My suffrage of a short cervix is something that I do not share very often. It’s actually caused me a great deal of anxiety, pain and frustration at times. The thought of my baby being born prematurely and there is nothing that I can do to prevent it is quite frightening. However I’ve learned that each time I open up my heart and speak on suffering from a short cervix, I am given so much positive feedback, advice and love. So I’ve decided to share my story here with you.
I initially found out that my cervix was short at my 18 week appointment. I was eager to find out the sex of my baby, but I got a little more in return. The doctor informed me that my cervix was short and I needed to get on a suppository as soon as possible to hopefully add some length to it. Every week for the next eight weeks I went to the doctor to determine if my cervix had grown in length from my medication. Some weeks were positive and others were negative. However, the suppository is the only medication FDA approved to lengthen my cervix, so if it didn’t work than there was nothing else to be done. Around week 30 I began to exerience, what I perceived as, braxton hicks. They are mild forms of contractions and if had them frequently within an hour, this could be a sign of pre-term labor. One afternoon, after having four braxtons hicks in an hour, I decided to go to the hospital to ensure that everything was ok. Although I was not in active labor, my body was showing progressive signs of labor as I was beginning to dilate and I was 50% effaced. This was scary news to receive, as I was still weeks away from when labor progression should occur. Following this revelation I was immediately put on moderate bed rest, with the exception of walking around to prevent blood clots. This completely sucks.
Now at week 33, I am still on bed rest and my body has not shown any more progressive signs of active labor. While I know that pre term labor is something to be concerned about, I have chosen not to focus on it. Instead, I have decided to focus on the things that I have taken for granted in this pregnancy; such as rest, one on one time with my two year old, simply being thankful for my health, and again getting more rest. As I am winding down to the final few weeks of my baby in my womb, I am reflecting on how amazing life has been with my current little family and how much more amazing it will be with my new bundle. Although my cervix has been a point of concern for a majority of my pregnancy, I have not let it overcome me. I have taken control of the negative connotations associated with it and found the positive in every aspect of my life. I hope my story will help another mommy who is feeling down during her down time with a short cervix. Stay chic Mummmy’s XOXOXO