Forum 3rd trimester

Shortened BMH, Bed rest & Fear of premature birth

7 replies

MrsDeVos
Hi everyone!

I'm now 27 weeks and 4 days pregnant and have to be on bed rest...

At my check-up at 24 weeks + 5 days, it turned out my cervix was only 2.8 cm long.
I was told to take Utrogestan and Metarelax (for the hard contractions).
The following week, I went back to the OB/GYN on my own because of constant hard contractions.
It turned out my cervix had shortened to 2 cm. (25 weeks + 5 days)
My OB/GYN admitted me to the hospital immediately. I received tocolytics for 48 hours and injections for the baby's lung maturation.
After a few days of complete bed rest in the hospital, my cervix was stable. Since I didn't have any hard contractions while lying down, I was allowed to go home. But I was put on complete bed rest.
I'm only allowed to stand up for personal hygiene and to get food.

I have to say it's really hard.
Of course, I get a lot of back pain from all that lying down. Plus, doing nothing isn't fun at all.
I'm scared of getting depressed. And it's really tough for my husband too, who now has to do everything...
And then there's the fear that I'll give birth way too early... and if I deliver before 34 weeks, I can't do it at my own hospital...

Who is in a similar situation?
Who has tips?

Best, MrsDeVos

Replies

  1. Irma 1987 #2

    Oh, I haven't experienced that yet, that's scary!
    But I can totally understand wanting to do everything for the baby, especially with bed rest and your throat feeling sore.

    Our little guy also wanted to come a bit earlier, but not that early.
    We were there for 3 days as well, because of bleeding.

    But in the end, he was born at 37 weeks and 4 days.

    Do you have to travel far to get to that hospital? Just in case it becomes necessary.

  2. MrsDeVos started this #3

    @Irma 1987: The hospital where I want to give birth is only 1.5 km from our house and we know it really well.
    The hospital we’d have to go to in case of a premature birth before 34 weeks is 25 km from our house and we don’t know it at all.
    It’s not super far, but it’s completely different.

  3. Irma 1987 #4

    Hope the baby wants to stay in a little longer.
    As soon as you feel anything weird, give the bell a tug. I get it from your partner, but he’s probably a bit scared and nervous too.

    Maybe family could help out, like your mom or mother-in-law?

  4. lily #5

    That's really tough for you. I totally get why you're not feeling happy about it. How many times did you have those hard contractions, if I may ask? I also get a lot of hard contractions, but I always wonder what's normal and what's not?!

    Stay strong with the bed rest!!

  5. MrsDeVos started this #6

    @ Irma 1987: My parents are happily retired and come by every day. They also help with the laundry. My dad is finishing up our renovated kitchen. So I can't complain about that. My in-laws bring over some food and soup now and then, which is handy too.

    It's more like this: as soon as my husband gets home, he cleans the litter box, does the dishes, heats up or prepares food. He has to constantly bring me everything. Clear everything away. He has to take out the trash, empty the mailbox, turn the TV on and off, get back into bed because the door still needs to be closed, go back outside to find the cat, hang up the laundry, iron, etc... He has to do everything. They're all small things, but in a normal household, this is automatically shared, and now it all falls into his lap. And I do feel a bit guilty about it.

    @ Lily: I really had a hard belly all day when I was standing or walking. Eventually, it didn't go away even when I sat down. Only when I lay down did my belly relax. But I didn't know this was serious, so at first, I didn't pay attention to it. But after the first scan, I did. So I went back to the gynecologist after a week because it still didn't stop when I lay down. Thanks to the tocolytics and rest, it's improved enormously.

    Now I lie down 95% of the day, so I don't have any issues. As soon as I stand up to go to the toilet, my belly gets hard again, but luckily, it goes away immediately when I lie down again.

  6. Anonymous Guest #7

    Hi everyone

    I went to the OB-GYN at 29 weeks and they also found a shortened cervix of 1.9 cm. Bed rest was prescribed. I'm overwhelmed with fear and stress. I feel constantly torn between choosing for my first daughter, who's 2.5 years old, and my second baby in my belly. Huge anxiety.

  7. GEMMA #8

    I’m also at risk for preterm birth; I’m currently 34 weeks pregnant. I already have 3 kids and I’m pregnant with baby #4.
    My first was born around 33+1 weeks.
    My second was born around 34+5 weeks with a cerclage.
    My third was born around 36+5 weeks with a cerclage and Utrogestan.
    And here, at 33 weeks, my gynecologist told me I already had 2 cm dilation, so it’s pretty stressful day by day. But I tell myself every day is another day that he’s still in my belly. Now I’m hoping to definitely make it to 37 weeks. I’ve had a cerclage for this and I have to take Utrogestan every day.

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