideas on what to pack when living in the hospital?

 

My dear,I had those changing for 3 weeks(3.6 -2.6 - 3.6 -2.2-1.7),and now my cervix is 1.7.I am on bed rest,and I am soo scared .Also I had contraction at 23 weeks,so we went two times at labor,I stayed 6 hours both times.They checked my cervix and contraction.Everything was fine and they send me home.Now I am 25 weeks,and I count every day.
Stay strong,I am here with you
Don't forget to drink a lot of water,to calm your contraction.Try to eat healthy protein.I am taking also boost protein.WE CAN DO IT!!!!
Be free and write me
Hugs
Vesna

 

For what to pack while staying in the hospital, I pretty much lived on my pyjamas. I had an ipod for music, lots of puzzle books like word searches, books to read, I also did pain by numbers. A portable DVD player is also a good thing to have, and of course a laptop

 

I had this happening with my cervix too, due to contractions, but mine was really short (under 1cm). I had an emergency cerclage at 16w5d. I was also on strict bedrest from that point on, with nifedepine. Drink a ton of water, as much as you possibly can.

I spent 4+ weeks on hospital bedrest. I packed maybe a week's worth of clothing and DH would take it home to wash it. Comfy loungewear. None of my jeans/khakis/sweaters came with me. I was always hot when I was PG, even in the dead of winter, so I went short sleeve or tank top. Had I been able to shop for shorts, I would have!

Hang in there, the bedrest totally sucks but it is so worth it in the end. I ended up delivering at 31w0d because baby A's water broke and she was threatening to kick her cord out. My cerclage was still holding strong.

 

I had the same thing as well. If I sat up during an ultrasound the pressure from the babies would cause my cervix to shorten to 1 cm or less, if I was lying down it would appear longer. I also had contractions from 21 weeks on which had a similar effect. I got the steroid shots at 28 weeks and I spent from 29 to 32 weeks in the hospital. Despite all that, I made it to 37w3d and delivered two perfectly healthy babies who came home with us after 3 days. So, hang in there!

As for things to take to the hospital, I would agree with the PP's suggestions, a laptop and ipod are must-haves, as were books and magazines. A few snacks and drinks of your own are great (hospital food, at least where I was, is pretty bad), along those same lines, dinner guests with take-out were my favourite people. I was allowed to get up to use the washroom and I used flip-flops since I could easily slide them on and off. I also brought my own pillow and of course comfy clothes. Oh, and we had a pair of nintendo DSs (one from my sister-in-law) and my husband and I whiled away quite a few hours playing mario-kart against each other.

I hope that helps, and good luck!