High Risk Pregnancy ~ General Discussion and Support

Just wondering who on BB is or has gone through or in the future is at risk of going through a high risk pregnancy..... I thought that we can support and travel through what can be a difficult journey together :)

There are a ranges of reasons that will determine if your pregnancy is considered high risk, which can be from complications arising out of a previous pregnancy and delivery for example IC (Incompentant Cervix) PE (Pre-Eclampsia), C/S (C-Section), PPH (Post Partum Haemorage) or retained placenta, PPROM (Pre Term Premature Rupture of the Membrances) or PTL (Pre Term Labour) it could be maternal issues for example, uterine abnormalities, BMI (Body Mass Index), BP (Blood Pressure), GD (Gestational Diabetes), it could be issues that have arisin during your current pregnancy large or smal baby, low or high amniotic fluid, GBS positive, and many other reasons.

A few questions I guess to get the conversation going... so you can also see who is going through the same or similar to you.

What complications are you having and what is your care provider doing to try to control these complications to prolong your pregnancy? How are you or your conditions being monitored?

Do you feel that you are being monitoired or cared for sufficiently, or are your concerns being fobbed off?

How do you get through week, day or even hour at times, mentally, physically and emotionally?

How was your high risk pregnancy experience and what advice can you give mothers who are travelling along or going to travel along a similar journey?

It is such a different experience going through a high risk pregnancy..... so I guess come in and share your experiences, fears, hopes, grief and concerns and together we get through :D

For me this is my second high risk pregnancy, my first was classed as high risk due to:

Polyhydrominous (high amniotic fluid)
Septate Uterus
Low Platelets

I went through an OB and ended delivering prematurely at 33 weeks, due to a PPROM and Spontaneous Labour quickly followed and wasn't able to be stopped, had a VB with an episiotomy.

This Pregnancy is high risk due to the following....

Previous PPROM (pre-term rupture of the membranes) and PTL (Pre-Term Labour)
Septate Uterus
Multiple Pregnancy, with early loss or twin
Possible IC (In compentant Cervix)
Low Amniotic Fluid (which appears to be settling at the moment :dance:!)
Possible Irritable Uterus
Placenta over the septum of the uterus and abnormal appearance to the placenta, with risk of SGA (Small for Gestational Age) or IUGR (In Uterine Growth Restriction)
Low Platelets
Prolapse

I am having fornightly scans on my cervix to monitor it's length and whether it is staying closed, we have had over 2cm of shortening over the past few weeks, and have two more scans with the opportunity to do an emergency stitch if needed, we have just over 6mm left before it become critical, next scan is next week.
I have had my first lot of Uterine Dopplers to monitor blood flow through from the placenta and cord to monitor and changes which could indicate the beginnings of growth restriction.
Keeping track of BH's length and frequency and any cramping to ensure that they aren't increasing in intensity and frequency.
Four weekly BT's to check platelet levels.

I am seeing a Private OB who speicalises in High Risk Pregnancies and I feel that she is doing everything she can to ensure my pregnancy lasts as long as possible, I feel that I am in the best hands and that I am confident that we will get as far as we can and what ever gestation that is I am at peace with what ever the result is. She listens to all of my concerns and is being very proactive.

I am booked into my Private Hospital and the Hospital where I had DD should I not make it to 36 weeks, so I feel comfortable that we won't go through what we did with DD.

If my cervix shortens too much after it is too late to do the stitch she will be starting me on Progesterone to hopefully stabilise it, and Nifedipine to relax the uterus/to stave off contractions, and the steroids would follow incase we got to a point where we were unable to stop everything from progressing, as we need 3 courses over 48 hours to be really effective.

I have good and bad days, I feel that somedays I will easily make it beyond DD's gestation then i have days when I feel that I will struggle to get a few more weeks, it can be such an emotional rollercoaster, and I am focussing on 30 weeks as a big milestone to get past, the smaller milestone of 24 and 28 weeks are in my mind but not at the forefront as I feel that while the baby has a good chance at these times, the journey can be a very rocky one, the longer we can bake the better and I feel that I need to focus further ahead. After 30 weeks I am aiming for DD's Gestation and then 36 weeks and of course full time :)

I will leave it at that for now, and see if anyone comes in and joins me :D

Hi Beema, my pregnancy is classed as "High Risk" but certainly not as high risk as yours.
I'm classed as high risk because of a combination of the following: previous caesarean, I have gestational diabetes, and I have a 50% chance of getting PIH/PE with this pregnancy as I had it with my last pregnancy, resulting in elective cs at 38 weeks. I have also had issues with hypocalcaemia due to damage to parathyroid glands when I had a thyroidectromy 18 months ago.

My main complication so far is the GD, as my BP so far has been good but it didn't start rising until post 30 weeks with my first pregnancy so the Dr's are expecting it to start playing up again soon.

I'm doing shared care between my local public hospital and a private Ob. The reason I initially chose public care is that I wanted vbac this time. And although the public hospital have been good, I hated the fact that I was seeing a diferent OB registrar each time and it was very impersonal. So now I also periodically see a private Ob who happens to be a senior Ob at the public hospital but has a private practice also.
Our plan is if things are looking good for VBAC I will have it at the public hospital but if I end up needing a caesarean then he will do it for me privately.
I also see an endocrinologist fortnightly for my diabetes/thyroid issues.

So far emotionally, so good. But I know that if I get PIH/PE again I will start to get a bit nervous. Especially having that coupled with GD. And I'm sure that having the two will mean more monitoring of bubs.

The GD so far I've been able to manage with diet but I may need to srat insulin injections soon. I also have to have another scan at 34 weeks to measure bubs size.

Oh and bub is currently breech so. Not a complication in itself, but if he stays this way, then it's definately a caesarean for me.

I've got my :crossfingers: that you get to 36 weeks beema!

I am classed as high risk because of PPROM, and PTL with dd1 she was born at 34 weeks by c sect. I was also measuring two weeks behind.

With dd2 I had GD and PTL at 35 weeks but I made it to 37 weeks with meds, bed rest and CTG monitoring. I managed a VBAC with just the gas, had a very short labour only 45 minutes after my waters were broken.

I had a check up today, so far I have had an easy pregnancy unlike last time when I had spd as well as the GD. I am measuring behind but I have all three times so it's not a concern yet. My biggest worry is going into PTL again, had very strong BH on the weekend, and an achy belly.

I want to get to 33/ 34 weeks too any earlier and bubs can't be at the hospital we are booked into. Bed rest would be tougher this time, with two girls and dh isn't working from home anymore. I am hoping for a vbac but will talk to my ob at 34 weeks after he checks how far behind I am.

I am lucky enough to also do shared care, my gp delivered until a few years ago so I alternate between him and my ob. I am going to the same private hospital who were fantastic with both the girls.

Great thread Beema! Although I don't feel so high risk knowing what you are going through.

Hi Mama Spice and black_rose :hello:!!

Don't feel in anyway that your pregnancies are less risky just because of the complications I have :redface:, I am hoping that we might be able to take some of the things off my list as we go through all the monitoring etc.

It is great that your BP is doing the right thing so far mama spice, I hope it stays that way, is the risk of PE higher for you as you have GD as well? Youa re doing a great job keeping the GD undercontrol with diet, hopeuflly you can avoid the injections for as long as is safe.

I hope that bubs turns for you soon, my OB wanted Flicker to turn asap due to the low fluid levels and it was going to be harder for bubs to turn as I got bigger, I had been doing inversions and using Moxa Sticks and managed to get Flicker to turn last week, hopefully he/she stays like that now ;)

It is great to see how many options you have for delivery as well, I think it has made me more confident knowing what the plan of attack is.

I would love to get to 36 weeks, to prove all the odds wrong ;)

I worry about being put on bed rest as well black_rose, I am such an active person, and have already had to limit everything so much it is driving me nuts I think I would go insane on bed rest, but if it what I have to do then I guess we just have to suck it and up... :(

It sounds as though you have quick progressing labours as well, our babies just want to get out in a hurry, it is fabulous to hear you got an extra couple of weeks with DD2 with the monitoring bed rest etc.

Take care and no labour vibes !!!!

Its reassuring to know that there are other mums to be who have the same kind of fears, its not something people want to talk about IRL. I don't think I could do the whole bed rest again, but I know I may not have a lot of say in the matter. I know I struggled at the end which probably contributed to the meds stopping their effectiveness, the contractions never stopped though so who knows.

MamaSpice, its good that you are being monitored closely. Fingers crossed you can stay off the insulin I hated the injections last time, I had a reaction and had to come off them in the end. I hope bubba turns soon so you have a chance at a VBAC.

i dont know if i full belong here, im probably classed more as medium risk.....

What complications are you having and what is your care provider doing to try to control these complications to prolong your pregnancy? How are you or your conditions being monitored?

my main compliation is incompetant cervix, diagnosed when i delivered at 22weeks last pregnancy...
so far im being monitored and am om 2 progesterone pessaries a day...
om friday i have my 12w appt and find out when ill be having my cervial stitch done.

Do you feel that you are being monitoired or cared for sufficiently, or are your concerns being fobbed off?

yes definatly, my OB is amazing and is right on the ball with everything, u could see is was upset when he delivered our DS and i can tell he doesnt want us to go down that track again

How do you get through week, day or even hour at times, mentally, physically and emotionally?

mentally i just pretend everything is fine
physically i rest a lot so i dont raz up my cervix
emotionally well we are getting a lot better there

How was your high risk pregnancy experience and what advice can you give mothers who are travelling along or going to travel along a similar journey?
i can only go by last time but if ur worried make sure u speak to ur care provider becasue if i didnt i would have delivered my baby at home at 21weeks not in hospy at 22weeks with my OB by my side fighting for me.....

Beema, I hope you're able to strike some of the things off your list as you go along too! Hopefully your amniotic fluid and platelet levels stay high enough and that cervix of yours behaves itself. Oh and that the septum doesn't get in the way of yor placenta function.
I think that because I have the GD it probably does slightly increase my risk of high Bp again. I've got a 50% chance of getting it again i think.
Thats good that flicker has turned for you. I can defiantely still feel the pressure of bubs head under my ribs and I'm getting kicks really low so I know he's still breach. I've been telling him he's got a few weeks to get his act in to gear. At the end of the day though if he stays breach then I know it's just mean't to be.

Black_rose, hopefully you get to at least 34 weeks this time. And how awesome that you've managed to avoid getting GD and SPD again. Do you mind if I ask if there is a reason why you seem to go into PTL? I've read that both GD and PE can increase the chances of PTL and I've kinda got this feeling that my bubba isn't going to quite make it to 38 weeks this time.

Hi Crumpet, I'm so sorry for the loss of your DS. Good luck for your appointment on Friday. I hope your cervix is behaving nicely.

Welcome Crumpet :hello: you are int he right place hun xxoo
Your OB sounds fabulous!!
I hope that Friday brings you a nice long and closed cervix, is your OB going to do a stitch anyway or just do regular monitoring and see what it does?
Great advice hun :hug: I am so sorry of your wee little DS, I am sure he is watching down and protecting you and your little bubba xxoo

How is the recovery after delivery with GD? A friend is a diabetic and she had a really difficult time, couldn't BF and it took a long time to get everything back on track afterwards, but as she is always diabetic I am not sure how the two differ other than GD, being brought on by pregnancy.

Mumma Spice hopefully your relaxed and positive thinking is just what your little bubba need to inspire him to turn :D spin bubba spin!!!

I am glad that I started this thread, hopefully we have a different type of understanding what we are all going through, and it can be hard when others seem to have a really smooth pregnancy, and I do struggle a bit when people just want their babies out, especially when they are well before term :redface: I would LOVE a Full Term Take home Bubba, without all the medical jargon that goes with it.

Beema when I had gd my blood sugar levels were back to normal straight away, so I could bf ok, dd's levels were all fine we just had to wait an hour to bf feed her and she was in the scn for a few days, she had jaundice as well.

I have had the 2 hour gtt test twice this time and got the all clear on them.

IKWYM when people say they want their babies out now, they have no idea of how much of a struggle it is with a premmie. Wouldn't wish it on anybody. I would love to get to 40 weeks!

Hi crumpet, you are in the right place, thank god for decent ob's out there. Sounds like we have all been blessed to find one to help us through our journey.

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Beema, I hope you're able to strike some of the things off your list as you go along too! Hopefully your amniotic fluid and platelet levels stay high enough and that cervix of yours behaves itself. Oh and that the septum doesn't get in the way of yor placenta function.
I think that because I have the GD it probably does slightly increase my risk of high Bp again. I've got a 50% chance of getting it again i think.
Thats good that flicker has turned for you. I can defiantely still feel the pressure of bubs head under my ribs and I'm getting kicks really low so I know he's still breach. I've been telling him he's got a few weeks to get his act in to gear. At the end of the day though if he stays breach then I know it's just mean't to be.

Black_rose, hopefully you get to at least 34 weeks this time. And how awesome that you've managed to avoid getting GD and SPD again. Do you mind if I ask if there is a reason why you seem to go into PTL? I've read that both GD and PE can increase the chances of PTL and I've kinda got this feeling that my bubba isn't going to quite make it to 38 weeks this time.

Hi Crumpet, I'm so sorry for the loss of your DS. Good luck for your appointment on Friday. I hope your cervix is behaving nicely.

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thanks mamaspice..... id like to think it is but i dare say its doing its usual thing!

hope bub turns for u soon!!!

im assuming GD is gestational diabeties? whats SPD?

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Welcome Crumpet :hello: you are int he right place hun xxoo
Your OB sounds fabulous!!
I hope that Friday brings you a nice long and closed cervix, is your OB going to do a stitch anyway or just do regular monitoring and see what it does?
Great advice hun :hug: I am so sorry of your wee little DS, I am sure he is watching down and protecting you and your little bubba xxoo
I am glad that I started this thread, hopefully we have a different type of understanding what we are all going through, and it can be hard when others seem to have a really smooth pregnancy, and I do struggle a bit when people just want their babies out, especially when they are well before term :redface: I would LOVE a Full Term Take home Bubba, without all the medical jargon that goes with it.

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thanks beema.....

yep stitch is a definate, my cervix is 2.5cm when im not pregnant so he wont risk it, which is fine by me!! id rather have it done and be safe rather than sorry.....

this thread is a great idea, im learning lots already!!
i still feel like im a novice at this pregnancy caper, i never got far enough to know about all the ins and outs....

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Hi crumpet, you are in the right place, thank god for decent ob's out there. Sounds like we have all been blessed to find one to help us through our journey.

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thanks blackrose.....

i know, im so thankful to our OB i really wonder what would be happening if we didnt have him.....

its a bit of a exciting day here today.....

ive hit 12 WEEKS!!!! :dance::dance::dance::dance:
i didnt expect to get this far thats for sure!!!!

That is great black_rose that everything goes back to normal so quickly and fabulous to hear that you could start BF'ing after an hour. DD had very low BLS when she was born of 0.9, so she had an IV for a couple of days and and NGT for nearly two weeks. She also was Jaundiced for 3 months and nearly had to go back in under lights again, so glad her Bili's came in just low enough :D

Fabulous news of the GTT's as well :cheer: !! I have to go straight to the GTT this time as well, last time I did because of the excess amniotic fluid and I think my OB has done it this time so we aren't stuffing around with anything.

Yeah the premmie thing is so hard but I guess unless you have been there it is hard to really understand....:dunno:

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im assuming GD is gestational diabeties? whats SPD?

thanks beema.....

yep stitch is a definate, my cervix is 2.5cm when im not pregnant so he wont risk it, which is fine by me!! id rather have it done and be safe rather than sorry.....

this thread is a great idea, im learning lots already!!
i still feel like im a novice at this pregnancy caper, i never got far enough to know about all the ins and outs....

thanks blackrose.....

i know, im so thankful to our OB i really wonder what would be happening if we didnt have him.....

its a bit of a exciting day here today.....

ive hit 12 WEEKS!!!! :dance::dance:
i didnt expect to get this far thats for sure!!!!

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:leap: wooo hooo for 12 weeks, it is a fabulous milestone!! :( for a short cervix but great that the stitch will be going in soon, when mine was 2.2cm my OB said between 12-14 weeks, but after my MC finished it relengthened again, so we are going with the fortnightly scans, and hopefully we can keep it above 2.5cm, as I am nervous about getting a stitch done so late.

I have added in IC at the top of the page and also what all the acronyms mean, SPD means Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, my physio referred to it as Pelvic Instability, I just found this description of it:

The two halves of your pelvis are connected at the front by a stiff joint called the symphysis pubis. This joint is strengthened by a dense network of tough, flexible tissues, called ligaments. To help your baby pass through your pelvis as easily as possible, your body produces a hormone called relaxin, which softens the ligaments. As a result, these joints move more during and just after pregnancy (Kristiansson 1997; Bjorkland et al 1999; Bjorkland et al 2000), causing inflammation and pain, known as symphysis pubis dysfunction or SPD.

In other words it hurts, I had it worse with DD, this time I have only had to wear the belt a couple of times, which holds everything together better :)

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:leap: wooo hooo for 12 weeks, it is a fabulous milestone!! :( for a short cervix but great that the stitch will be going in soon, when mine was 2.2cm my OB said between 12-14 weeks, but after my MC finished it relengthened again, so we are going with the fortnightly scans, and hopefully we can keep it above 2.5cm, as I am nervous about getting a stitch done so late.

I have added in IC at the top of the page and also what all the acronyms mean, SPD means Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, my physio referred to it as Pelvic Instability, I just found this description of it:

The two halves of your pelvis are connected at the front by a stiff joint called the symphysis pubis. This joint is strengthened by a dense network of tough, flexible tissues, called ligaments. To help your baby pass through your pelvis as easily as possible, your body produces a hormone called relaxin, which softens the ligaments. As a result, these joints move more during and just after pregnancy (Kristiansson 1997; Bjorkland et al 1999; Bjorkland et al 2000), causing inflammation and pain, known as symphysis pubis dysfunction or SPD.

In other words it hurts, I had it worse with DD, this time I have only had to wear the belt a couple of times, which holds everything together better :)

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thanks hun, it was a bit exciting!!!!

when i was preg with Gus we were on fortnightly scans, then i had my 20w one all look ok, as it can with a 2.5cm cervix then a week later the ***** hit the fan, my poor OB he was stunned i felt sorry for him... u coukd see how shocked he was when it happened so quick, hence his reason to go straght for a stitch this time


oh yep i have herd of that..... i had a fewe issues with my hips with Gus and my osteo thought i might have been heading down that path but nothing seemed to happen....
it sounds sooo painful! i hope it doesnt get to bad for u girls, just what u need one more big ache!

I think my biggest hurdle will be these next few weeks, if I get to 36 weeks I will be happy. A big one I am facing this week is my ob and gp are both away, and it would be just my luck to go into labour when they aren't around. I know I the midwives would be great, but the ob who takes over from mine is against VBAC's and he may push for a c sect. Not that anything will happen but its just another one of those things to overcome.

It doesn't help that the BH are increasing again. It seems to happen at the end of each week, they kept me awake last night.

Hope everyone else is ok.

ive got my fingers crossed for u hun, rest up and hopefully those BH will stay away for a bit and let u keep bub in for a few more weeks.....

i had my appt with my OB yesterday and as usual there is always a story and some minor drama!

the good news is all of our downs risks and what not are really good so he was happy with that, and he is rapt my cervix is 2.9cm instead of 2.5cm....

so the main thing is he is ready to go for the stitch BUT his assistant who he will only do stitches with is on holidays :wall: my OB calls this assistant his 3rd and 4th arms becasue when they do stitches together they are always great with no issues, yet when he has used other assistants he has had dramas..... so he didnt book me in and said he would try and get the assistant to come in just for our op and he would call me back last night......
turns out the assistant is away on holidays and cant come in, fair enough i rekon!!
so we are booked in for the 12th of july, which is 3 monday away, just over 2 weeks.
a bit longer than he wanted to leave it but as he says he would rather wait and monitor me and do a amazing stitch rather than aa cr@pp one with issues, sounds fine to me.....
so in the mean time i have to rest, which i do all day everyday anway, and have a scan in 10days to see what my cervix is doing, if its not coming to the party and shortening we have to find a plan B, and ill go on full bed rest at 14weeks for the stitch to go in at 14w5d.......

so thats where im at!!

hope everyone else is doing well!!

Hi Beema, I thought I would crash your thread lol. This will be my 4th High risk pgcy. The first was due to multpile m/c's, the second was the same but also due to the previous c/s, the 3rd Little V age came a problem as well as previous c/s's and finding out the reason I have had to be on Aspirin for the previous two pgcys. I am ANA positive. Also V had a high risk of DS, which you already know and had several u/s's to check on her heart etc.
Now comes to this one, still high risk, age, previous c/s's ANA positive, on Aspirin, maybe changed to clexane this pgcy due to Little V being so small full term as well as I have been told frequent u/s's to check on how bubs is doing, likely to be every month. Still not sure if that will be the case, as the Baby Dr's at the hospital havent said this yet, but the physcians have.
Im also not allowed to go into labour naturally, yet I would hope they will let me, but highly doubt it. They are worried about rupturing.
So here I am, have had the NT scan which almost wasnt a great result, but thankfully turned around, and now waiting for the 18wk scan to see how bub is doing.
So thats it for me atm, hopefully I get to enjoy the rest of this pgcy.

Black_Rose. No labour vibes for you hun. Keep that little one in there for a few more weeks yet. Rest up okay!

Crumpet, woohoo on the cervix. I hope it keeps behaving for you and you get to have3 your stitch in 3 weeks time when the "good" assistant is back ;)

Csab, wow, you've certainly had your fair share of things to deal with. :crossfingers: this is an uneventful pregnancy for you.

How are you doing Beema?

AFM, I had some acupuncture and moxibustion this morning. mainly to see if it helps bub to turn but also I have a pinched nerve above my left buttock and sometimes it pinches really bad and stops me in my tracks. I'm going to have it every 2 weeks from now on and I'm also hoping the acupuncture helps with keeping my Bp at bay too.

Great news on the cervix length Crumpet!!! :dance: I gained some length betwen 12-16 weeks, then two big loses after that, another smaller loss and sitting jsut over 3.0cm atm with my next scan on Tuesday, so crossing my fingers we haven't lost any more length :crossfingers:

Welcome csab :hug: more than welcome to "crash", the more the merrier, and the greater understanding we all get :D Hopefully everything goes smoothly for you this time around, you deserve a stress free pregnancy!!!

How are the BH's today Black_Rose? No labour vibes coming your way :hug:

Yay for the Chinese Medicine MamaSpice :dance: I found the Moxa and the Accupunture really relaxing :D I recommend doing some inversions as well, I really think they helped in turning Flicker, I hope it helps keep your BP undercontrol as well, is there anything else that you can do to control your BP?

AFM having confident and not so confident days, I think it gets worse as I approach each scan, and after I have done a few things around the hosue I then worry should I have not done that..... sigh....

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Hi Beema, I thought I would crash your thread lol. This will be my 4th High risk pgcy. The first was due to multpile m/c's, the second was the same but also due to the previous c/s, the 3rd Little V age came a problem as well as previous c/s's and finding out the reason I have had to be on Aspirin for the previous two pgcys. I am ANA positive. Also V had a high risk of DS, which you already know and had several u/s's to check on her heart etc.
Now comes to this one, still high risk, age, previous c/s's ANA positive, on Aspirin, maybe changed to clexane this pgcy due to Little V being so small full term as well as I have been told frequent u/s's to check on how bubs is doing, likely to be every month. Still not sure if that will be the case, as the Baby Dr's at the hospital havent said this yet, but the physcians have.
Im also not allowed to go into labour naturally, yet I would hope they will let me, but highly doubt it. They are worried about rupturing.
So here I am, have had the NT scan which almost wasnt a great result, but thankfully turned around, and now waiting for the 18wk scan to see how bub is doing.
So thats it for me atm, hopefully I get to enjoy the rest of this pgcy.

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csab!! welcome here hun!!

u know what, i think the only perk to a high risk preg is the amount of scans we get!!! i love it, means we can see wormette regulary and i can relax knowing all is travelling along as well as we can expect!!!

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Crumpet, woohoo on the cervix. I hope it keeps behaving for you and you get to have3 your stitch in 3 weeks time when the "good" assistant is back ;)
AFM, I had some acupuncture and moxibustion this morning. mainly to see if it helps bub to turn but also I have a pinched nerve above my left buttock and sometimes it pinches really bad and stops me in my tracks. I'm going to have it every 2 weeks from now on and I'm also hoping the acupuncture helps with keeping my Bp at bay too.

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thansk hun, im taking it easy so fingers crossed i keep some length in there to make my OBs job that little bit easier!!

ouch!! u poor thing!! i get that here and there and its sooo painful!! lucky we have a good friend who is a osteo so i call on her when im desperate to be able to move properly!! lol......
hope bub turns soon....

u have probably already herd about it but a lot of ppl recommend the spinning babies web site, personally ive never looked at it and havnt needed it, i delivered Gus breech, but im not sure it would be helpful for u??

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Great news on the cervix length Crumpet!!! :dance: I gained some length betwen 12-16 weeks, then two big loses after that, another smaller loss and sitting jsut over 3.0cm atm with my next scan on Tuesday, so crossing my fingers we haven't lost any more length :crossfingers:
AFM having confident and not so confident days, I think it gets worse as I approach each scan, and after I have done a few things around the hosue I then worry should I have not done that..... sigh....

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thanks hun!!!
last preg i had a length increase while i was on rest during the 12-14 week mark so hopefully it either stays the same or grows a little bit more.....
oohh ill be thinking of u tuesday!!
my OB was telling me the general rule for IC is if anything is going to happen it will happen between 18-23 weeks, not sure if its true but hopefully thats the case and u are over that hurdle in the next week or so!!!

:hug: its such a hard ride a high risk preg..... i know what u mean about the confident and not so confident days, im feeling good atm, ask me again in 2 weeks before im in hospy and it might be a whole different story!!
and having a little person in the house would make it harder to rest, i honestly dont know hoe i would cope with all the resting if i had a child already......

AFM: am starting to adjust my life to rest more than i already do...
my OB is happy im home resting everyday, but ideally would like me to cull ad much actitity as possible over the next few weeks, which means even more for Dh to worry about which = me feeling guilty.....
so ive ordered my groceried online to be delivered, then DH doesnt have to do it after work and i dont have to wander the supermarket....
and ive planned my dinners to make sure its as little standing as possible, things like bologniase in the slow cooker, rissoles i can make sitting down, all that sort of stuff.....
then i only have to go to appts or the chemist for my usual million things!!

hope u have all had a great and un-eventful weekend!

Evening all!

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thanks hun!!!
last preg i had a length increase while i was on rest during the 12-14 week mark so hopefully it either stays the same or grows a little bit more.....
oohh ill be thinking of u tuesday!!
my OB was telling me the general rule for IC is if anything is going to happen it will happen between 18-23 weeks, not sure if its true but hopefully thats the case and u are over that hurdle in the next week or so!!!

:hug: its such a hard ride a high risk preg..... i know what u mean about the confident and not so confident days, im feeling good atm, ask me again in 2 weeks before im in hospy and it might be a whole different story!!
and having a little person in the house would make it harder to rest, i honestly dont know hoe i would cope with all the resting if i had a child already......

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That is interesting about the 18-23 week mark for IC, I haven't heard that before. My OB is going to keep monitoring mine, but not sure what she will do if the stitch goes in....

Another OB appointment in the morning, and TBH I am in two minds about it, I have just posted on my Blog my thoughts (link in my sig), but in short, it is darn risky to do a stitch now, and I am really concerned about the risks of doing it. I trust my OB and know that she will do everything to ensure that it goes smoothly but nothing is guarenteed.

In some ways I feel that if it has shortened to 2.5cm but isn't funnelling I would prefer to wait a week or two, not because I want to risk delivering and it shortening more, because I feel that if we are going to take the risk of putting in the stitch and should something go wrong, Flicker will have a better chance in a week or two if something went wrong than if we risked it now....

Hopefully we don't need to make such a huge decision..... ah just rambling along, been a long few days so I think I best be off to bed :lol:

No labour vibes and belly rubs all round :dance:

:

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Evening all!



That is interesting about the 18-23 week mark for IC, I haven't heard that before. My OB is going to keep monitoring mine, but not sure what she will do if the stitch goes in....

Another OB appointment in the morning, and TBH I am in two minds about it, I have just posted on my Blog my thoughts (link in my sig), but in short, it is darn risky to do a stitch now, and I am really concerned about the risks of doing it. I trust my OB and know that she will do everything to ensure that it goes smoothly but nothing is guarenteed.

In some ways I feel that if it has shortened to 2.5cm but isn't funnelling I would prefer to wait a week or two, not because I want to risk delivering and it shortening more, because I feel that if we are going to take the risk of putting in the stitch and should something go wrong, Flicker will have a better chance in a week or two if something went wrong than if we risked it now....

Hopefully we don't need to make such a huge decision..... ah just rambling along, been a long few days so I think I best be off to bed :lol:

No labour vibes and belly rubs all round :dance:

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i havnt got to ur blog will do that in a sec......

do does ur OB want to do the stitch??? my OB likes to do them earlier than later, obviously, and for the same reasons u have mentioned....

are u on bed rest yet???

its prob very hard with miss N but i know i have to lay down where possible to take as much pressure off my cervix as possible, sitting is good, but not as good as laying down, and if u can elevate ur bottom on a angle, like feet in the air on a diagonal if that makes sense that will take even more pressure off, thats how i spent 7 days in hospy, doesnt seem like it but it was hard work!! i had the worst headache for days!!

fingers crossed u get some length back!!!

hope everyone else is well!!

Crumpet I was in hospital two days last time and then going in for ctg monitoring three times a week and that was bad enough!

Good luck today Beema, would be hard to decide whether to wait a week or two or go ahead with a stitch now. I guess you can only trust your instincts and talk it through with your ob.

AFM the BH have eased again so they are following a pattern, so I am waiting for them to pick up again at the end of the week. I have lost some of my mucous plug every day since Saturday, but I remember reading that it reforms (I think that was you Beema). My next checkup is in a week, but at the moment I am not overly concerned about it, I don't think I will be making it to term though! I had all these same signs with dd2 for a few weeks too. With dd1 I have no idea, I was clueless as to what was happening, ignorance was bliss with her!

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Crumpet I was in hospital two days last time and then going in for ctg monitoring three times a week and that was bad enough!

Good luck today Beema, would be hard to decide whether to wait a week or two or go ahead with a stitch now. I guess you can only trust your instincts and talk it through with your ob.

AFM the BH have eased again so they are following a pattern, so I am waiting for them to pick up again at the end of the week. I have lost some of my mucous plug every day since Saturday, but I remember reading that it reforms (I think that was you Beema). My next checkup is in a week, but at the moment I am not overly concerned about it, I don't think I will be making it to term though! I had all these same signs with dd2 for a few weeks too. With dd1 I have no idea, I was clueless as to what was happening, ignorance was bliss with her!

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oh i know 7 days of hanging by my feet nearly killed me, and the thought of being there for what could have been 8 weeks nearly killed me!!!
thankfully for my stitch ill be in 2-3 days for the op and then monitoring at my OBs request and then all going to plan that will be the only admission......knowing my luck ill be in and out, things seem to happen that way for me!!!

so glad ur BH have settled hun!!! just saw ur ticker, nearly 33 weeks!! ur doing so so well!!!! not long to go now!!!! i to have herd that ur plug can re-grow! it was on here i read it but im not sure where!!

hi ladies,

im quite new "posting" around here, although i have been reading lots of the information on this FANTASTIC website.

i just wanted to ask a question in relation to this high-risk business.

how did our parents and grand parents do it? i know my mum didnt have any ultrasounds throught both her pregnancies, and she was over weight!!

why is it all of a sudden that we have the bmi (fat) issue and blood pressure issue.

my mum was overweight and gave birth to both me and my brother with a naturopath in 1978 and 1981.

i am just on 14 weeks pregnant, and i have been told by my doctor that i have to lose weight but not from strict dieting, just have to watch what i eat and do some walking daily, and that i am prone to high blood pressure.

how does this make me different from my mum? was blood pressure different back then? or was fat different?

i dont get it!

help!

Hi glamachic, I am overweight but it's not the reason I have been classed as high risk, my ob never takes my weight as my blood work and blood pressure is perfect. Last time with the gestational diabetes I was watched to make sure I wasn't losing too much weight because of the restricted diet. I am a private patient so that could be why my bmi has never been an issue? I know there are few threads about public hospitals turning away woman with a bmi over 30.

public hospitals turning patients away....no wonder i hate them!

i have no private health and even if i did i wouldnt want to see an OB, they do my head in.

i trust my body and i have full faith in my baby and that if i eat healthy my blood pressure will stay down.

i am convinced doctors are idiots.

after seeing "the business of being born" i am opting for home birth!

Ooooh, great thread idea Beema!

We have been on bed rest from 24 weeks to 30 weeks in Melbourne due to a shortened cervix ( 1.7cm at 24 weeks down to 0.7 at 26 weeks ) and previous pre term labour DS born at 28 weeks.
It's been a hell of a long road, we are at quite a comfortable 33 weeks now, but have been seperated from each other and DS for the last ten weeks, with Sal ( tummy mummy ) in hospital or living in a caravan as she is only allowed to be 15 mins from a tertiary care hospital until this baby is born. Our home town doesn't even have a birthing facilities at the hospital and the nearest bigger hopsital is 45 mins away so going home wasn't a good option.
In hopsital, she was on lots of drugs to try and hold off labour, progesterone & Nifedipine, plus blood thinning drugs to prevent blood clots from not being allowed to walk around, vitamin D because of no sunlight and sleeping tablets, cause sharing a room with ante nates for 6 weeks with crying newborns makes sleeping hard!! Since coming out at 30 weeks, she has been weaned off all of them, with the result that she has been having contractions for nearly FOUR weeks!!! Only last night, we were in the birthing suite because they thought this baby was coming soon!
The contractions have been getting stronger and more regular, when we went in to our appointment last Tuesday she was 1cm dilated with a 'sloppy' cervix, no change for the next few days but increasing intensity with contractions. On Sunday night in ED when they checked, she was 3cm with bulging membranes so they put her in overnight. Contractions all night, irrregular but strong so not much sleep to be had. From 1pm yesterday afternoon, she had regular 3 & 4 minute contractions, quite intense but not so bad she couldn't manage without drugs ( though my wife has an incredible pain threshold ) but as they didn't stop, they moved her to birth suite about 6.30pm saying they would do an internal down there. She was in quite a bit of pain by this stage but confined to bed because of the monitors and given panadeine forte to try and take the edge off and we were just waiting it out to see when this little man was making his appearance.
They didn't do an internal until 11.30pm, even though we'd asked for one before we were moved to birth suite, and found it to be EXACTLY THE SAME! 3cm, bulging membranes. I know it's crazy, as we are still 7 weeks early, but we were soooo upset that this wasn't going to happen in the near future. Our whole lives have been flipped upside down for the last 10 weeks, our son is at home being cared for by his Nana at the moment, we don't get to see him more than once a week as I can't leave Sal alone for any length of time and Nana can't drive in Melbourne so I drive back up there, pick them both up, they stay in the caravan for a couple of days and then I take them back again. It's been really, really hard and as much as we would have loved our full term take home bubba, we made our peace with not being able to have that a long time ago. What we want is two healthy little boys at home and if both our kids have to journey through NICU or special care to get there, then thats how it is. At the moment though, our 19 month old is missing out on both of his Mum's and his little brother should be just fine being born at 33 weeks with no other problems such as IUGR. Sal has been soo strong through this whole thing, making such a huge sacrifice to get our baby boy to this point, where if he's born, he will be okay, and we just want it to be over.

Thanks for reading girls, just really needed to vent to people who don't take it for granted that all pregnancies are straightforward affairs & that everyone gets a take home baby.

Looking forward to following your journeys

sally ive been following ur story with great intrest!!!

so glad ot hear things are going well, but wow what a situation!!
i bet u guys will be glad when its all over and ur little one is here!!!
have they given u a indication of how much longer this will go on for??

the staff at the mercy are fab, we couldnt fault them when i was there

Thanks for the welcome ladies. As soon as I get a chance I will be more actively involved with everyones discussions.

Sally - I was only reading your thread yesterday about Sally being on bedrest since 24wks. I was so excited for you thinking that you were about to meet your little man. She has done terrifically getting your little bubba boy to 33wks, well you both have. Being away from your little one at home would be so hard, I know how hard it can be. It doesnt sound like it will be too long until your little man will arrive, how exciting. What a road you both have travelled. Thankyou for sharing yours and Sally's story, Im so sorry you havent been able to have an easy time of it. I cant wait to hear the BA of your precious little man that is being so eager to meet his mummy's. Hugs


Well today had my hospital appt with the physcians, well ended up having to see the endocologist or something like that as well, as they have now said that I have an under active thyroid So now on thyroid medication. At least I dont need to go on the clexane, will be keeping on taking the aspirin instead, and have been advised should definately be 4-6wkly u/s's to check up on bubs.
So now have my next appt in 2wks with the OB and the physician then 2wks later have to go back in for a BT then the following day back to see the endocologist. So yippee for me. Not.... lol.
So thats it for me for now. Hope everyone is doing well, and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day to catch up with everyone. hugs

Beema - I hope all went well today. Hugs

Crumpet - So happy to be in here with you too, I hope all turns out well when you go in and have the stitch done. Know that I am here for you. hugs

Crumpet I have to change my ticker!! It's out by 6 days, so I am 32 weeks tomorrow, my hospital will take me from now on though.

Csab, thinking of you the things we go through to hold our little ones. Hope they can sort out the thyroid.

Sally I have been reading your thread too, was hoping to see a BA this morning. Will they put her back on the nefidipine, or help her along? I was on it for two weeks and it didn't stop the contractions. Hope you will be home with your two boys soon, I feel the same about having a 33 wk baby if I go into pre term labour I would have to seriously think about what to do, having a premmie in scn or stuck at home on bed rest trying to find someone to watch the girls, esp since the meds didn't stop the contractions too well.

Good evening girls :)

Update from my OB appointment today, I updated my blog but didn't get back on here :redface:

My cervix grew by 0.5cm so we are back out to 3.6cm :dance:, which is just awesome news!!!

Flicker has shifted, cheeky little on and is now transverse/breech position, but as I know Flicker can go head down I am less concerned than I was a few weeks ago when it was thought it was going to be a bigger issue.

The placenta is still small, but Flicker is growing, so we will be monitoring Flickers growth later on in the pregnancy, my OB said we aren't out of the woods yet, but we should take this time and hopefully we will have a few weeks to enjoy the pregnancy.

My fundal height was bang on 23 weeks, which was lovely as with DD at 24 weeks I was measuring 30 weeks and it was the start of Polyhydrominous (excess amniotic fluid), my fluid levels have remained stable as well after looking very low for a few weeks there, so hopefully they won't become an issue from here on in.

The great thing is that throughout the whole pregnancy my BP has remained relatively stable!

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i havnt got to ur blog will do that in a sec......

do does ur OB want to do the stitch??? my OB likes to do them earlier than later, obviously, and for the same reasons u have mentioned....

are u on bed rest yet???

its prob very hard with miss N but i know i have to lay down where possible to take as much pressure off my cervix as possible, sitting is good, but not as good as laying down, and if u can elevate ur bottom on a angle, like feet in the air on a diagonal if that makes sense that will take even more pressure off, thats how i spent 7 days in hospy, doesnt seem like it but it was hard work!! i had the worst headache for days!!

fingers crossed u get some length back!!!

hope everyone else is well!!

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My OB has said that she would do one if I kept shortening, but sooo happy today that it went out to 3.6cm :leap: such awesome news my OB was really surprised and very very happy as was I :dance:!! I have been doing plenty of rest, but I am not on bed rest, but no lifting (which is really easy with a toddler :lol:) and not doing too much generally. I still have another check in two weeks on the length but today my OB said that it was unlikely that she would do the stitch now, unless we had some drastic changes. We will just go with the Progesterone and the Nifedipine, I have had cramps but the BH's have been at bay for a few days now so hopfully along with my cervix everything settles for a while.

:

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Crumpet I was in hospital two days last time and then going in for ctg monitoring three times a week and that was bad enough!

Good luck today Beema, would be hard to decide whether to wait a week or two or go ahead with a stitch now. I guess you can only trust your instincts and talk it through with your ob.

AFM the BH have eased again so they are following a pattern, so I am waiting for them to pick up again at the end of the week. I have lost some of my mucous plug every day since Saturday, but I remember reading that it reforms (I think that was you Beema). My next checkup is in a week, but at the moment I am not overly concerned about it, I don't think I will be making it to term though! I had all these same signs with dd2 for a few weeks too. With dd1 I have no idea, I was clueless as to what was happening, ignorance was bliss with her!

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I am glad your BH's have settled again, hopefully they go away for a while for you, is there anything that you think you are doing different which is causing them to ramp up? It was me that poted it, it was something my OB said to me and I actually rechecked it with her today, but if it is larger then to be more concerned, but also keep in mind that one of our fellow BB'ers lost bits of plug a similar size to you and ended up delivery her bub very early, but she is doing well and praying that it continues that way, so I guess it isn't the best indicator about labour..... The pieces I lost with N weren't very big, and were very sporadic, weeks appart, and I haven't lost any for quite a few weeks now which is good! I totally get you with the ignorances is bliss, I feel it can be quite an overload sometimes looking out for signs....

YAY Sally for finding us!! I am just amazed how your family has gone for the last 10 weeks, I can completely see why Sal would be so exhausted by now, how long do you think they will let her go? 34 weeks is almost here, such a completely awsome effort to go the extra 10 weeks, it has made such a difference to your little boy!!! We bought DD home at 35 weeks 1 day, and I can tell you it was pretty bloddy scary, but I know that this time it wouldn't be so scary, having been there before! I hope the BA isn't too far away, and that your little man's stay in hospital would be short! Thankyou so much for sharing your journey I can imagine it must have been so very difficult :hug: but truely inspirational!!!

Csab your appointment list is like mine! It can be crazy and overwhealming, your pregnancy seems to be flying by so quickly to me now! I hope the thyroid medication does what it needs to, my mum had hers out halfway through her pregnancy with me, I can't remember which way it was, but it is sooo much better they can treat it with meds now!

Hi Glamchic and welcome to BB, I can't answer your specific questions in relation to BMI, but like Black_Rose has said a lot of hospitals have changed their policies, on what constitutes a high risk pregnancy, I hope that you can keep your BP under control with healthy eating and exercise :)

Well I am off to enjoy my pregnancy for the evening, take care xxoo

Beema that's the odd thing, Friday and Saturday's I get to relax a bit or just potter around the house with dh home. Will keep an eye on the plug thing but can't see anyone until tuesday anyway.

That's great news for you that your cervix has lengthened, having a normal Bp and measuring spot on 23 weeks. Enjoy the next few week!

beema awsome news hun!!!

:happyforyou::happyforyou::happyforyou::happyforyo u:

wish mine would grow that long!!! :lol:

when i was in hospyi was being fed nifedapine like it was going out of fashion!! it works though!!
when i go in fot my stitch ill be put on that to keep things calm so fingers crossed it does its job!!

what a fantastic appt u had!!!

had to laugh at no lifting with a toddler!! real wasy im sure!!

:hello: girls!

It's so good to hear that everyone is travelling along nicely ATM. :crossfingers: for an uneventful next few weeks for all of us!

Beema, awesome news on the cervix lengthening.

My BSL readings still appear to be okay although I still am having a highish fasting reading every now and then. I've been monitoring my BP and it's been okay still too although sometimes it's getting to be at the higher end of the normal range so I fear i's starting to creep up (it did after 30 weeks with my first preg too) And paranoid me has just ordered some of the urinalysis dip sticks to monitor my protein levels. ( I just have a funny feeling about it) and I should get those tomorrow.

PS: Sally, what a journey you've had. Hopefully your little man will be safetely in your arms soon. Sally has done so well to bake him for this long!

MammaSpice I hated the unexplained high fasting levels, a bad night sleep can make them higher.

Crumpet anyone who asks a mum with a toddler not to lift with a toddler is crazy! I was lucky that dd1 is a climber, I could get her to climb up onto the change table for me but she still needed cuddles and to picked up sometimes.

I have just realised that the only one who knows I am classed as high risk IRL would be DH. I was talking to my dad's wife last night and she was freaking out about my cough there is no way I could tell her, my mum is a bit of a hypochonriac - any illness is worst case scenario and my MIL would just stress out wayy to much. So I am living this thread as a place to talk about it as even DH doesn't always get it.

I am excited to have made it to 32 weeks, my next goal is Monday as I am taking DD1 to Disney on Ice, and after that I want to get to July 21st so I can celebrate DD1's birthday I think having mini targets might make it easier.

I haven't had any BH today which is great, so fingers crossed they don't hit again tomorrow.

so i had my scan today instead of wendsnesday next week and.....

girls u need to take a seat for this one!!!


MY CERVIX IS ........... 3.3CM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:leap::leap::leap::leap:

so its oviously grown which is awsome so no hospital visit until i go in for my stitch!!!

my placenta is low which for me is great coz its a cushion between baby and my cervix so its taking some of the pressure away and it will stop my waters buldging if my cervix starts to act up in then ext 10days!!!!

am so so so happy!!!!

hope everyone else is going ok!!!

beema saw ur post on FB hope ur taking it as wasy as possible hun...:hug:

Awesome News Crumpet :cheer:

Good evening ladies!!

Crumpet ~

OMG OMG OMG!!!! If I could jump up and down right now I would, I would even do a cartwheel I was so darn excited to read your cerivx length, that is truely wonderful!!!!

Thanks hun :hug: Yeah the lifting thing is really hard with a toddler, but we have quite a few things in place to minimise me doing any lifting, but there are those occassions when you have no choice...

Tuesdays was a pretty great appointment!

MamaSpice ~ I hope your BP stays stable and doesn't do anything crazy, don't feel silly or paranoid, I think you are being proactive, another friend who had PE with her first did the same and it certainly gives you mroe piece of mind and I think, what ever can be done to reduce the stress for a pregnany woman is a good thing.

black_rose ~ All my family and friends know that I am high risk, and for me it is really helping, because I think I would have lost it by now :redface: DH doesn't always get it either, I know he is very concerned but he tends to bottle things up as do I, so I have made a concious effort to not do that and reach out for support. And we have had to rely on our family and friends for help as well.

Wooo Hooo for 32 weeks that is fabulous news :dance:, the mini targets are great, it makes you feel more positive passing them quicker, rather than too far out when at times it seems unattainable

Sal ~ How are you all going, if Sally is still baking 34 weeks - 10 weeks further HUGE!!!!!!!

AFM ~ Had a pop, 3am yesterday and was leaking, TBH is completely scared the crap out of me and I was afraid to move, I evenutally did and discovered quite a bit of watery CM. It was just dripping a bit like a tap yesterday and I tried not to think about it, last night I had a massive bout of BH's, my stomach was rock hard for over 5 hours, which is more than double what my normal BH's go for generally 1-2 hours at a time.

So I called my OB's office this morning just to let them know, I spoke to one of my OB's lovely MW's I wasn't feeling too concerned otherwise I would have called my OB direct, she then spoke to my OB and they wanted to see me straight away. So I had to ring around to get a friend to watch DD and a lovely BB'er was able to help me out, and I got to my OB's office went straight through and had to lie down for 1/2 an hour then they did a speculum exam and there was quite a bit of fluid there, but it didn't have the appearance of amniotic fluid and my OB took a sample and put it on a slide and under the microscope to look for a ferning appearance - I was fascintated and we had a laugh about when i was an school, breaking a slide because i focussed in too far anf went straight through it :lol: She thinks that I have an infection, even though I don't have any other symptoms. So the samples had been sent off to pathology for testing and I get the results either late Monday or early Tuesday, and then she will advise treatment.

She was concerned about the change in my BH's so has put me onto Nifederpine, to calm them down, and if I need to use it more than once a day she is going to change the dosage.

So we will wait and see what happens over the next week, but hopefully we can get everything to settle down again.

Have a good weekend all, don't know if I will be on much as we have fmaily coming tomorrow afternoon, so don't worry if I don't post :)
Take care and all these babies need to take a chill pill and just go back to baking away safely in our bellies! :bellyrubs: xxoo

Oh no, Beema, what a scary day. I'm glad you got in to see your Ob. Rest up hun, and keep us posted. :hug: Now Flicker, don't you be getting any ideas on making an early entrance okay!

I am not currently pg but fear/feel that any future pg will be classed high risk. I had PE/HELLP as well as GD with DDs pg and she was born at 34+1 via an induced labour and vaginal drug free birth.

I am scared of future pg and wanted to hang out here to see/read how you guys overcome your high risk issues - you are all inspirations to me xox