Funneling cervix at 26 weeks - help!

Long story short, I had an appointment on Tuesday and turns out my cervix is funneling. (for anyone who doesn't know what that means, my cervix is closed at the point where the dr could reach up and feel it, but is beginning to open on the other end, up top where the babies are.)

I've been on hospital bed rest ever since (thank goodness i was able to connect to the internet tonight, lol) and apparently i may be on bedrest until the babies come. I've had NO contractions aside from a couple of braxton-hicks. My dr is out of town in California for the remainder of the week, i'm not sure when he can come talk to me... the dr's on call have been telling me different things and barely talk to me. I wish i knew what was going on.

Anywya, I tried looking up info on funneling cervixes online but can't find much. has anyone else had this happen? I have no idea how long my cervix can stay like this, how long I can go without delivering, etc. I don't know if my cervix can be stitched or if i can even go home. I'm really scared but I'm hoping that if the babies come too soon, they'll pull through.

sorry this is so jumbled, iv'e been dying to get online and ask you ladies about this. Any help or points in the right direction on more info about this sort of thing would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Long story short, I had an appointment on Tuesday and turns out my cervix is funneling. (for anyone who doesn't know what that means, my cervix is closed at the point where the dr could reach up and feel it, but is beginning to open on the other end, up top where the babies are.)

I've been on hospital bed rest ever since (thank goodness i was able to connect to the internet tonight, lol) and apparently i may be on bedrest until the babies come. I've had NO contractions aside from a couple of braxton-hicks. My dr is out of town in California for the remainder of the week, i'm not sure when he can come talk to me... the dr's on call have been telling me different things and barely talk to me. I wish i knew what was going on.

Anywya, I tried looking up info on funneling cervixes online but can't find much. has anyone else had this happen? I have no idea how long my cervix can stay like this, how long I can go without delivering, etc. I don't know if my cervix can be stitched or if i can even go home. I'm really scared but I'm hoping that if the babies come too soon, they'll pull through.

sorry this is so jumbled, iv'e been dying to get online and ask you ladies about this. Any help or points in the right direction on more info about this sort of thing would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Hang in there! I know that right now you are probably freaking out, but you can really pull this off. Is your doc a perinatologist? Or are the drs. there specialists like this?

ANyhow, you really are past the point of when they do cerclages or stitch, but bedrest, and as strict as you can be will help. A cervix can grow and shorten at different times of the day, and can even improve with bedrest. My doc thought I was an oddball wanting to be on hospital bedrest when my cervix shorted so quickly. I was constantly have contraction (mostly BH), but it was changing things. He told me I had every reason to be in the hosp. on bedrest, but that people don't usually ask to be. HAHA I just wanted to stop worrying about it, and be where I was going to be taken care of if needed.

You are doing really well, and if you just keep hanging out on your side, you will take the pressure off the cervix, and you can do it. If you go home, I would put myself on pretty good bedrest and take it easy. I have no doubt that you can make it to 36 wks. But, in the case if they do have to come early, they can do well too. My brother and his wife recently had twin boys at 27 wks, and though they were in the NICU for three months, they are home and doing great! PM me if you have any questions.

 

This must be a very scary time for you, especially not having your doctor nearby to reassure and support you.

I had funneling as well as a shortened cervix. I was hospitalized at 24 weeks. Since I was too far along, getting a stitch (cerclage) was out of the question. Once it was clear that it wasn't getting a whole lot worse, I was sent home on strict bedrest. Slowly, it did get worse, and I was rehospitalized. But ultimately, I was able to carry my babies to 34w4d, when they were delivered (no NICU).

Bedrest was hard, but I did my best at following the docs orders. I almost liked the hospital bedrest better, since I had tons of people looking out for me!

I just wanted to give you hope. A funneling cervix does not mean that delivery is going to happen immediately. Did you have a fFN test yet?

 

I was put in the hospital at 26 weeks with PTL as well. It's great that your cervix is closed and not dilated. Funneling is a sign of cervical change and is the onset of PTL. If you aren't having contractions, rolling hills on the monitor, then you are in good shape that they caught this early. By the time I got to the hospital my cervix was short at a 1 and I was having active contractions. They had to give me tebutaline to stop the contractions and steroid shots to help their lungs. Have they given you any steroids yet? Also the position of trendelenberg helped resolve the pressure I was having and helped the baby that was at the opening move back some. I slept in that position for 2 days and it gave me a lot of relief. I was released on day 3 after my cervical length changed to a safe number. I have been off work and at home on modified bedrest ever since. I still have contractions but no pressure or other problems. Hang in there and maybe you will improve everyday. Stay off your feet! Drink lots of water! Best wishes
Melanie- 31 weeks with b/g twins

 

Thanks for the quick responses! I was completely unaware that a cerclage can't be done this late in the pregnancy. I was kind of counting on being able to have that done and feel a little better about things.

Tasha - my dr is a high-risk OB/GYN but I don't think he's a perinatologist. I don't know much about perinatologists... perhaps I'll be referred to one, who knows? That's great about your brother's twins and I just hope I can be that lucky if they do in fact decide to come next week!

twoin2005 - your story gives me hope!!! It sounds like I'm in a similar situation to what yours was. When you are on strict bedrest at home, can you go to doctor's appointments? I have so many questions, I'm just wondering how that works. Anyway, I was in the hospital this weekend due to the FFN test coming back positive... but I assumed it was nothing because DH and I had had sex within 24 hrs of the test being performed. This funneling thing was caught at my follow-up dr visit after leaving the hospital. It's been a really crazy, hectic, STRESSFUL week!

happymel - nope, no contractions, and VERY few braxton hicks. Very very very few. Once in while I feel pressure-type cramps very low which one nurse said is most likely just ligament stuff. Yes, I got the steroid shot, thank goodness... i hope it helps. What's trendelenberg? Are you still on strict bedrest?

 

It was noticed I was funneling at 29 weeks. I was hospitalized for a couple weeks but I was stable and was allowed to go home. I remained at home until my delivery at 36 weeks, not a moment of NICU time. I was on stict bedrest at home which meant bathroom and doc appointments only until about 34 weeks when I was still maintaining and I was allowed to do a little more. There definitely is hope!!

 

I am a little confused after reading everyones posts. I was told I was funneling at 28 wks but I believed it was from the other direction (closed near the babies and open towards the outside) I was just told to rest and at 30 wks there was no change and I was not told I was in PTL but I have had a few BH. I guess I feel great and my OB is not panicing. I will keep reading these responses. Hope you keep your spirits up Heather.

 

Hi Heather,

I was funneling and thinning, down to 2.5, at 27 weeks. Peri put me on modified bedrest, I put myself on strict. Only got up to use the bathroom, 5 minute shower a day, and doctor's appts, for 9 weeks. After one week I was back up to 4.5 with hardly any funneling. Bedrest works, hang in there. Hope you are able to go home soon!

 

quote:
am a little confused after reading everyones posts. I was told I was funneling at 28 wks but I believed it was from the other direction (closed near the babies and open towards the outside) I was just told to rest and at 30 wks there was no change and I was not told I was in PTL but I have had a few BH.


Briana,

Funneling is when the cervix starts opening on the inside, close to the babies. Dialation is what happens on the outside. I believe mine was due to the pressure of both babies on my cervix, which I think, is why the bedrest worked for me. I was laying on my side, putting little pressure on my cervix. HTH!

 

I am on hospital bedrest right now for the same thing. My cervix was funneling at 22 1/2 weeks and it was at 1.3 cm. I was having some cramping and some BH contractions so I e-mailed my doc and asked him to check me out before I traveled out of town for a baby shower. He called me the next day and asked me to come in as soon as possible. He did the internal u/s and saw my funneling cervix immediately. He sent me to the hospital next door with instructions to go straight to L&D to monitor my contractions. I had a few while on the monitor but really thought I was going home that day (no one told me it was funneled down to 1.3 until days later). They gave me IV fluids and indocin.
I was getting all kinds of different opinions and answers from all the different doctors that I saw (obs and maternal fetal medicine specialists). I was so frustrated. Some docs were saying I could go home on bedrest and others were saying that I should stay until 28 weeks. My doc stopped by one day and said that I would be staying until 28 weeks and that was that. Since being here, I still get varying answers from all the doctors and it drives me nuts. They really haven't agreed on anything yet except to give me 2 rounds of steroid shots at 24 weeks and that I have developed Gestational Diabetes.
Next week, I will be 28 weeks and they will reassess me and check my cervix to see if I can go home to be on bedrest for a while. I am supposed to be in bed at all times although I do have bathroom privileges and can shower once a day. I can also take 1 wheelchair ride a day (which I don't usually do because I feel so tired).

If you ever need to talk, ask questions, or vent, feel free to PM me. I know exactly how you feel. I would go insane without the internet and the message boards. It is hard being on hospital bedrest.

Traci

 

Funneling is like \/, a wider opening at the top than the bottom.

 

I had a funneling cervix very early on at 16 weeks and had an emergency cerclage. I was on bedrest from that point on. It shortened and funneled again at 23 weeks and I spent weeks 24-28 on hospital bedrest. Stayed stable, so they released me back to home bedrest at 28 weeks.

I think by reading the PP's you'll see that bedrest can get you a good long way. Bedrest stinks, especially in the hospital, but it is totally worth it in the end.

Hang in there. At 26 weeks it is too late for a cerclage, but I believe there are quite a few ladies who make it a good long while on bedrest alone.

 

at 30 weeks, my dr. said my cervix had some "beaking," which i'm assuming is the same as funneling? it was measuring 2.7, but when pressure was applied to my abdomen during the internal u/s, it shortened to less than a cm and i was admitted to the hospital for steroid shots to help develop the babies' lungs and monitored for contractions. i also had NSTs twice a day. after the dr. examined me, he said his fingertip could barely dimple the cervix, i was 30% effaced, but not dilated, so i was released (thank goodness). i am on bed rest at home now, and haven't really had any contractions. also, since my 32 week appt., i haven't had an internal exam. at that exam she thought my cervix was about 2-3 cm long. i guess b/c i haven't had contractions and am on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy, she doesn't feel the need to check the measurement. water and bed rest have been very helpful.

 

No one has told me what my cervix is measuring. What's a good length, and what's too short? Next time I see a doctor, I'll ask about it.

 

If your cervix measures less tan 2.5 then most OB's put their patients on bedrest. Three or greater is considered good. As a pregnancy progresses it is normal for a cervix to shorten towards the end to prepare for labor. It's not suppose to shorten at 26 weeks like mine did, that is symptomatic of PTL. Trendelenberg is when the foot of the bed is raised and your head is down slanted. It takes the pressure off of the cervix. All hospital beds are built to convert to this position. We also use this position if someones blood pressure is low. I am now at home on modified bedrest with my cervix measuring 3.3 I hope that things improve for you. Best wishes
Melanie- 31 weeks 2 days with b/g twins

 

Thanks Melanie, that info is really helpful! My hospital bed does raise the bottom half too, but I keep putting it down because I felt weird with it up, lol. I guess I'll start raising it now!

The dr came in and spoke with my today and said that my cervix has shortened and that it's 4mm. He made it sound like that was very short, but from what you say, it sounds pretty good. I guess I'll just have to wait and see... my dr will be in to talk to me on Monday.

 

Heather, if it's 4MM, that is very short. If it is 4CM, that is very good. You might ask him again. s, hang in there.

 

He said milimeters.... I'm pretty sure anyway. Oh man.. is that bad????

 

Hang in there, Heather! My cervix shortened from 5cm to 2.5cm in a week, I went on bedrest, and it went back up to 4cm in another week. Bedrest does work. I would raise the foot of the bed, so you are lying with your head down a little, so that all of the pressure is off of your cervix....ask your doc, first though! Do they have you on fluids? If not, drink, drink, drink!

 

They keep me supplied with lots of water. I didn't realize bedrest could restore the length of your cervix. That's good to know! I really hope I was mistaken and that I'm 4 cm, not mm!! yikes...

 

Hi Heather -

Hugs to you. I have been where you are and completely understand your anxiety. At 20 weeks I was checked and my cervix was down to 1.7 with no funneling. My OB and peri agreed that I was too far along for a cerclage and the benefits didn't outweigh the risks in my case. So I was placed on strict bedrest with meds.

The bedrest worked great for me and my cervix actually lengthen. The next week it was 2.7, but I then had funneling. I stayed this way for 6 weeks and my OB thought I could last at least 32 weeks, but unfortunately I caught a really bad stomach bug and had my babies at 27 weeks. We did have a long (9 weeks) NICU stay, but my girls just celebrated their first birthday last week and you would never know they are preemies.

Good Luck and hang in there. I'm sure you are getting excellent care in the hospital and they will keep your babies cooking for many more weeks. Please PM me anytime if I can help!

Kimberly

 

Kimberly that's an amazing story!

I am just terrified. I've been having mucous-y discharge again and the nurse thinks it's bits of my plug. I am scared to death. I want to go home so badly, I've been so depressed in the hospital, but now I'm scared of, what if I go home and something happens... at least here, I can press a button and be checked on. I just wish I could go to sleep and wake up when I'm 32 weeks or something. I am just a mess right now. I'll be 27 weeks tomorrow and I've been frantically looking up online the chances of my babies surviving if they're born this week. I'm just so scared and don't know what else to do.

 

s, I can't imagine how scared you are. Just know that you are doing everything you can to keep them in as long as you can, and there is really nothing more that you can do. Maybe you could start a post in the FY forum and have it linked to other forums, getting other mom's early delivery experiences, NICU experiences, just so you know what to expect. There are quite a few 27-28 weekers on here that are doing great. Just a thought. Try to stay positive, I know it must be so hard. Hang in there, Heather, we are all here for you.

 

Thanks, Becky! It makes me feel a lot better to hear of other women who delivered around where I'm at now and whose babies are healthy and thriving. I am trying to think positively - that at least this is happening NOW and not 6 weeks ago, when the babies wouldn't have had a chance if they were to be born that early. BTW, what is the FY forum?

I've been having a tiny bit of bleeding, it happened twice today. The nurses aren't too worried about it since I'm not having any contractions, but it's still scary. I'm guessing that I'm going to be stuck here for a while longer, but I'll know more for sure tomorrow when my doctor comes to talk to me.

Also, I had a doctor come in to check on me this morning (it was the same dr who I had an appointment with on Tuesday since my dr's been out of town) and I asked him about my ultrasound report, just to clarify what the other dr had told me yesterday. He said my cervix is "very short" and was HALF the size it was at my appointment on Tuesday. So in two days, my cervix length was cut in half, and those two days were spent on hospital bedrest!!! I'm not too optimistic that these babies are going to hang on too much longer. Hopefully I can get another week or two ... I really want to hold out at least until March but I'm not holding my breath for that any more.

My mom bought the babies' memory books today. She had to order them online from my registry and hopefully they'll arrive sometime this week so that I can start filling them out. At least that way I'll be able to get their little foot prints in their baby books if they come any time soon. I'm just trying to focus on things like that to try and ignore how scared I really am.

 

Heather, I am glad you are staying positive!! I know it can be so hard sometimes. FY is First Year, sorry, I spend way too much time on these forums!!! I think it would help to hear encouraging stories! Glad your mom is there for support! Anyway, hang in there, PM me if you are having a rough day!

 

Heather - Hang in there! I know that you are so scared, but you are in the best place. I'm sure they are taking excellent care of you. Like I posted earlier my girls were born at 26 weeks 4 days (NICU rounded up to 27) and they are doing wonderfully. If you need to talk or want to know anything about my experiences, please PM me anytime. I am here for you!!

 

Hang in there! You can just do your best to keep them in there by being bedrested, and that is what you are doing. Keep hydrated and peeing. Good that they are seeing contractions. That is a positive thing! Every day is good, just make your goals short and day by day. 27 weeks is good, and your babes have a great chance at this stage, and each day is better and better. I just went and visited my brother and SIL's 27 weekers yesterday, and they are home doing super at 11 lbs! (2 months corrected age). PM me if you need to chat. We are all here for you!

 

I will just echo what many have said that bedrest can reverse the shortening, or at the very least, stop it from changing further. I was on strict bedrest after my girls tried to make their grand entrance at 29.5 weeks. I was contracting every 2 minutes and I had dilated to 4cm in the time it took me to cross the street to get to the hospital from my doc's office! My doctors came in and told me I was not going home pregnant they were that certain the babies were coming that day. Well, I held steady at 4cm (no chnage at all!) for exactly 4 weeks and delivered my girls at 34 weeks! I know it's sooooo hard and sooo depressing being in bed, but I promise you it is worth it. You're doing great from the sounds of it and ask the nurses and docs any and all questions you have..no question is a dumb question. Debbie & AJ, one of the mods here at TS, had her babies at 27 weeks so you may want to pm her...I know she would be happy to answer your questions. Hang in there.. we're all here for you!

Btw, I think working on your memory books will be a wonderful diversion!

 

You ladies are the best!

I talked to my dr yesterday, thank goodness - it was so nice to talk to MY doctor. I'm in the hospital until Thursday. I'll have another u/s on Thursday and my dr will be here that day and will hopefully send me home after the u/s. He wants someone to come to my house to monitor me for contractions and they're just trying to verify that through my insurance at the moment.

I am not having any contractions, I haven't had a single contraction since I've been here. I'm also on procardia (sp?), the daily pill that helps prevent contractions. So I'm thinking that's why my dr didn't seem TOO concerned. I am hoping bedrest will help my cervix, but I'm not overly optimistic... after two days on hospital bedrest, my cervix shortened by half of what it had been the day i was admitted. It is 4 MILImeters, btw, I did hear that again. Very very short! And the past couple of days I've been having a lot of mucous-y discharge, so I'm worried it may be my plug, if I'm dilating or something. =\

I'm happy I've made it to 27 weeks and I guess now we'll take it week-by-week... maybe even day-by-day. I may have GD, I failed my 1-hr glucose test a few weeks back and I'm hoping they can give me the 3-hr test while I'm still in the hospital, because the neonatologist said that GD can affect lung maturation, and we can't have that when these babies might be really preemie.

Okay sorry for babbling... I'm just looking forward to going home. I feel more positive about things. I'm just going to try to hold on to these babies a few more weeks so that I can enjoy childbirth and not be too worried.

 

Hi Heather,

It's good to know that your contractions are being controlled by meds. Don't worry about the GD just yet. I failed my 1-hour miserably. Got 191 when it should have been 140. I passed my 3-hour with flying colors though so you never know. Try to push your docs to give you the 3-hour while you're in the hospital. It will be so much easier for you. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

That's great that you may get to be in your own home soon! Please let us know how the u/s goes. I also failed my 1 hour glucose (never failed the glucose with any of my 3 older children either) and I passed the 3 hour. Good luck with the 3 hour! I'm glad you were able to talk to your own doc and you seem to be in better spirits! TS is a great place to pass the time on bedrest

 

Heather,

I have been moving the past couple of days, and was hoping to see that you had good news when I logged on. Sounds like you are hanging in there!

 

Heather, you sound so positive. That is great.

I was sent home from hospital bedrest with home uterine monitoring. It is a great way to be monitored, without having to be in the hospital. My insurance did not cover it, so my doc called and said, "If you don't approve it, I will keep her here until she delivers," which could have been another 5 weeks (on top of the 3.5 I had already spent there). So they approved it. I used Matria. They had a nurse come out 2x a week to do NSTs and to give me my progesterone shots. Then I hooked up to the little contraction monitor for one hour every morning and night. If I had too many contractions, then I had to do it again for another hour. Then you take the little device and send it through this fax-like machine to some nurse in another state. She then calls back to check on you, chat, and to let you know how many contractions you had. All in all, it was really reassuring to have all that monitoring. A pain, but worth it! I complained to my doc about how much work it was, and he laughed so hard, "You are on BEDREST? What ELSE have you got to do????!!!" Point taken.

Congrats on the 27 week milestone!!! Each day is a victory!!!

 

Hey Heather,

Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. My wife and I are going through the EXACT same thing. My wife has been on bed rest since 21 weeks when her cervix suddenly went down to 2.0 cm. It's currently hovering around 1.0 and she's 26 weeks. She's been in and out of the hospital monitoring contractions and for steriods. One positive light for us was that her Fetal Fibronectin test was negative so at least we can breathe slightly easier for a week or two.

P.S - We're also having b/g twins.

Good luck with everything, you and my wife with both make it for weeks and weeks more.

Mike