Cervical stitch?

[TotalEclipse - Bianca]

I had my 12 week scan yesterday and am 13+4 today, due date 12-12-11.
Baby is doing well at the moment and all looks to be normal.
Will be back in hospital on Monday at Feto Maternal Unit to measure cervix and decide whether to put a suture in my cervix.

Not totally sure how to feel about that, I know it gives me a greater chance of going further in pregnancy, but placing the suture would have risks of its own.
How do you decide whether to risk placing the suture (and possibly miscarry) or whether to keep going and have another prem delivery...
Very mixed up feelings right now. Both can have a good and a bad outcome. How do you choose and how do you live with yourself if the choice turns out to be the wrong one?

Absolutely petrified of losing another baby, not helped by the fact that it was Kayleigh's 9th anniversary yesterday so my emotions are all over the place anyhow.

Any words of wisdom???

[Olliemam+1]

Bianca

I don't have any experience of a stitch but the few people I know who have had one have went further in their pregnancies.  I am sure the people at the hopsital will be able to discuss the stitch with you and hopefully help you aswell.  We will be here every step of the way to listne and help any way we can, please let us know how you get on on Monday.  Wishing you all the luck.

Take care

Dawn xxxxx. 

[kimbobt84-BensMummy]

Bianca, i wish i could ffer you some advice but i am not very knowledgeable about this situation so just wanted to wish you all the best x

[mum2evan+dyfan]

hiya,
for me there was no decision to make.  i barely made it to viability without a stitch and so a stitch was my only option.  luckily for me it got me to 31 weeks, but yes that is still 9 short of full term.
you have always gotten closer to a safer gestation than me without a stitch so i can understand why this decision is not any easy one for you.
i guess you run the risk of having another premmie stitch or not, but the agonising annoying thing that we dont' know is if a stitch will get you further towards 40 weeks.
i had a drama after having the surgery for my stitch and if there ever is a next time, i will agree to a stitch but i will be sure to ask for a catheter in after surgery too for 24 hours.
i so wish i had the answer for you as you were such a help to me when i had questions aboout my stitch.
i wish you could say like i can that as much as i wish i never ever had to have  a stitch that my history means i will always have to have one to get past 24 weeks and into any safety gestation.
i wish you all the very best for a very very long pregnancy (41 weeks!!!!), whatever decision you make

Kathxxx

[TotalEclipse - Bianca]

It's such a hard decision to make. The procedure itself has plenty of risks and I just feel that looking at my other two maybe thats not a risk worth taking since they are both fine and were both at a reasonable gestation, yes they were very prem but they are fine. If the procedure went wrong I'd loose this baby without it even having a chance on survival at this stage.

So very mixed up and unsure about what to do.

Kath did you use the progesterone pessaries? Is there anything more you'd know about those? From what I have heard people have had some good results with those and am wondering if maybe thats something to try.

[Jen]

Hi B

So glad everything is going well so far. Wouldn't it be lovely if the rest of your pregnancy remained boring and uneventful?

I think the stitch is such a personal decision. I can say NOW that I would definitely opt for it if I were pregnant............but that's easy to say now as I am not pregnant. Once you are pregnant and the risks are about a real baby as opposed to a theoretical situation its a very different story.

From the research I have done it would appear the success rate for a cs is about 90 percent if done as a planned procedure at the start of the second trimester and about a 50 percent success if done as an emergency one. That doesn't mean all those other pregnancies are lost and many "just" result in a prem birth. If you look at Kath's story she is in the 10 percent but her stitch still got her further than she could ever have imagined. However the reality is still there, the stitch does sometimes cause a miscarriage.

Have you thought about posting your question on the bliss message board? There are many people there who have had to make the same decisions as you, or who are considering it at present. You will also find there is a lot of experience with the progesterone pessaries and other things. I have been told I will be started on the pessaries immediately I get a positive result. However not all areas offer them. I guess I am lucky to live in the right area for them.

I hope you make the decision that is right for you. Thinking about you.

J

[mum2evan+dyfan]

hi, 
yes i used the progesterone pessaries daily from 12 weeks onwards.  the research has shown that using them alone without the stitch can help keep your cervix closed.  i wish i had the answer for you, unfortunately for me despite having the stitch at 12 weeks and progesterone daily i was one of the very minimum% who still went into preterm labour.  i'm not convinced that i just have a weak cervix.
as you've said you got your two babies to such a good gestation and they are amazing kids now.
have a read on the bliss forum in the pregancy section.  there are many many stories on there about people who have had the stitch or the pessaries or both and the majority (me being the exception) have gotten to term!  there's one lady on there now who like me lost 2 boys, around same gestation as me and now after a stitch has a young daughter and after another stitch is now term plus pregnant after having the stitch out a while back!
maybe be worth reading even if you don't want to post.

Kathxxx

[TotalEclipse - Bianca]

I've had the first cervical scan and its 30mm + (taken the shortest measurement out of a few.
We've decided that for the time being we'll see how we go, have cervical scans every 2 weeks, do swaps for infections and make the decision about a stitch at a later point as and when needed.

I'm not 100% sure about cervical incompetence, all that I have read it indicates that cervix starts opening and continues to open as baby grows bigger due to the weight. Now going by that, I was 1 cm dialated at 24 weeks with Alyana, I was still only 1 cm when first checked when I went into labour at 28+5 so in that time it had not gotten more.

Research into the stitch is debatable as there are studies that basically have the two groups, some still go into early labour regardless of the stitch and for some it will work and they will go to term. My consultant agrees on this and says basically they don't know a definite answer. He is happy to wait and see what happens for now and to make the decision at another point.
Its the same consultant I had with Alyana which is great as I got on with him well.

Just taking it a step at a time for now really.

Jen... before I got pregnant I had no doubt what so ever that I would have a stitch this pregnancy. Now at 14 weeks having seen a healthy baby on the screen it makes it a bit different though...
The risks are there and yes they are smaller with an elective stitch compared to an emergency one, but there are risks. Finding it very hard to make the decision for a stitch at this point as cervix is fine at the moment.

Am taking this easier this time around, working less already and will be stopping work completely at around 20 weeks. And don't have the stress of having to do it on my own without any support this time as well, which does help a lot.

[Admin]

Hi B

I am glad you have reached the decision that is right for you and now have a plan for the way ahead.

Are you going to start the progesterone?

Enjoy taking it a little easier.

J

[mum2evan+dyfan]

hiya,
it sounds like you have a good plan in place, and having a consultant that you feel comfortable with is so important, but having "daddy" there to support you and giving you the chance to take things easy is invaluable.
we'll be here each step of the way with you as you all were for me.
are you going to find out if baby is pink or blue?

Kathxxx