We have some answers

Well I told you I would update you as soon as we had some information. So here it is. :)


Thanks to some great friends and a fantastic fertility specialist we got the name of a doctor who specializes in pre-term labor. He is a High Risk OB who practices at Missouri Baptist in St. Louis. His name is Dr. Michael Paul. When he came into the exam room the first thing he said after he introduced himself was I was going to be an easy case. Those words made me relax immediately. He started off by asking us some questions about what I was feeling before labor and how the labor ended.  Then he asks me if anyone has ever told me I had a small cervix. I kind of thought this was going to come up at this point but wasn't sure until he asked me that question.  I told him no. Then he asked me if anyone said anything to me about having a shortened cervix at my 20 week ultrasound.  The answer was of course no.  He said a normal cervix averages between 30-35 mm. At my 20 week ultrasound to my surprise my cervix was only measuring 19mm. I immediately asked him why no one said anything to me about it and why it wasn't a concern at that time.  He, of course, could not answer that question.  But what he could tell us is how he is going to prevent all of this from happening again.  Dr. Paul diagnosed me with a weak cervix. He said technically he can't diagnose me with an incompetent cervix unless I have lost two pregnancies.  Which he said he was not going to let happen.  At this point he started going into what our course of action was going to be when I got pregnant again.  He said between weeks 12-14 he would put in a cervical cerclage. For those of you who don't know, he will be putting a stitch (he explained this 'stitch' being the thickness and width of a shoe string) in the bottom of my cervix to help keep it closed so I can carry as close to full term as possible. He said he will also put me on progesterone shots at that time as well until the end of my pregnancy.  He will take the stitch out at 36 weeks and allow me to be 'normal' for a few weeks before baby gets here. Dr. Paul also told us he would be the one delivering and the only Dr. we would see throughout my whole pregnancy. He said I will see him quite a bit even starting out in my pregnancy I will see him twice a month with lots of ultrasounds. I was reassured that he is going to be watching me very closely. He told me and Tom that most of the time after the cerclage is put in and a few days rest the majority of his patients go on to work full time and until the end of their pregnancy.  This was great news for me since I am a teacher and I have kids to think about at work too.  Regardless we are prepared to do whatever we need to do in order for us to bring a baby home next time. With my impending 'due date' approaching this has me thinking more about the 'what ifs' or 'could haves'.  I so long to bring a baby home in my arms.  I say 'I' but I know Tom feels the same way as well.  We are so anxious to have a little brother or sister for Honor.  We are praying that God's will be done.  We know I can get pregnant, now it's just a matter of if we can do it on our own or if we are going to need a little help.  Our hope and prayer is that we will be blessed with a child on our own and not need that little extra push to get things going. We are so glad to have found a doctor how is going to be so proactive and keep us safe. Someone who is so knowledgeable in their field.  We feel very safe with him. I think that's all for now. Please keep the prayers coming and we hope to share some more good news very very soon. :) I just keep reminding myself God has a plan and Honor was a huge part of that plan. We would not be where we are now with out her. We miss our sweet girl.
Love
Tom and Whit