Hiccups, stitch and just 3 more weeks to go...

It has been a while since my last post, not much has happened within the last few weeks only within the last week has the little nugget decided to cause more trouble. I have actually managed to start to enjoy being pregnant... until Wednesday last week. Seeing and feeling his kicks, punches and his little re-enactments of Alien has left me laughing and unbelievably proud of how strong and active he is.

So Wednesday!... we ended up in triage. This time I had been experiencing pain in and around my cervix including some sharp shooting pains. They also noticed that my bump hadn't actually grown much within the last two or three weeks, which is unusual for bump considering he has always been a bit ahead of where he is meant to be. My bump is currently measuring 29 weeks when we are about to turn 34 weeks tomorrow. So cue spending the day in hospital with several sessions on a monitor and an emergency scan.

They concluded that I wasn't going into labour, my cervix is still 'nice and long' with the stitch still visible. Bump's growth might have slowed down but the doctors don't seem too worried, they think he might be growing in length and not quite putting on weight just yet. He's still very active so I think he's putting more energy into being cheeky than putting on weight. The video below just shows what he gets up to- already trying to play with the dog. Poor Morgana was left very confused after being kicked by my tummy! You might be able to make out what looks like a build up before he really goes for it!

Still there was the pain, triage were told not to touch the stitch and I would be seen back at the premature clinic the following Monday. The pain actually had gotten so bad on Friday I couldn't walk but I was really reluctant to go in to triage again (even though I was being told off by my partner and friends). All I could think about was my baby and knowing he is still better in than out for the next couple of weeks. Surprisingly my premature appointment showed my stitch is still holding and my cervix length is still looking good!

Top scan from 25 weeks... bottom scan from 33 weeks

But little nuggets head is pressing on my cervix and the stitch. It seems like bump has dropped quite far down and people have been commenting on it! My premature consultant is pretty determined for me to at least get through the next two weeks. Saying that nugget had hiccups for a good 20mins this morning that left me wanting to remove the stitch myself! This pain is completely different to the pain when the stitch was put in. There's a lot of pressure and everything down there feels very sore and bruised, forget trying to roll over or sit/stand without extremely sharp vaginal pains.

So it's 22 days until the stitch is due to be removed... I'll be happy to get through the next 15 days. Seeing how happy my partner and both our families are gives me the strength to try and push through. I think after all of this I definitely should be given free rein on what to name him!

Third Premature Clinic Appointment & Glucose Tolerance Test

Usually I get pretty excited about knowing I'll be seeing the little nugget but today I had the dreaded glucose tolerance test too. Thinking about it, you wouldn't find it too difficult; have a fasting blood test, drink a glucose drink and have another blood test two hours later. Unfortunately for me that involves two things I severely dislike- being hungry and needles. So that meant my 3am snacks were a big no-no, but a good thing for the rest of my household who apparently can hear a cookie packet opening a mile away.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia with my other half

I did spend most of yesterday wondering how I could get out of the blood test and if it was really necessary. My mum constantly reminds me that all four of her children (including myself) were 10lbs or bigger, considering I'm 5'6 and my siblings are all 6ft and over, I still find it hard to believe I was that big. So the midwife was pretty insistent on me having the test even though my other half is a questionable height which apparently is the optimum; gestational diabetes can result in big babies making for difficult births, heart/lung problems and premature birth (Made For Mums).

I have to say that the blood test wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be considering I was on the verge of a panic attack about it yesterday. They managed to find a vein a few minutes after looking and the needle was in and out before I knew what was happening. I'm so used to them struggling to find a vein and having two or three attempts, I really can't praise the nurses today enough. They did give me lucozade afterwards as the glucose drink, I was pretty happy with myself. I'm a big fan of lucozade and I haven't had a fizzy drink in months. My other half constantly tells me off about my small addiction to fizzy drinks so I was very chuffed when I was given one by a medical professional.

Nuggets presents today

I had my premature clinic appointment in between the two blood tests. The clinic was very busy today because of the bank holidays (the clinic only runs on a Monday). There was good news today, there's been no change in the length of my cervix so we're all quite happy so my next appointment will be in three weeks. I got to see a quick peak at nugget, considering I felt like I was getting punched and kicked all over I was quiet curious to see what position he was in. The little trouble maker has his head down, hands above his head punching my cervix whilst trying to kick my stomach. As the doctor put it the 'superman' position, the doctor could even see his little hand when he was trying to measure my cervix which seems to be staying at about 1.7-1.9cm. So to celebrate a good result we bought nugget a little Elmer teddy and bear hat.

So being 25 and a half weeks today, my best friend has broached the topic of the baby shower! I have to say I'm pretty excited and I have a feeling she has secretly been plotting what she wants to do for a while now. So we're aiming to do it at the end of next month, I'm feeling pretty confident that the little one will hopefully stay in until after then. I should be about 30 weeks by that point. I did find an interesting website about premature births and cervical length. During my 20 week scan I had a cervix of 0.4cm so according to the chart below it would estimate giving birth at less than 32 weeks. The doctors did believe I was about to give birth at any moment at that stage but it's more reassuring to see higher gestational ages. Now that my cervix is about 1.7-1.9 I would be very happy with a gestational birth age of 34 weeks! Only a few more days until we are 26 weeks!

25 weeks + 4 days transvaginal scan of cervix length

Cervical length at 20-24wks (cm)	Mean birth gestational age
1.0	32
1.5	33
2.0	34
2.5	36.5
Source: American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, June 2000 cited in: http://www.keepemcookin.com

Second Premature Clinic Appointment

Yesterday was my second appointment at the Premature Clinic. The clinic is only run on Mondays so it is pretty busy but it's reassuring seeing other woman who have had a stitch placed and have had similar problems. The clinic also has a board of photos and thank you cards, it's really nice to see how many ladies have kept in contact years later and how many babies have made it through.

I am lucky enough to have my mum who came to the appointment with me, my partner was literally messaging every few minutes from work to check on his little boy. Thankfully my mum is a lady who tries to lift the mood in all circumstances. The atmosphere isn't great in the department however much effort the staff put in to make it welcoming and calm, a bunch of pregnant ladies worrying about their babies doesn't really do much for morale. Especially when not many of us can sit down comfortably for more than 10mins due to the stitch.

I did find myself comparing bump sizes with every lady that walked in. You do find yourself empathising with bumps that don't look much over 20 weeks. Thinking about how I felt 4 weeks ago, this is definitely the hardest and most emotional thing I have ever done. One of the consultants had also put out a new little booklet about success stories of babies born at 24 to 26 weeks. It did make me feel more confident especially as I'm 23 weeks + 5 days today! I'm pretty sure I need to buy a big present once I reach 24 weeks.

So the news... Previously I had 15mm of cervix below the stitch and 21mm above the stitch. I now have 17mm of cervix below the stitch and above the stitch has opened with funnelling. Now the doctor wasn't concerned about this as the stitch was holding and I still had length below it. I felt like it was a step backwards especially when I heard the dreaded term- funnelling.

Little nugget is happy though, kicking away as usual, completely oblivious to how stressed he makes his mummy. He decided to move head down for the scan which is unusual for him as he really takes great enjoyment in kicking my cervix as hard as possible. I am actually starting to think he uses it as target practice, the similarity between him and his father is funny.

Even though I wasn't particularly happy with the length of my cervix, the doctor did an estimate of how big our little nugget is. Considering all my family were big babies- my mum is constantly reminding us of how we were all over 10lbs. I was quite curious to know how nugget was doing knowing how the bigger he is the better his chances are. His measurements gave an accurate 23-24 week gestational age but he weighs approximately 1.5lbs (660g) which puts him at the weight of a baby at 24-25 week gestation.

So the little one still has some way to go. I'll be back in the Premature Clinic in a fortnight again to check if there's any difference. If things get worse there is talk of starting to get ready for baby making an early appearance, in that case we'll be admitted into hospital and will start on the steroids to get his lungs ready. Until then the focus is going to be on what to name the little trouble maker.

First Premature Clinic Appointment

Today I am 21 weeks and 4 days! It has been 9 days since the emergency cervical stitch was placed and I just had my first appointment with the premature clinic. I am really happy to say that the funnelling has decreased and the stitch placement is looking good! It has definitely started the week off on a high.

I was extremely lucky to have my sister, mum and partner all there for support this morning. It is really amazing how reassuring and comforting it is to have family around at these worrying times. I didn't quite know what to expect today but everything does feel a lot tighter and plugged up down there since the stitch and the progesterone (cyclogest) tablets. They really have worked wonders and I now have 15mm of cervix below the stitch and 21mm above the stitch.

Trans-vaginal scan 21 weeks + 4 days

I was quite confused though as the doctor had previously told me when scanning the morning after the operation that there was 24mm below the stitch. This had been done with an abdominal scan, which I know aren't as accurate, and it could have been the whole length of the cervix. I was still quite shell shocked by everything at that point and I can't find his measurements within my notes.

Nevertheless, I am now very proud to say I have a cervix of 36mm overall, which is the ideal length! I just hope it now stays that way. There were lots of thoughts that had gone through my mind with having the stitch and short cervix- the main being infection. Infection can cause premature labour but with a longer cervix it should be more difficult for bacteria to enter.

During the appointment the doctor did the usual check and update on how I have been doing. It was quite crowded with the doctor, midwife, student and my entourage in the room! They also didn't have curtains for you to get changed behind, considering the past couple of weeks I feel there's not much left to hide. My lovely partner kindly came to the rescue and helped cover me with a towel before the trans-vaginal scan began.

Now baby has been doing cartwheels in there since yesterday and he also decided to move feet first. He often takes joy trying to kick his way out through my cervix. So his placement did make it harder to see the degree of funnelling but I felt better that his head wasn't getting ready to pop out. He also thought it would be fun to kick as they tried to do the measurements which did make me laugh. Every sonographer has always remarked on how active he is... hyperactive just like his daddy.

What made me laugh even harder was the doctor broaching the topic of no sex when there's a stitch in there. We had discussed how to prevent infection; don't use soap when cleaning down there, don't try to clean within the vagina and only have showers. When the doctor looked at my caring partner who was just helping me put my shoes back on and muttered the 'no sex' statement. I did have to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. My partner seems convinced my mum has trained my chihuahua to go for his man area so I don't think that will be an issue.

Face of a little angel!

I still don't think I will be completely content until we do get to the 24 week mark and I have my next premature clinic appointment in two weeks time. I know that my EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) plays a factor which is often not really considered by doctors but I am feeling a lot more confident in my little nugget.