Anyone else on bed-rest?

[TamsinInBed]

Hi, I'm currently 25 weeks pregnant and have been on home bedrest since I had an emergency cerclage (stitch) at 20 weeks due to a horribly incompetent cervix (love that term). I am pretty much driving myself up the wall at home which is not helped by the fact I'm living in a foreign country with no family and few friends here. If anyone else is in the same boat, or has some positive stories to share I would love to hear from you!

Oh no, so sorry to hear that Tamsin hope you don't mind me asking but how did you know you had an incompetent cervix? Glad they caught it in time and gave you the stitch!!
Do you have Netflix?! I would definitely get a subscription ha!

Ha! Yes I have every type of tv subscription available thank god or I really would be insane by now! It was found at my 20 weeks scan - well the second appointment for the scan because at the first they couldn't see all of the heart and one hand. So I'm actually really lucky in that i I hadn't had that appointment I could have just gone into labour at any time. They saw I had pretty much no cervical length, funneling and was 1cm dilated!! Pretty scary stuff, and it's pretty much been a blur of appointments and anxiety since then. I go to the hospital every week for various checks and it seems each time there's more bad news so it's been pretty hard. And the bed rest just feeds my anxiety as I can't seem to drag myself away from googling all kinds of horrible outcomes!! I need help

I have been on bed rest since 25 weeks- am now 37. It has been a long road and I am amazed by the million things I have found to distract me. That and now I sleep a lot. x

Aww bless you Tamsin :( I have heard about incompetent cervix and it started to worry me as I was unsure how it was diagnosed if I had no internal scans! I wish you all the best and use this bed rest time to sleep ha! Hope you have lots of food at arms reach too! Or a large bell for DP to hear if he is needed

Hi Tamsin I'm not pregnant, but with DC2 and with DC3 I had complications and lots of time in hospital. You have my sympathy. I found it really hard, especially when I thought DH was not visiting me enough. I had a complete meltdown after 10 days on an ante natal ward!

Here if you want a chat.

Hi Meirasa, that's brilliant news you're at 37 weeks! And great to know you managed to distract yourself enough. Can I ask what the reason was for your bedrest?

Leanne963 - don't worry, they could see it on the normal scan, they then did a transvaginal to see it in detail. Thanks for the support, hopefully I'll be back to give good news one of these days!

AuditAngel - thanks, it's nice to know there are others who've been through this. I'm grateful I'm at least at home rather than in the hospital, though I'm so anxious I'd quite like constant monitoring! If you don't mind saying were your complications due to preterm labour?

Hi I am currently on bed rest but very early in pregnancy...10wks. My bed rest this time is due to a hemmorhage from a clot at 7wks 5days. At the time I believed I had miscarried. Scan following day showed lil bean with heartbeat aswell as clot n bruising in my uterus but lower than the sac. Scan a week later due to much anxiety showed lil bean growing well but clot is too. Consequently been told to stay on bed rest as bleeding will continue n is doing so feel like stuck in limbo land. This is my fifth pregnancy....first 2 angel bbys lost at 16 wks and 2nd at 22wks. 3rd pregnancy had my beautiful girl now 5yrs old. Had a planned cerclage with her at 10wks n bed rest. Mmc with fourth pregnancy at 10wks n now at 10 weeks again feeling very anxious, frustrated n don't know where am going.
My thoughts are with u during this very testing time xx

Ps
plus experiencing weird shooting pains in my head to top it all off x

Tamsin I'm happy to talk about my problems. I am a regular poster on the pregnancy boards as I would love to help anyone else with the same problems.

I suffered with Placenta Praevia. This is where the placenta covers the cervix. It comes in different grades, the most serious being Grade 4, which is what I had both times. Also PP can be stable (placenta at the bottom but no actual symptoms) or unstable which means lots of bleeding, which is what I had.

With DS (DC1) I had manual removal of placenta. One of the consultants did a study to see if manual removal increases the incidence of PP.

WITH DD1, I was fine until a big bleed at 33.5 weeks. I was in for 48 hours, sent home, but was back in again the next day as the bleeding started again. The bleeding carried on more or less until a planned CS at 37.5 weeks. In this pregnancy I was given no advice, other than to call the labour ward if I bled.

I was confined to the maternity unit, although not on bed rest. I was not even allowed to walk along to the main hospital block to the shop or coffee shop with my husband.

I spent 10 days on an ante natal ward, with 4 beds. The continual noise messed with my head until I lost the plot and had a minor hissy fit

I was then moved to a private room which meant I could sleep. I was allowed to work from my room, which helped me to stay sane! At that stage my company had 4 managers. One if with pneumonia, one off with morning sickness, and me in hospital!

With DD2, I bled at 24 weeks. After 3 nights in hospital I was told I couldn't go back to work . We eventually agreed I would stay home for 2 weeks. 2 hours after returning to the office, I was back in the hospital with more bleeding. Steroids given for baby's lungs.

Admissions again 3 times in week 31, final admission at 33 weeks. Section booked for 37 weeks, but after a big bleed at 36 weeks, EMCS at 36+1

This time round was better as they were much more aware of my mental health. One day a midwife took me over to the coffee shop. Another sunny October day I was sent to sit outside on a bench to read in the sunshine. One of the midwives left me her key card to swipe myself back into the ward in case I started bleeding.

I love the NHS, we would be bankrupt without it, DD2 and I would probably be dead, and that is if I had survived having DD1.

When I was let out after the first admission with DD2, I had to have a grown up with me all the time. Now I love my mum, and she means well, but if I say I'm not hungry as I had breakfast an hour ago, then I don't want to eat cake!