26 weeks and bed rest

I am sitting on the couch this morning with my eyes filled with tears as I approach week 27. It is amazing to go through so much to get pregnant then when you finally do it never dawns on you that it may be a challenge to carry the baby. With a shortened cervix and an invitro pregnancy the doctors are watching me fervently. I have been in the hospital for a couple of days. I have had steroid shots and I am still positive. My cervix should be at 3.2 right now and its at 1.65. I have started a new treatment using Crinone and it seems to have helped slow the shrinking because I was measuring at 2.0 five weeks ago. I am praying that I keep shrinking at this snails pace. Now that I am almost 27 weeks my sisters decided to move my baby shower til after the baby is born and since it was going to be a gender shower (where I find out the sex of the baby) They came over on sunday and did a big drum roll. I am having a little girl. YIPPEEE. Can you see the chesire cat smile on my face? I am thrilled down to my baby toe. Her name is Zoe Jeane’. It is a long hard journey to 37 weeks but I am counting down with a huge smile on my face. This is the best work I have ever done and I am thanking God every single second for this opportunity.

No matter what you are going through, keep the faith. Its all we have to hold on too.

WHAT IS A SHORTENED CERVIX from www.healthy-mother.com

The cervix is the narrow, tubular, lower end of the uterus that extends into the vagina. When you’re not pregnant, the cervical canal remains open a tiny bit to allow sperm to enter the uterus and menstrual blood to flow out. Once you become pregnant, secretions fill the canal and form a protective barrier called the mucous plug. During a normal pregnancy, the cervix remains firm, long, and closed until late in the third trimester. At that point it usually starts to soften, shorten (efface) and open up (dilate) as your body prepares itself for labor.

Cervix is located in the lower part of the Uterus. (source: A.D.A.M and Medline)
Normally, in the late second and early third trimester the cervical length measures anywhere between 3 cm to 3.5 cm (30-35mm) and decreases progressively as the pregnancy advances, in preparation for labor (source: Obstetrics and Gynecology Board Review Manual).

In cervical insufficiency, the cervix becomes softer and weaker than normal or is abnormally short to begin with. It may efface and dilate without contractions in the second or early third trimester as the weight of the growing baby puts increasing pressure on it. This condition can sometimes result in second term miscarriage, or premature rupture of the bag of waters, which can then result in preterm labor, especially before the 34th week.