Amanda's surgery went flawlessly. The doctor who performed the surgery is the best in the city. He placed the two cerclage stitches very high and very tight, just under the bladder. They had to run blue dye into Amanda to make sure the bladder or the ureters weren't punctured in the process. All things look fine.
Amanda's biggest hurdle: the needles. She went through it like a champ! Because Amanda has deep veins in her arms, they had to attach her I.V. via her hand - Ouch! They shot her with Lidocaine beforehand, though, so the "stick" wasn't felt. Probably the proudest moment for me, pre-surgery, was when the Anesthesiologist gave Amanda the option of knock-out gas and "the needle." The knock-out gas would pose a greater threat to the baby. Amanda faced her greatest fear and, like a true BLM, opted for the needle...which ended up being a simple spinal block, not an epidural.
The surgery took approximately 15 minutes, and then off to recovery!
The doctor warned that Amanda would be sore for a few days. This was a major understatement. Because of Amanda being pregnant, the nurse staff wouldn't give her the "good stuff." Amanda equates the pain to contraction pains which never let up. She's been on a regiment of Motrin (and Tylenol 3 for the unbearable pain).
Amanda's been instructed to stay on pelvic rest (in bed) for two weeks. She'll then be re-evaluated, and it will be determined if she'll need to stay on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. She did get her cervix measured, and it was still at 3.4cm, what it was at our last OB/GYN appointment. We also had an ultrasound done to make sure the baby was doing fine. I'm happy to say that Baby M was just chillin' with his/her legs crossed, waving "Hi" to everyone, as if to say, "I'm doing fine and won't be going anywhere for 20+ weeks."
One last comment:
When the doctor took me aside in the waiting room to tell me the news, he was all smiles (he remembered Amanda from when he attempted the same cerclage surgery for her last August, when Amanda's water broke before the surgery even began). He said that Amanda will not lose this baby due to an incompetent cervix. That's phenomenal news! Please keep Amanda in your prayers (as we do with all of you) that the pain will subside quickly and that Baby M will stay safe until (s)he is ready to meet his/her mommy and daddy for the first time as a healthy newborn.
-the Hubby
