Knocked up...now what? Am I Incompetent?

Or to be more precise is my cervix incompetent?

Just over a month ago, when I was 14 weeks pregnant, my doctor dropped into conversation that she wanted to test if my cervix was ok, it might be opening, and she might need to put some stitches in it.

That was pretty much what she said, no more explanation, very matter of fact, and she made it sound perfectly normal. 


So much so I didn't really think about it until I met with the doula's for coffee a couple of weeks ago. I dropped it into conversation and they also put my mind at rest and explained that the technical term is "incompetent cervix". We had a giggle about the various badly chosen words we come across when trying to get pregnant (especially in Thailand), I can now clock up geriatric (mother), mushy (foetus), incompetent (cervix) and lazy (sperm).

It wasn't until I was in the waiting room yesterday, waiting for my 18 week check up, that I remembered that the Doc was also going to check my cervix for its possible incompetence. The Doc was delayed so this gave me ample opportunity to google (whilst my husband looked bored reading The Nation). As always, I wish I hadn't googled!!!

Here is what you get after a quick search:

As always the Mayo Clinic pops up with a great practical explanation: An incompetent cervix, also called a cervical insufficiency, is a condition that occurs when weak cervical tissue causes or contributes to premature birth or the loss of an otherwise healthy pregnancy. Incompetent Cervix - Mayo Clinic

Then the Baby Centre with a great mum friendly explanation: babycenter.com cervical-insufficiency-incompetent-cervix

So now I knew what it was all about and that the end result (if my cervix was less than 25mm) would be a cervical suture. That doesn't sound so bad, and I put my phone down.

After a couple of minutes of watching bad Thai Soap Operas on the TV my mind started racing again...does a cervical suture hurt? So I goggled "cervical suture pain" and immediately wished I hadn't. Here's the links in order they appear, and the brief description it shows:

Im having a cerclage done, what can i expect? | Mom Answers ...

www.babycenter.com/400_im-having-a-cerclage-done-what-can-i-expect_1790453_...

Oct 1, 2007 - Then the doc sews up the neck of your uterus - that is the cervix, with a ... Though the cerclage was awfully painful, it' worth it if it gives my ...

Pain after cerclage - BabyCenter

community.babycenter.com › Groups › Cervical Disorders

Sep 10, 2011 - Right after it was placed my cervix went to 37mm but at 22w ... sharp pain deep inside my vagina, which I'm afraid is the stitches being pulled.

Cervical Cerclage: Benefits and Risks

americanpregnancy.org › Pregnancy Complications

A cervical cerclage procedure may be used if a woman's cervix is at risk of opening ... Most women have general, spinal, or epidural anesthesia for pain control ...

Pain and slight bleeding after cervical suture - Pregnancy, Birth ...

www.pregnancy.com.au › Forum › Pregnancy › Pregnancy

Jul 7, 2012 - After 2 losses, they decided to put in a cervical suture. I had it put in Tues, under general anaesthetic, with an overnight stay in hospital.

So now, in the space of 5 seconds, I am worried that in approx. 15 mins time I will find out that my cervix is incompetent and be whisked away to have either a general, spinal or epidural anaesthetic, stay overnight in hospital and be in agony for days after...and I hadn't even opened any of the links!

At this point my husband took my phone away from me and the Nurse called us in. The very first thing the Doc did was check my cervix using a transvaginal ultrasound and I am very pleased to say my cervix measured a very competent 52mm. A huge sigh of relief and we simply proceeded with the rest of the check up and ultrasound to see our bundle of joy.

I took 2 things away from this experience - a reminder that goggling should never be rushed and that its time to let myself believe that this pregnancy will go full term without any major hiccups...maybe, just maybe, my baby girl and I are going to rock this together and be totally awesome!