Getting a Cerclage

First a definition. What is a cerclage? It is a procedure to sew your cervix shut during pregnancy if you have an Incompetent Cervix.

Can they stitch before you're pregnant? No. Your cervix needs to be open so you can get pregnant.

Now that we know what a cerclage is, I want to talk about my experience. First of all, I was told I needed to do this with a Maternal Fetal Specialist. Mine told me the OB can do it, BUT Maternal Fetal doctors deal with the cerclage more than a general OB. Knowing about the procedure and actually doing the procedure are two different things. I have never had any kind of procedure that requires anesthesia before, so I was incredibly nervous. This whole thing was broken up into three different days, the pre-op, day of, and post-op.

Pre-Op

I did not get a chance to meet the doctor who was going to do the procedure, but I did learn her name. Maternal Fetal Medicine is a group of doctors and I was going to see whoever was available. This appointment was a long one. They wanted to do a nucole test, which measures the fluid around the baby's neck. They also do a cervix exam (as if I hadn't had enough of those) and talk about the procedure itself. The cervix exam tells them what stitch they plan on doing. There are four choices, McDonald, Shirodkar, TAC, and TVAC. I ended up with the McDonald stitch. My cervix looked perfect for that particular stitch, I guess. They gave me directions leading up to my stitch. No eating or drinking eight hours before the procedure, and I needed to stop taking aspirin since it's a blood thinner. I also had to go get blood drawn 48 hours prior to test my white blood cells to make sure I am as healthy as possible. This appointment was the one where they told me they planned on a spinal anesthesia because it is safer for the baby.

Day Of

The day of the procedure was here. I was incredibly nervous. I wanted this day to come, but once it was here, I was a ball of nerves. I had to be up early because the procedure was at 9 AM and I had to be at the hospital for check-in an hour early. My husband was less than thrilled about these times. Especially because the hospital was forty minutes away. I had to change into a hospital gown and get an IV into my arm. That's fun because I already have hard to find veins, try doing that without hydration. I had to get to the operating room and get started. My one piece of advice, make sure the anesthesiologist tells you what he/she is doing just before they touch your back. It is scary enough being awake the entire time, but not knowing is terrifying. They washed the area the needle was going to go into and placed the needle there. I had to sit up for three minutes because the gravity is needed to make the medicine go where it needs to go. Honestly, the needle wasn't as bad as you think. It felt like a little pinch. I was in the OR for a little over an hour, and I was bored. There is not much to do during the procedure. And the spinal was great, I felt nothing. Once everything was done, I went to the recovery room and had to wait to leave. You must do four things in order to leave: eat, drink, walk, and pee. Peeing took the longest. But I got to go home about five hours later.

Post-Op

Honestly, this is the shortest appointment. You go in and they check the stitch to let you know how it looks. I was quite pleased to hear it looks good and I had no restrictions. Honestly, there is no standardized care for Incompetent Cervix. Many different doctors believe in bed rest of modified best rest, others say to just let your body tell you what you can and can't do. The doctor who did my procedure told me I could have sex, but my OB and another specialist told me to be on pelvic rest. I decided to stay on pelvic rest because I did not want to lose this baby too.