Cerclage

Yesterday I got up around 7:45 and called L&D at 8. They said come in at 9:30. Mike and I got some things together and headed over to Stanford. We live about 40 minutes from the hospital and with traffic it took us a little over an hour to get there. I got there and they got me right into a gown and bed. I was in a room with 4 other women separated by curtains. Most of the women that came and went while i was there were having c-sections. Once i was there things started going pretty fast. I got an IV, then the doctors came in to talk to me and the anesthesiologist came in, all while the nurses were asking me a million questions. We asked if Mike could come with me into the operating room and although I'm sure we could have pushed a little more for them to let him they said it wasn't their normal procedure so no. They wheeled me into the operating room which is the same room they do C-sections in. It was really cold and bright. They had me switch beds and sit up for an epidural.

This time it was a short term epidural so it was just a one time shot not a catheter like you get during delivery. It took a little while for it to kick in all the way (they had to tilt the bed in different directions and the Anesthesiologist had to hold me knees up for a while but it worked). The whole epidural thing seems like something most women either don't talk about or forget about because they are in labor. From my experience this process sucks. the first time was exceptionally bad but this time was better at least. In case you don't know they start with a few shots to help numb the area then they insert the shot or catheter with the medication. This whole process hurts a lot. It is very uncomfortable and feels like someone is pinching your back hard. During the procedure I couldn't help but tell them when it was hurting I didn't scream but I was saying oww.. Luckily the anesthesiologist was in a good mood and was singing and stuff so it helped me to relax.

Once the doctor got there they put my legs into these straps that were held above the bed with poles. It was a little weird but I couldn't feel anything. All i could feel during the whole thing was pressure. When someone touched my legs or stomach it felt like they were just pushing lightly. The whole procedure from when I left mike to when I got out was about an hour.

I ended up being there until about 4pm because it took that long for the epidural to wear off enough for me to go to the bathroom. I felt sore kinda like someone punched me in the stomach until this morning. The Dr. gave me a prescription for some pain killers to help keep my uterus relaxed. I also had some spotting which is all normal after a cerclage is placed.

There are two types of cerclage one is less invasive and is placed around the cervix and pulled tight to keep it closed. The other type is where they have to go through the cervix and stitch it shut. Lucky I was able to have the first one. The Doctor said everything went really well. But there is still a chance that the cerclage won't work. In that case they could add a second one. I have a check up next week and then I will start seeing the doctor or ultrasound tech every 2 weeks.