After six months of comparatively hassle-free and easy pregnancy, I faced the first challenge. I used to wonder why I was so lucky to be free of nausea or any pregnancy related fatigue. But I had least idea about what was in store for me. We, in Kerala have a custom called ‘Kootikondupoval’ which is equal to the ‘ Godh bharai’ or ‘Valakappu’. The preggy’s parents come to her marital home with 7 varieties of eatables on the 7th month of pregnancy and take their daughter to her parental home. I was super excited to go to my own home and relish the pampering and love of my parents. But the happiness didn’t last long.
I had been having pain in my pubic bone for the days preceding the function. But after two days, the pain was unbearable and I was taken to the hospital. On checking doctor informed me that ‘os’ are open. Now this time I didn’t have the time to go back home and Google about the OS because doctor said that I needed to be admitted and a stitch needed to be applied to my uterus in order to prevent a pre term delivery or abortion. Doctor said that I had an incompetent cervix.
Image courtesy :- http://www.medindia.net
“Had you not been diagnosed at the right time, you would have lost your first born. Your cervix had a two finger opening”, said the doctor later.
Back in the hospital room, I’m engaged with the universal tutor, Google. Google told me that incompetent cervix means that my Cervical tissues are weak and that cervix begins to dilate and efface before term, and hence the pain. OS is the opening of the cervix to the uterus.Applying the stitches in the cervix to hold it closed is called encerclage.
Normally encerclage is done earlier by about 12-14 weeks of pregnancy but in my case it was 28 weeks. This is a rarity but not the first of its kind. Applying a cerclage during the late pregnancy is called emergent cerclage. The patient will be given general or epidural anaesthesia. I was given general anaesthesia for the three pregnancies. Yes, you heard it right. For the three pregnancies I had to undergo encerclage. But it is not necessary that for everyone it is so. There are mothers who underwent encerclage for the first pregnancy but had a trouble free pregnancy further. This depends on the strength of your uterus.
There are three types of encirclages. We will find the difference and furthermore in the next post .
Read the previous posts on this topic
The test time- TVS and Obstetric scan
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