2nd trimester Review

Second trimester started off pretty uneventful, as well. I think I jinxed myself a bit by saying how easy pregnancy has treated me. I hadn't been sick and the only symptoms I had were sore chest, frequent nightly potty breaks, and fatigue.

***Alright, settle in. Here is a full explanation of our "high-risk" situation***

A little background...in 2005, I had a cervical procedure where pre-cancerous cells were removed after an abnormal pap smear. Once Mike and I were married and wanted to start trying for a baby I discussed with my doctor and she mentioned that I shouldn't have a problem getting pregnant, but once pregnant, we would need to check my cervix often since it would now be shorter than the "normal" cervix.

The cervix is what keeps your baby inside your body (for lack of a better explanation) so it is very important that it remains strong, long, and closed. At 16 weeks pregnant, we started to monitor my cervix by getting a baseline measurement. My doctor said anything over 3 cm was good (a "normal" cervix is 4-5 cm at 16 weeks). My cervix measured 3.3 cm...way to go, cervix!
We also got to see our baby for the first time since I was 7 weeks. What was then a little gummy bear with no extremities now was a real baby, with a head and flailing arms and legs. It was the most amazing thing we had ever seen.
At 18 weeks (December 20th), we returned to have another cervical check and our anatomy scan. They baby looked wonderful, everything looked wonderful, and we were relieved to hear such good news. Instead of finding out the sex, we had the ultrasound technician seal a premade ornament in a box for us to wrap and open on Christmas morning.
Then we got the bad news...my cervix had shortened from 3.3 cm to 2.5 cm in only 2 weeks. With that news, I was sent to my doctor's office where she put me on full pelvic rest as well as modified bedrest. Luckily, it was winter break so it wasn't too hard to take it easy for the next 2 weeks. We discussed a cerclage (stitch through the cervix) but she felt that it was risky at this point in the pregnancy because we were still not really in an emergency situation.

These 2 weeks were terrifying for me. Honestly, I was slightly depressed. I was terrified to move and stand, go to the bathroom, and get up for any reason. I couldn't stop reading horror stories on the internet of the many women who lost their babies because of an "incompetent cervix". I cried for days on end. I couldn't talk about it but I couldn't stop thinking about it. 24 weeks became our first goal...viability.

As time went on, my cervix got longer and longer. Here are all of my measurement over the past 8 weeks.
FYI- a normal cervix is between 4-5 cm long.
16 weeks- 3.3 cm (baseline)
18 weeks- 2.5 cm- slight funneling (started "taking it easy")
19 weeks- 2.7 cm- no funneling
20 weeks- 2.8 cm with funal pressure- slight "beaking" (which is like funneling but smaller)
21 weeks 3 days- 3.1 cm with and without fundal pressure-no funneling or "beaking"
23 weeks 2 days- 2.3 cm with pressure and 2.5 cm without pressure (apparently wrong
measurement) *Started Prometrium 1 time per day*
24 weeks 3 days- 3.2 cm without pressure and 3.0 cm with pressure *Started seeing a high risk doctor. Prometrium 2 times per day, Ibuprofen for contractions/cramping/tightness/pressure*
25 weeks 3 days- 3.1 cm without pressure

You can see that my cervix increased in length with the help of the rest (I haven't gone shopping, mall or grocery in 2 months!) until 23 weeks. However, the tech implied that it was measured wrong that week by a different tech...who knows.

I am now continuing to get my cervical check at a WONDERFUL high-risk doctor's office. If I continue to stay above 3 cm, I might be able to go back to every-other-week checks. I'm still scared but able to breathe much easier as each day and week passes by.

Today, I have 99 days left in the pregnancy. Tomorrow I will be at 26 weeks which is my last week in 2nd trimester. I am thankful to God for every day that this baby boy is healthy inside my body. Although there has been a great deal of stress and anxiety (and most of you know that I am an anxious person anyway), this experience has really taught me a lot. I have had to put my faith in God and my doctors and just let go. It has taught me to allow people to help me more (which is much harder than I thought it would be). I have also learned the importance of a positive attitude. I was too scared to announce this pregnancy on Facebook, my blog, and even to friends/family. I soon realized that I need to embrace this pregnancy and enjoy it for each day that we have and I started to live by the mantra "faith, not fear".

2nd trimester was an eventful one and we are hoping for a much more uneventful and laid back 3rd trimester. I have now gained a total of 13 pounds, I've been feeling great (none of the typical symptoms such as heartburn and leg cramps). Here's to a calm and healthy 3rd trimester...28 weeks is our next big goal. Only 2 weeks away!

Baby at 26 weeks! (Except my good boy is head-down. He has been since 18 weeks and at this point, he better stay that way!)

*If you have any questions about a shortened cervix, incompetent cervix, or our high-risk situation, let me know. This post was to inform others, as I found much relief in reading other success stories. I did not realize that there were so many women in my similar or identical situation and it felt so good not to be so alone.