The Stitch

I had my post surgery ultrasound today to follow up on the progress of the stitch and see how my poor cervix is holding up. Well none of this is bad news, but how about this time I start with the least exciting of the positive news and work my way up to the best part of the visit? Saving the best for last this time, instead of closing out with the bad news.

Essentially I have no cervix left whatsoever so it is the stitch and only the stitch that is keeping these two in. Three cheers for the stitch, it is so far doing a stellar job. Now apparently Dr. Cooper was not at all suprised that this was the case and he didn't see this as bad news at all, it was exactly as he expected. I on the other hand was quite disappointed to hear this because I had hoped it had maintained some sort of integrity and was, if even partially, still doing its job. Apparently not. Stupid cervix. But I am getting caught up in the details because the important thing is that the stitch is holding so that is great news. And then there is the whole matter of bedrest itself which is doing wonders to work against gravity and put as little stress on the stitch as possible.

More good news is that I am not bleeding or having contractions. While both are apparently very normal under the circumstances and should not cause alarm if either come and go in the coming weeks, he was very pleased to hear that I am physically doing so well and not experiencing anything at all to show that I am under strain. So the cervix itself might be a faulty old piece of you know what, but looks like my body is taking well to the stitch and behaving in an exemplary manner.

Speaking of good behaviour, I got some mad props for how well we are all coping with the bedrest situation. We had a good long talk about how things are going with Rio, Jordan dealing with all the household stuff, and most importantly me remaining on my back, and we assured him that we are managing as well as anyone possibly could. I know it is the hope of any doctor that their patient listens to their orders and follows them exactly as described, but I think today we really convinced Dr. Cooper that we are going above and beyond what he has asked of us. He made me feel like he was genuinely proud of us and that felt good. This is by no means easy for any of the 3 of us (or the family and friends that are so closely involved) but it sure felt good to get a pat on the back from the man in charge.

As for the ultrasound, it was meant to just be a cervix check but ended up being another full on scan of the boys. Let me tell you, those boys are amazing and despite the havoc they are wreaking on their poor mom, they are thriving. They are almost exactly the same size - 1lb 13oz each - and their measurements are within millimetres of each other. So way to go boys, you just keep growing and don't be bothered by your incompetent surroundings!

Lastly (and saving the best for last as promised) we got to see Baby A in 3D and it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Most of you have probably seen 3D ultrasound pictures on the Internet or TV, but the still photos do absolutely no justice to watching it happen live. He looked so much like a real baby that I actually said 'he looks like Rio'. We could fully see him opening his mouth to swallow, sucking on his fingers and making kissy lips. It was totally unbelievable and overwhelming and I am SO glad we got to see it.

So that's that. All in all we could not have asked for a better outcome. I mean really, unless my cervix magically regrew itself we are looking at best case scenario here. Phew. So now I see Colleen (at home) this week and next and in 2 weeks I am back to the hospital for another ultrasound, Rhogam shot (I'm RH negative but won't bore you with an explanation if you're not familiar) and diabetes test. In a week following that I see Dr. Cooper again and at the end of all that I'm 29 weeks. Golden. Eyes on the prize to 32 weeks, it will be here in no time! Meanwhile, you know where to find me.