r/ShortCervixSupport

I’m 21 + 6 days and had a rescue cerclage at 20 weeks— 3.5mm cervix with dilation and exposed membranes and a lot of funneling but no cramps or honestly any symptoms at all.
Both my OB and MFM refuse to use the words “bed rest” or even “modified bed rest.” They just keep saying “activity restriction, pelvic rest, no lifting greater than 10 lb (I haven’t lifted anything more than my water bottle), no driving and no prolonged walking or standing; but they won’t give me a time limit… so what does prolonged mean?! 😢

After my first follow-up after my cerclage, I honestly thought they were going to tell me I could start doing a little more but I guess I still had funneling. So they said “Keep doing what you’re doing an try not to put pressure on your cervix.”
When I asked for more specific guidance, I said, “Can I stand for five minutes at a time?” My MFM replied, “Instead of asking for a time limit, think every time you get up think about the fact that you need to get back down.”
😂 Like… what does that even mean?! I feel like I’m trying so hard to do the right thing, but it’s difficult when the instructions are so open to interpretation.

It also doesn’t help that my husband is a doctor ( nothing to do with OB ) who’s pretty conservative in his approach and is naturally a very cautious person. He basically doesn’t want me getting up for anything other than using the bathroom because he’s terrified of something happening. Honestly, he’s been amazing, and both my parents and his parents have come to help take care of me.
On top of that, his best friend is a neonatologist whose wife also had a cerclage. She essentially put herself on modified bed rest and barely got up for about 20 weeks, and she made it to full term. Hearing stories like that makes it even harder to know what’s right.
If lying here for another 16ish weeks is truly what is best for my baby, I will absolutely do it. But I also don’t know if I’m doing more harm than good by barely moving at all. I’ve been wearing my Oura Ring and trying to keep my steps under 3,000 a day because I honestly don’t know where the right balance is.
Has anyone else struggled with getting such vague guidance? How did you interpret “activity restriction” after a cerclage?

Baby is number one priority but I also have a secret fear that God forbid something happens, everyone will think it’s because I was doing too much. So it’s noon and I’ve taken 499 steps and that’s literally just to the bathroom and to get a glass of water

Hi, I am currently 34 weeks and 5 days pregnant and have a cerclage in place. During my appointment yesterday, my doctor asked me to decide whether I want to have a C-section.
She said that because of my height (150 cm), a normal vaginal delivery might be difficult. She also mentioned that, considering everything I’ve been through with bed rest and a short cervix, a planned C-section might be easier. According to her, the baby would also experience less stress compared to a vaginal delivery.
However, I’m confused about which option I should choose. She said that a vaginal delivery is generally safer for the mother, while a C-section is safer for the baby.
I would really appreciate your suggestions or experiences. Which option would you choose in my situation?
My cerclage removal is scheduled for the 36th week. If I decide to have a C-section, my doctor said she will leave the cerclage in place and remove it during the surgery instead.

I miscarried at 17.5 weeks in my first ever pregnancy. My cervix was never measured but when I started spotting it was 2.1cm. Within days I miscarried and needed to have a d&c. They never confirmed if I had an incompetent cervix or an infection caused the mc.

After I finished my first period ~45 days after the mc, my doc had ordered an ultrasound to baseline my cervix which measured 2.7 cm. Is that short?

Any personal experiences and learnings will be helpful 🙏

sorry for the long post!

Bit of backstory first:

I’m 24 weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby. My first was born at 35 and my second at 32 weeks. During my second pregnancy I was monitored every 4 weeks up until 24 weeks to measure my cervix to make sure I wasn’t going into premature labour, but everything was fine at the 24 week mark and I wasn’t checked again then gave birth at 32 weeks.
Both my labours were extremely quick (less than 2 hours) and I dilated painlessly both times. When my contractions started I was pretty much fully dilated and ready to push.

In this pregnancy I have been on progesterone 400mg twice a day since 15 weeks and having scans of my cervix every 2 weeks. Everything had been fine but I went in on Wednesday at 23+4 for my last cervix check and my cervix had shortened to 1.8cm and was funnelling. Both my consultants were 100% against me getting a cerclage due to the gestation and the risk of them breaking my waters or infection etc. but I pushed for it and got it the next day at 23+5.

Im struggling to find any research or experiences of getting a cerclage with a short cervix, everything seems to be about incompetent cervixes which I don’t think I have as my cervix held on until 35 and 32 weeks in my last pregnancies. The only thing I seem to have relating to an incompetent cervix is the painless dilation.
I posted for advice on a facebook group about incompetent cervixes and was basically told to stop posting as I just have a short cervix and not an incompetent one and that I was stupid to get a cerclage as it won’t help with a short cervix 🫠 so now I’m panicking a bit.

Does anyone have any experience of getting a cerclage for a short cervix rather than an incompetent one? Did it work? I was just worried about going even earlier than 32 weeks this time and wanted something in place for peace of mind.

Good evening.

“I am 25 weeks pregnant. I had an emergency cerclage placed at 21 weeks and 3 days. Today I went to the emergency room because they did an ultrasound and found that I have funneling. They are keeping me there and they are going to transfer me to another hospital that has a Level 3 NICU. Has anyone gone through this stage and still made it and carried the pregnancy for more weeks? Please share some experiences from people who have gone through this.”

I have cervical insufficiency and while I didn't manage to get a cerclage in time (despite a million symptoms that my OB ignored).. I just dont know if I can mentally handle the possibility of another loss + the medical realities. I have had 4 losses, the most recent was late in my second trimester.

I didn't get my CI diagnosis until my 2nd trimester loss. I also almost died after that loss and have PTSD from it.

I just dont know if I can do it all again. Getting a cerclage sounds like so much, and I feel pathetic saying that as I know so many women go through it without any problems--but I just dont believe I would cope with it well. The whole thing is making me never want to try again on a deep level. I can't find anywhere in my heart at the moment to even want a baby, which is something I've really wanted for at least 10 years. I am almost 35 so I have some time to sort through this, but not a lot.

I am 26.3 weeks pregnant with my 6th pregnancy and 1 child at home. I had it all: mmc at 9 weeks, pprom at 21, emergency cerclage at 16 and this is what got me my daughter at 35.6 and she is 5 now, then tfmr due to trisomy 18 at 13 weeks and lastly another miscarriage at 14 weeks due to ic literally an hour before I was scheduled to get my preventative cerclage. I am already so heartbroken and have thought I was done with pregnancies. Then this miracle pregnancy comes out of nowhere, we didn't plan it at all and we're cautious but.. here we are. I got my cerclage at 10 weeks now, has had a ton of discomfort throughout this pregnancy and very little hope but we somehow managed to get to 26 weeks which brings me to today.

I felt some cramps in the morning, waited a few hours for them to resolve to no luck and went in to L&D to get checked. They caught some contractions, not very structured, but still. On initial exam I was closed and stitch not on tension, then a few hours later they said it is now allowing 1 finger in but the stitch is seemingly still fine. I'm waiting for a repeat exam in a few hours again. I'm so stressed. I knew it was a possibility at any stage of the pregnancy but now facing it is so freaking scary. I scanned through the r/nicuparents and there's a lot of great stories of 26 weekers but the road is not easy, and there are many possibilities along the way, not only positive ones..

Idk what am I expecting from ranting here, I guess some encouragement or just support. God please help

Has anyone else felt this pregnancy journey with shortened cervix to feel lonely? This is my second pregnancy, which in itself feels more lonely. With my first pregnancy I found that even though everyone’s physical experience and life circumstances were different, you could usually compare and contrast experiences and relate to each other. This feels so different and honestly it feels like people don’t get it. I know that everyone means so well. But I am finding comments meant to be reassuring are devalidating this really hard and scary experience. For example, about my physical restrictions, “nobody likes to be limited or told what they can and can’t do” or comparing how I have had to cancel all my summer plans to stay close to a hospital that could provide my baby with the level of care they would need, should they come early, to missing an event they were looking forward to because they wanted to sleep in and test drive cars but their daughter got a fever. I don’t know anyone in my life who has had a similar experience to mine. I would love to hear from other people in a similar boat to me. Thanks in advance for sharing :)

Hi, I am 29 + 3 weeks pregnant and was admitted into the hospital almost 2 days ago because of a short cervix detected by my OB when I went to have my third trimester scan. I measured 1,3-1,4 cm and had funneling, but the length was highly variable between 2,4 and 1,3 cm just during the measurement. They said my ctg showed an increased tendency to contractions and did a swab to perform a test which should predict an increased risk of preterm labor in the next week and it came back positive. The OB has been keeping track of it and it has previously measured at around 24 weeks 2,3 or 2,4 cm (cannot remember right now). Funneling has been present for the last two scans. This time when she detected the shortening she called the OB department at the hospital and they said I should come in right away. I got 2 shots of steroids and labor-inhibiting medications (atosiban). Now my roommates here at the hospital have it way worse than me, their pregnancies are less advanced and cervix lengths have previously measured under 1 cm. Should I have been admitted? I ve been feeling pretty good and had absolutely no pains other from what I assumed are Braxton Hicks. I am worried now if the steroids where even necessary and if the risks involved with them would be too high compared to benefits in my specific case. I also feel guilty because I know I could have had it way worse and feel as if I am overdramatic.. thank you very much, any advice or feedback is most welcome.

I’m currently 13 weeks pregnant. In an earlier transvaginal ultrasound, my cervical length measured 3.3 cm, but in my most recent abdominal ultrasound, it measured 2.9 cm.

My doctor said that 2.9 cm is borderline normal and advised me to repeat the ultrasound in 4 weeks to monitor whether the cervical length changes.

Could the difference in measurements be due to the fact that the first scan was transvaginal and the second was transabdominal? Is it possible for cervical length to increase naturally as the pregnancy progresses, or is it more likely to remain the same or shorten?

Also, what precautions or lifestyle modifications should I follow in the meantime to help reduce the risk of cervical shortening or preterm birth?

Hi, my OB told me at my 31-week appointment that my baby is currently breech. She said that if the baby doesn't turn to a head-down position by 36 weeks, I will need a C-section.

Her main concern, however, is my low-lying placenta. It has moved from 15 mm to 23 mm away from the cervix, but she still considers it low-lying. She said that if it doesn't move up further, she would recommend a C-section.

She also mentioned the possibility of getting an MRI to check whether the placenta has grown into the uterine wall (placenta accreta). She explained that if this is the case, there could be significant bleeding during delivery, and in the worst-case scenario, a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) might be necessary.

I'm confused because I've read that if the placental edge is more than 20 mm (2 cm) from the internal cervical opening, a trial of vaginal delivery is often considered safe. Since mine is now 23 mm (2.3 cm), is that generally considered sufficient for attempting a vaginal birth if the baby turns head-down?

My OB also said that with the placenta in its current position, the baby's head is likely to remain floating and may not engage properly, even if the baby turns. Is this consistent with current evidence and practice?

P.S: it's my first baby and we both are healthy as per ultrasound ,all of the blood tests are good.

Good morning.

“Can a baby’s movements become very weak or stop for 2 to 3 days at 25 weeks with an anterior placenta?”

I'm on vaginal progesterone (one pill before bed time due to a history of pprom). I'm trying to take as many precautions as possible and had a few questions:

• did you wear gloves when inserting with your finger?

• how far up did you go? I'm terrified I'm just getting to enough where it doesn't fall out at the opening

• did you clean anything out after?

• Any side effects? how did you handle them?

- anything preventative you did? Probiotics, etc?

Thank you!

Use this post to introduce yourself or keep us updated on your journey!

I wanted to post an update about my cerclage removal experience. This was such a huge milestone that felt so far away for so long but at the same time I was terrified about because I have read enough stories of removals going wrong. I was mostly afraid of the procedure being extremely painful or any potential complications I have read about such as them not being able to take it out.

Well, I’m happy to report that it went amazing!! I would say it was less than 6 min or so. The hardest and most uncomfortable part was the dr placing the speculum in the right place, after that the stitch came out in less than 30 seconds.

I was offered the option to do it under an epidural but I decided to do it without it and just took some Tylenol 30 min before. It was uncomfortable for sure but very manageable.

Lastly, I would say the day was overall more emotionally heavy than I was expecting. After all, I’ve been dreaming about this day for months and it finally happened but It was a mix of emotions for sure: excitement, gratefulness, grief, fear, anxiety… all at once.

If you’re early on your journey and reading this, I send you a big hug and want to tell you that you’re not alone. This is a long and sometimes lonely journey but you can do it! Have faith, trust your stitch, your village, your doctors… but most importantly, trust your intuition, listen to your body and always remember that you have agency and you can advocate for you and your baby. 💞💓 you got this!

Hi all
I had a scan very early pregnancy at week 5 due to spotting and the report said cervix long and closed measuring 2.6cm. My cervix length was never checked after that and never included in any of the reports and I was not told anything about it. Today I’m 17 weeks and suddenly started googling symptoms such as pelvic pressure and cramping that led me to spiraling. Should I be concerned? Please help!

Can people please give me advice on how was your discharge after cerclage and also I use almost 800 mg progesterone vaginally daily.
Usually I almost have pretty much none to little discharge.
Today whenever I peed, I saw a clear sticky discharge.
I don’t know if this is something to be worried about

A few days ago , I posted something related to severe abdominal cramps extending to anus ON & OFF due to constipation, that's what doctor suggested. I have been prescribed Duvidilan 10mg 4 times a day at an interval of 6 hours.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ShortCervixSupport/s/TL1x6NlL8U

The pain still continues ON & OFF since last 5 days even though it has recovered for 40%, I visited 3 doctors, everyone said not to worry much as it will ease out soon. I was given injections of antibiotics after which the pain subsided for some hours and then resumed.

These cramps are so uncomfortable but irregular. I would rate them 8 or 9 out of 10. My passing of stool has improved today but the pain persists even after that.

I can feel the movement of my baby. I am in 21 weeks with cerclage placed on 12th week. Had a second trimester loss last year due to suspected IC.

In the morning, I felt itching in my throat and I checked to find the temperature around 100°F(37.8°C). I've taken a tablet of Dolo-650 after my meal. A bit worried and anxious about the situation. Has anyone faced the same ? Share your experiences.

I was planning to take the Flu shot tomorrow.

I know everyone situation is different, but just trying to see how long did your cerclage hold up for. I got mine 11 days ago at 20 weeks 3 day. 4cms dilated with bulging membranes. 22 weeks now and praying to get to at least 24 weeks!

- did you do modified best rest or just pelvic rest?
- were you dilated when they did the cerclage?
- did you have bulging membranes?
- how far along were you?

Thanks!

I recently returned back to work. I have a cleaning business and a lot of my clients I’ve had for years. We built a personal friendship along with a professional. I have a certain client that is due to be clean. I haven’t told her what has happened, but I told her Aunt I clean for her also but more frequently…this client is pregnant and her due date was two weeks ahead of mine and she is pregnant with a girl like I was we shared our Fertility journey together She like me also had a prior miscarriage. She went through IVF and me naturally, but mine ended at 16.5 weeks like this …my question is should I drop her as a client for my emotional and mental health and for hers also I don’t know if I can handle seeing her go through her pregnancy watching them build a nursery going through all the things I should be going through I’m so happy for her and wish her nothing but the best and a happy and healthy pregnancy but I don’t know if I can haddle watching what my life could’ve been…what would you say / do if you were me ?