bed rest.

oh, crap.

i went back today to have them check my cervix again prior to going out of town tomorrow. i was so nervous the past two visits but after it had held steady at 3.2cm for two weeks i pretty much stopped worrying and assumed everything was fine. well, you know what happens when we assume.

suddenly today my cervix is only measuring 2.5cm. yes, that's a decrease of almost an entire centimeter in just over one week. the doctor was alarmed. i suppose i have been more active the past week or so than i was prior to that, but i'm still not doing anything crazy. i've done a lot of walking, gone to prenatal yoga and pilates, went to the movies and out to dinner, done some stuff around the house. but no heavy lifting, no strenuous exercise. it's so frustrating.

he told me i absolutely could not travel, and then when i started to cry told me that the only way he could possibly consider it okay would be if i laid flat on my back for the entire car ride there and back (the jostling and bumping of the car is very bad for pressure on the cervix) and, while at my parents' house, i remained on the couch or in bed at all times. he went over the details of me going into labor and having the baby super early in a city so far from home, with doctors that don't know my situation, and then having the baby hooked up to machines for months and us unable to come home. i know he was being dramatic and giving me the worst case scenario, but it was enough to convince me that it was not worth the risk to travel right now.

so for the next week it's complete bed rest, plus i'm starting two medications. one i'll stay on for the rest of the pregnancy: procardia, which prevents further shortening and other labor symptoms. the other one is indomethacin, and i'm only taking it for four days. that one is apparently the same kind of medication, but it seems to be stronger and can actually help to rebuild the cervix, so there's a chance it might get thicker and more stable again. this medication may also give us information about why the cervix in shortening in the first place: studies have shown that if it does restore the cervix to normal after a week of use this generally means the woman was experiencing preterm labor which led to the shortening. but if, after a week on the medication, the cervix doesn't change this means that the cervical tissue is simply weak. if this is the case, the cerclage (cervical stitch) surgery is usually done, but i think that i am too far along in my pregnancy for that procedure now. so... i'm guessing for me that would just mean more bed rest.

i go back a week from today. in the meantime, instead of embarking on an exciting vacation to see all my family and close friends, i will be sitting on my butt on the couch. i am so bummed about this. but i'm hoping beyond hope that this week will take care of the problem and i'll at least be able to resume some activity. but even if it's bed rest 'til the end, i know the most important thing is taking care of this baby. as excited as i am for him to get here, i don't want it to happen before it's time. the doctor said 34 weeks is the absolute earlier that it's even remotely okay for him to arrive, and even that (still 5 1/2 weeks from now!) would obviously be early. so i will do what i need to do, and hope that the hubby is available and amenable to waiting on me hand and foot for the next week. i guess that part could be kinda fun.