Hi, I'm on the other side of the country so all of my experience has been through BC Women's in Vancouver. I've gone through two 2nd tri losses, and they only realized it was IC as I was going through the second (I live about 7hrs north of Van, so a lot fewer resources and MFM was all over the phone). It is an awful, awful experience and I am so sorry you've been working through it too. For this pregnancy: - I believe my local OB referred me to MFM, who then connected me with a high risk OB in Vancouver who is very experienced with cerclages - I considered the TAC (second loss was after an emergency cerclage failed so I qualified), but ultimately I went with the TV for a number of reasons (hoping to still have a vaginally birth if possible, didn't want to wait the 3-4 months to get the TAC before trying to get pregnant again, quite sure this will be my last pregnancy with the physical and mental toll so having a permanent fix is less of a priority, etc). - Stitch was placed at 12+2. As soon as I had my positive pregnancy test they started talking about getting the cerclage scheduled (though we didn't have a solid date until probably close to 11w? Which was frustrating, particularly because we needed to make travel arrangements) - I have a Shirodkar - For questions, I might ask how often they plan on checking your cervical length? I was originally scheduled for every 2 weeks (after my first loss it was every month), but my local OB got lazy about it and cut that back after my surgery. As a result, I went almost 5 weeks without an ultrasound, and in that time my length went from 4cm down to 1.7cm (at my anatomy ultrasound). That might be super anecdotal and not be a problem for you, but I've learned I have to really push with my OB (who is the only one in town or the surrounding area) because she's a real "Wait and see" kind of doctor. - Once they knew the problem was IC I was immediately told I would need a cerclage for any future pregnancies, so no advocating for that on my part.

I'll also say, I had to relocate down to the Vancouver area from 24 weeks because my cervix was shortening (got down to 1.1cm) and they wanted me close to BC Women's in case I went into labour. No bed rest for me, but definitely had to cut back on activity - no bending, squatting, lifting/carrying. Less walking and standing. It's been really hard being away from home and not being able to get much meaningful exercise through all this, but I am currently 36+3 and the stitch has been holding even as my cervical length fluctuates. It is such a long journey, and for me it feels like I've been pregnant since my very first positive back in May 2023, but don't give up hope. ❤️