scared and on bed rest! Need Advice

Hi Everyone,
I am new to the forum and would appreciate your advice. I was put on strict bedrest at 25 weeks b/c my cervix had shortened from 4.2 to 3.1 and I was dialated. Thankfully, there was no funneling. My doctor gave me steroids for two days in case the babies came early.
This week I went back in for my weekly appointment, and eventhough I had strictly adhered to bed rest, my cervix had further shortened to 2.8 and there was minor funneling.
I'm concerned b/c I'm 35 and this is my first pregnancy. I don't think I'm having PTL, but now I'm so paranoid that I think any kick or any weird feeling might be a contraction. The doctor states that we should be able to get to 28 weeks, and I'm hopeful, but would appreciate hearing your stories and hopefully successes.
I guess I'm just feeling dejected b/c I was hoping with bed rest, the cervix wouldn't shorten and I'm worried about my upcoming appointment ....

 

I'm so sorry you are having all this stress! Your situation sounds very similar to mine, although my cervix has been even shorter than yours. I was put on hospital bedrest at 25 weeks (I think I was around 2-2.5 cm?), stayed about a week, and I've been home on complete bedrest ever since (I'm 33 weeks tomorrow). My cervix has been hovering around 1 cm for two weeks, it's short but holding steady. Your cervix will likely continue to shorten even on bedrest, it's just what seems to happen in multiple pregnancies. A friend of mine had triplets and recently reminded me that her cervix was less than 1 cm for a month before she delivered her babies. A measurement of 2.8 isn't great, but it doesn't mean you are going to deliver soon! Just be strict about your bedrest and watch for contractions, you can still make it quite a bit longer. And go read the "bedrest success stories" thread, it's so uplifting!

Oh, and for the record, I had a completely perfect 40 week pregnancy with my singleton. Having twins is stressful on your body -- hang in there, you are doing a great job for your kiddos!

 

Hi, Sorry to have you join the club here.

My cervix started around 2.8-3.0. I'm also an "older mom" who needed fertility treatments.
I went on strict BR at 24 weeks. I had a 6 mm cervix with funneling. I almost delivered at that point, but fortunately they were able to stop my labor. I had the steroid shots. I was in and out of the hospital maybe 5 more times with PTL. While on BR, my cervix stayed around 1.5 cm, but was always changing with funneling. Every measurement was somewhat different.

Are you on procardia? Are you having some contractions? I was on procardia to minimize my contractions and prevent them from changing my cervix further.
Do you have a maternal fetal medicine specialist? MFM? They often work with an OB on high risk cases.
Are you having transvaginal ultrasounds to measure your cervix? How often are you being monitored? I saw my OB every other week, and my MFM every other week.

It sound like you are on BR at home? My best advice is to notify your doctor or go to L&D if you feel anything different. Several times I started feeling worse (backache, more contractions, etc). I went in the hospital for a day or two, and then would go back home.

I made it to 36 weeks and ended up with pre-e. They induced me at that point. My twins were 5 and 5.5 pounds. They had some minor issues at birth, but are now very healthy.

Hang in there. Let me know if you have any questions. Take care, Beth

 

I was put on bedrest at 17 weeks for a short cervix. I don't remember the exact length now, thinking around 2.5 - 3 cm. It wasn't dilating or funneling though. Around 25 weeks it started shortening again. By around 26 or 27 weeks, it was less than 1cm (around .7). I also received the steroid shots and was told it was unlikely I would make it more than a couple more days. I ended up carrying until 31w6 days and they did a c-section due to pre-e. My cervix still held tight! Hoping for the best for you and your babies!

 

Thank you for your reply. It helps to hear that you made it to 36 weeks, my biggest fear is that the babies will be born early with lots of long term problems.

To answer some of your questions. I haven't had any contractions yet (thank god). I think that's part of the reason the doctor hasn't made me checkin to the hospital. Did your cervix get better with bed rest? I'm worried b/c mine is getting worse, but hearing your story, it does give me hope.
Thank you again.

 

I don't have any experience with bed rest but I wanted to wish you all the best :grouphug:

 

Hi,
In my situation, my cervix stabilized while on BR. I was only at 6 mm, so there was not much left. According to my MFM, I was barely hanging by a thread (not what I wanted to hear!). After BR, my cervix stayed around 1-1.5 cm. Sometimes it would be funneling open, and sometimes not. I can totally relate to your biggest fear. I felt like I held my breath from weeks 24-28. It was awful and scary. Once I got to 30 plus, I started to feel a bit better and more hopeful. I finally went off BR at 24 weeks, but I was too tired and big to do anything.
Can they do a cerclage for you? I wasn't eligible. My DD's sac was bulging near the cervix and they felt it was too risky. I also used p17 shots every week. I think they are proven to help prevent singleton pre term labor, but not necessarily proven in twin pregnancies. My MFM felt like it was worth trying.

take care....Beth

 

I was placed on bed rest at 27 weeks my cervix was down to 1.6 I was given steroid shots,daily procardia, and a weekly shot of delalutin. I made it to 31 weeks and 6 days I ended up delivering due to pree. Hang in there!! I was fortunate enough to have my mother stay with us and help so I STAYED in bed!! I even ate lying down. I only took showers once every other day and used a hospital seat to be able to sit in the shower. Best of luck to you!!!

 

Hi

Sorry to hear you are on bed rest. I was admiteed to the hospital at 28 weeks due to an incompetant cervix, PTL, funnelling and 2 cm dilated. I lasted 3 and a half weeks before I gave birth. Hang in there, some days will be tougher, have people visit regularly, watch DVD's, check websites like this that help ALOT!!
Good luck