By Melanie, Indiana United States
PROM at 35 weeks + 6 days. Delivery at 35 weeks + 6 days.
Story added: 2007-04-11

My first pregnancy was fine until we discovered my cervix shortening at 25 weeks. We did an emergency cerclage and I was put on bedrest and tocolytics for the remainder of the pregnancy. We induced labor at 37 weeks because of my blood pressure. They had to break my water.

Going into the second pregnancy I insisted on seeing a maternal fetal medicine specialist, the one who consulted during my emergency cerclage the first time, and I absolutely loved him. He did not insist on doing the cerclage right away, but at 24 weeks my cervix was down to almost 1 cm so we did the cerclage. I had an almost 2 year old so bedrest wasn't really an option as my dr. told me over and over. I didn't have any limitations, sex, stairs, lifting, etc. Sunday night, Jan 9. 2005, I felt a little tightening in my abdomen and I thought, is this a contraction? Then Monday morning I had the same feelings and I went to my dr to check my blood pressure(I was and am way paranoid about my ecclampsia from the first pregnancy). My bp was fine and they said it was okay if I was feeling some contractions. Actually, my dr. said he was surprised how well the cerclage was working. Well, later he said that jinxed it. Tuesday Jan 11, I woke up about 3 AM and had to go to the bathroom. I stood up and felt fluid on my leg and when I sat down on the toilet water was gushing out and just kept coming in trickles. My cerclage was still in at this point. I thought I would have bleeding if I was contracting and it was doing anything. Apparently not. We dropped my daughter off at my parents and went to the hospital. They put me on antibiotics IV even through my GRoup B strep was negative. They took my cerclage out at 7 AM and I immediately dilated to 4cm. I went fairly quickly, but was in a lot of pain at 7 cm so I had an epidural and an hour later I was at 10. At 10:47 AM our second daughter was born. She was 5 lb. 12 ounces and the nurse said she was "pulling a little" which meant she was sucking a little too hard to breathe so they waved oxygen in front of her face for about a minute but then she was fine. She nursed right away and went home with us a few days later with me. It was wonderful! I am pregnant for the third time and this time we are in a different city and new doctors. They did not want to wait on the cerclage so we put that in at 12 weeks when my cervix was around 3 cm(it started at 4cm). I am almost 16 weeks and am paranoid about the blood pressure issue, but also because the doctors here keep referring to my last two pregnancies as pre-term labor and my membrane rupture in my second pregnancy. They have also greatly recommended the progesterone shots which we would start at 20 weeks. Currently I am afraid to have sex, orgasm, or anything that might stimulate contractions. I also am hoping that the odds are in my favor this time since my cervix was longer by 2 cm when we put the cerclage in. I have a feeling that the next five months are going to be very long and filled with anxiety, but every week is one week closer and 30 weeks is my goal right now. Since I'm over halfway there I have to take heart in that. I have been comforted by the stories here on baby survival.