CERCLAGES CAN BE SUCCESSFUL! DON'T BE AFRAID!!!

I do have a post about my two cerclage experiences in draft form but it's long and I don't know when I will get time to finish it right now. However I've been reading some blogs lately and I'm horrified to see that MANY women have second term losses and have been diagnosed with Incompetent cervix or are confused because they had an infection of the membranes and doctors don't know if the incompetent cervix allowed the bacteria up there or if the infection happened and then the women just went into pre term labor. I am AN EXPERT ON THIS SITUATION. DEMAND AN EARLY CERCLAGE at 12 weeks of any subsequent pregnancy, whether your diagnosis was certain or not. DO IT. DO IT. It's scary, but you will not lose your baby during the procedure, the doctors who do these procedures are EXCELLENT. Waiting to see if your cervix will hold later in the pregnancy and then bed rest or an emergent cerclage ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL in A LOT OF CASES. A 12 WEEK CERCLAGE will give you the most opportunity to hold your babies if you in the above categories. I also had intramuscular injections of Progesterone, the oil, injected weekly by my husband. The shots were successful for me and I haven't tried any other way because my doctor said this was the best and only way to get the progesterone where it needed to be. I also refrained from SEX and BATHS during the entire pregnancy. DO NOT TAKE BATHS!!! Some doctors won't tell you this stuff! They say you can have sex a few weeks after the cerclage is placed, don't chance it, not even with condoms because if you have group b strep or other nasty things in your lower vagina, anything in there can push it up to the cervix. I don't even like vaginal wand exams after the cerclage and my office will not do them. Advocate for yourself. FIND SOMEONE who does CERCLAGES and is SUPER CAUTIOUS if your current OB-Gyn is the wait and see type and doesn't want to do cerclages. I'm APPALLED by a story I just read on a blog, the women lost a set of twins to the circumstances above, which was my own as well (singleton though), and when she got pregnant with a second set of twins, a doctor should have IMMEDIATELY set her up for a cerclage. Multiples are saved as well from this procedure and I can't believe there is any evidence out there that this isn't successful with multiples as well. Women with multiples may have more restrictions with a cerclage to keep extra weight off of the cerclage but I've read about women carrying twins having a cerclage and she worked until the very end and had no issue.  Cerclages SAVE BABIES. Plus, it was a relief for me so have it in. It held tight and I promise to put my experience on here soon. DO IT! Don't be afraid, Cerclages are amazing and the risks don't outweigh the benefit=living baby. I have LOADS of information so in the meantime if you need to email me so we can chat about it personally, please please, email me. I will help you make this difficult decision. I had the worst case scenario, group B strep and other bacteria in the vagina and and incompetent cervix. Scary. But I have two living children and wonderful pregnancies and full term deliveries using a cerclage. I have no damage to my cervix and with my second son (first we lost at 21 weeks to IC and infection of placenta and fluid) and I had the WORST CASE scenario when at 11 week, I went in to have my cerclage placed (I opted to stay awake, control thing) and I heard the doctor say in the middle of putting it in, this is the shortest cervix I've ever seen, I'm going to have to pull it to give me something to work with and put two in, and he had to do the Shirodkar which is an older and more invasive procedure. So I am the worst case. I think my short and effaced cervix at that point was due to the fact that we got pregnant three months after losing my first and that wasn't the smartest thing to do. My uterus and cervix were not ready. But I had a cerclage placed and it did it's job. Email me for more info. and my next post will be about my cerclages. For my third son I had a McDonald cerclage at 12 weeks, so I've had them all except a transabdominal. Luckily we didn't have to go that route but we absolutely would have if it meant keeping my baby in until term. And I went to two different surgeons because we had moved from Florida to Virginia. The care was terrific at both places, cerclage placement is more common than you think. Advocate for yourself, it is YOUR DECISION whether or not you have a CERCLAGE PLACED. IT'S YOUR DECISION. YOURS, NOT THE DOCTOR. If they say it's their decision, pack up and go to another doctor. If you've had a 2nd trimester loss or an almost loss (you had a emergent cerclage or bedrest kept your babies in ) and there was any question as to whether or not your cervix was involved-you have the RIGHT to REQUEST A CERCLAGE at 12 weeks in your subsequent pregnancies. Even with multiples, YES!