So my OB called me yesterday with the results of my 24 hour urine collection and informs me that I have mild preeclampsia. And now that I am diagnosed they need to monitor me much more closely because it can go from mild to severe very quickly. So he made me go into L&D triage yesterday for a few hours for blood pressure monitoring, some labs, and a NST on the baby.
When I got to the hospital my BP was 142/90, which wasn't good. BUT, after that it started to go back down to normal, which was good. Labs came back OK, and the NST was good. Hannah wasn't in any stress and is doing just fine. So they allowed me to go home. The doctor on duty there told me I will have to go into the office twice a week right now for BP monitoring and that I need to be taking it myself every hour or so at home (which I've been doing already).
I know the doctors want me to keep Hannah in there until at least 37 weeks so hopefully nothing escalates too much before then.
Oh and I'm now officially on complete bed rest, which SUCKS. I get bored very easily but hey, whatever is best for baby and me.
I've been pretty calm with the diagnosis until I started googling which I need to stay away from. I need to just have faith that the doctors are doing enough to make sure we are safe.
On Friday I will have an u/s to check growth and also to check my placentas position. If my placenta has not moved the 2cm at least away from the cervix I will definitely be having a c-section. I hope the tech will be willing to give me some of those numbers....otherwise I have to wait until Monday....
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
I CAN'T STOP...
...EATING!
I have so many cravings everyday that it is hard to keep up! And I get these super specific cravings for random things like fried ice cream, apple crisp, chicken pot pie....and so on.
Yesterday I had a fairly normal craving for CUPCAKES! So I made my hubby take me out to the new cupcake store in town. And we brought home SIX! The flavors were Peach Cobbler, Sweet Potato, White Chocolate Raspberry, Red Velvet, and Peanut Butter Cup. Ohhh they were delicious. I ate 3 in less than 12 hours.
I am such a fatty.
I have so many cravings everyday that it is hard to keep up! And I get these super specific cravings for random things like fried ice cream, apple crisp, chicken pot pie....and so on.
Yesterday I had a fairly normal craving for CUPCAKES! So I made my hubby take me out to the new cupcake store in town. And we brought home SIX! The flavors were Peach Cobbler, Sweet Potato, White Chocolate Raspberry, Red Velvet, and Peanut Butter Cup. Ohhh they were delicious. I ate 3 in less than 12 hours.
I am such a fatty.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
35 Week Checkup!
Alright so now that I got all that other stuff off my chest in my last post, let's move onto some updates about the pregnancy!
I had my OB checkup yesterday with my favorite doctor at the practice, Dr. Crider. I was so happy to finally see him because it's been months (he's been all booked up). Luckily I scheduled all the rest of my appointments for the rest of pregnancy and will get to see him every time.
I've gained 1 pound since two weeks ago putting the grand total at 8 pounds so far. I am very happy with that considering I started out overweight to begin with and the doctors are very happy too.
Belly is measuring over 36 weeks which could indicate a bigger baby, but it could also mean nothing.
I am NOT dilated at all (dammit!) but my cervix is soft and beginning to thin out he said so that is a positive thing. Little girl had turned herself breech two days ago but then turned herself back head down which I was happy to find out.
Now to the concerns of the pregnancy. My BP is high, like 141/91 and there is protein in my urine which are all potential signs of pre-eclampsia. So, I have to monitor my BP (my parents lent me their machine) and I also started a 24 hour urine collection this morning. I have to put every pee I do into a jug that I will be bringing back to the lab. It's a pain in the ass considering I pee every 2 min, but hey, you do what you gotta go. All day yesterday my BP was on the higher side but it did get to normal at one point. Dr. Crider believes the 24 hour urine collection should give us some more answers.
The other concern is about my placenta. It's been low lying ever since my 19 week scan. I had another u/s at 31 weeks (because my doctors felt it would most likely have moved up by then) but it was still too low lying. So now I go in at 36 weeks (Friday, Sept 21st) for a final u/s to determine whether or not it is far enough away from my cervix for a vaginal birth. It has to be at least 2 centimeters away. If not, we have no choice but to schedule a c-section which will happen somewhere around 39 weeks. I wish I could say I had a good feeling about this, but I don't. I just have this gut feeling that my placenta has not moved enough and I want to prepare myself for the disappointment if I'm not able to give birth vaginally. So I'm preparing. And if I go in and it's moved, then awesome. If not, I will just know that the c-section will be the safest option for me and Hannah.
So...that's basically it right now. I had some stuff I wanted to do today but I think it would be awkward to go out with my pee jugs. Lol....although it does make me laugh thinking about it. So I will sit here and home and just collect pee all day!
I had my OB checkup yesterday with my favorite doctor at the practice, Dr. Crider. I was so happy to finally see him because it's been months (he's been all booked up). Luckily I scheduled all the rest of my appointments for the rest of pregnancy and will get to see him every time.
I've gained 1 pound since two weeks ago putting the grand total at 8 pounds so far. I am very happy with that considering I started out overweight to begin with and the doctors are very happy too.
Belly is measuring over 36 weeks which could indicate a bigger baby, but it could also mean nothing.
I am NOT dilated at all (dammit!) but my cervix is soft and beginning to thin out he said so that is a positive thing. Little girl had turned herself breech two days ago but then turned herself back head down which I was happy to find out.
Now to the concerns of the pregnancy. My BP is high, like 141/91 and there is protein in my urine which are all potential signs of pre-eclampsia. So, I have to monitor my BP (my parents lent me their machine) and I also started a 24 hour urine collection this morning. I have to put every pee I do into a jug that I will be bringing back to the lab. It's a pain in the ass considering I pee every 2 min, but hey, you do what you gotta go. All day yesterday my BP was on the higher side but it did get to normal at one point. Dr. Crider believes the 24 hour urine collection should give us some more answers.
The other concern is about my placenta. It's been low lying ever since my 19 week scan. I had another u/s at 31 weeks (because my doctors felt it would most likely have moved up by then) but it was still too low lying. So now I go in at 36 weeks (Friday, Sept 21st) for a final u/s to determine whether or not it is far enough away from my cervix for a vaginal birth. It has to be at least 2 centimeters away. If not, we have no choice but to schedule a c-section which will happen somewhere around 39 weeks. I wish I could say I had a good feeling about this, but I don't. I just have this gut feeling that my placenta has not moved enough and I want to prepare myself for the disappointment if I'm not able to give birth vaginally. So I'm preparing. And if I go in and it's moved, then awesome. If not, I will just know that the c-section will be the safest option for me and Hannah.
So...that's basically it right now. I had some stuff I wanted to do today but I think it would be awkward to go out with my pee jugs. Lol....although it does make me laugh thinking about it. So I will sit here and home and just collect pee all day!
Monday, September 10, 2012
The Truth About How I Feel
Was reminded today that I haven't wrote in awhile. SORRY! I've been a huge slacker.
Anyway, I haven't really written because I was debating whether or not I should write this entry. Why? Because I'm afraid it makes me sound ungrateful. And when so many people you care about are still trying to get to this place, you don't want to offend anyone by complaining. But then I think, this IS my blog. And those people know how much I care for them and root for them so I don't think they would take it the wrong way. I want to be honest too. It would be more wrong of me to fake happiness and joy when the reality is that I have been struggling so bad that sometimes I can't stop crying.
Let me say first that I love this little girl inside of me already with all of my heart and soul. And I dream nonstop about that first moment when I will see her face. I know this is all worth it, I do. I am so grateful to be pregnant with her. I wouldn't want it any other way.
But that being said, FOR ME, pregnancy has been completely horrible. Not just bad or tough, but actually torturous. I thought the first trimester (and half of my 2nd) was the worst because I couldn't stop vomiting for the life of me. But no, third trimester is without a doubt much worse than that.
Let's go through the list, shall we? Let me point out also, that I am feeling ALL of these things, every single day, at the same time.
1. Constipation: I never knew that constipation could cause pain like this. I already have IBS and the constipation makes the pain 10x worse. The horrible cramping and pain from straining is just awful. I currently take 2 stool softeners/day plus this nasty prune juice/applesauce/bran mixture that the doctor said to eat daily to help regulate me. That being said, sometimes I still only go once a week...if I'm lucky.
2. Hemorrhoids: Because of the constipation I have developed lovely internal hemorrhoids. The pain is unlike anything I've ever felt. At one point, I was unable to sit or even walk. I got to have a really fun rectal exam for those and have suppositories to take on and off, but they are clearly not clearing up anytime soon.
3. Acid Reflux: Basically I wake up every night choking on acid vomit. I'm on Nexium AND Zantac and I try to sleep partially elevated. Still doesn't help. It's just brutal.
4. Hip and Pelvic Pain: I'm thinking I may have SPD.....my hips are constantly creaking and cracking and I have this HORRIBLE pain in my pelvic area. I feel it the most when I'm sleeping and try to change position. It's just awful.
5. Foot pain: I have plantars fascitis so I already had issues with this. But apparently pregnancy makes it much worse. The pain on the bottom of my feet is so bad that I can't be on my feet for more than 5 minutes at a time or I literally cannot walk anymore. I do some physical therapy exercises to try to help it but they really don't do much.
6. Nausea- Still have it, still sucks.
7. Interstitial Cystitis: I have this bladder condition that causes me to pee every few minutes. When you're pregnant, it's made much worse. I don't sleep at night because I am up every 15 minutes having to pee. The pressure down there is so bad sometimes I don't make it to the toilet on time.
8. Restless Legs: If you've ever had restless legs you know how torturous it can really be. Falling asleep is like a joke, because my legs and feet feel crazy and I can't do a damn thing about it.
9. Swelling: I have Fred Flintstone Feet and Sausage fingers. And they go numb all the time.
I'm going to stop there because it's just a lot. And that list doesn't even include some of the smaller typical pregnancy issues. Basically, experiencing this has made me question whether or not I could go through it again. When you have a lot of medical issues to begin with, it just makes everything that much harder. Before I was pregnant, I would experience some of these things, but mostly not at the same time. So it was much more manageable. Now, it's all at once. And I'm having a hard time dealing. I cry. A lot. And I just feel like a mess and a failure. I am so thankful for my kind and patient husband because I don't know that I could get through this without him without going completely insane.
All I can do is pray that the moment Hannah is placed in my arms, that I will forget how bad some of this was. Everyone keeps telling me I will and I really hope so. I do know that if I do want to get pregnant again at some point that I would like to start by being in better physical shape than I am now. I'm sure that's contributed to some of the pain and discomfort.
Anyway, it's all out in the open now. I hope I am not judged too harshly for my feelings. I do try to look at the bright side and that is that I have a healthy and active little girl inside me. I am also so incredibly grateful to the women from my DDC and another small private group because everyone shares without judgement and supports each other and I think that's a beautiful thing.
Only a few more weeks to go. I know I can do this.
Anyway, I haven't really written because I was debating whether or not I should write this entry. Why? Because I'm afraid it makes me sound ungrateful. And when so many people you care about are still trying to get to this place, you don't want to offend anyone by complaining. But then I think, this IS my blog. And those people know how much I care for them and root for them so I don't think they would take it the wrong way. I want to be honest too. It would be more wrong of me to fake happiness and joy when the reality is that I have been struggling so bad that sometimes I can't stop crying.
Let me say first that I love this little girl inside of me already with all of my heart and soul. And I dream nonstop about that first moment when I will see her face. I know this is all worth it, I do. I am so grateful to be pregnant with her. I wouldn't want it any other way.
But that being said, FOR ME, pregnancy has been completely horrible. Not just bad or tough, but actually torturous. I thought the first trimester (and half of my 2nd) was the worst because I couldn't stop vomiting for the life of me. But no, third trimester is without a doubt much worse than that.
Let's go through the list, shall we? Let me point out also, that I am feeling ALL of these things, every single day, at the same time.
1. Constipation: I never knew that constipation could cause pain like this. I already have IBS and the constipation makes the pain 10x worse. The horrible cramping and pain from straining is just awful. I currently take 2 stool softeners/day plus this nasty prune juice/applesauce/bran mixture that the doctor said to eat daily to help regulate me. That being said, sometimes I still only go once a week...if I'm lucky.
2. Hemorrhoids: Because of the constipation I have developed lovely internal hemorrhoids. The pain is unlike anything I've ever felt. At one point, I was unable to sit or even walk. I got to have a really fun rectal exam for those and have suppositories to take on and off, but they are clearly not clearing up anytime soon.
3. Acid Reflux: Basically I wake up every night choking on acid vomit. I'm on Nexium AND Zantac and I try to sleep partially elevated. Still doesn't help. It's just brutal.
4. Hip and Pelvic Pain: I'm thinking I may have SPD.....my hips are constantly creaking and cracking and I have this HORRIBLE pain in my pelvic area. I feel it the most when I'm sleeping and try to change position. It's just awful.
5. Foot pain: I have plantars fascitis so I already had issues with this. But apparently pregnancy makes it much worse. The pain on the bottom of my feet is so bad that I can't be on my feet for more than 5 minutes at a time or I literally cannot walk anymore. I do some physical therapy exercises to try to help it but they really don't do much.
6. Nausea- Still have it, still sucks.
7. Interstitial Cystitis: I have this bladder condition that causes me to pee every few minutes. When you're pregnant, it's made much worse. I don't sleep at night because I am up every 15 minutes having to pee. The pressure down there is so bad sometimes I don't make it to the toilet on time.
8. Restless Legs: If you've ever had restless legs you know how torturous it can really be. Falling asleep is like a joke, because my legs and feet feel crazy and I can't do a damn thing about it.
9. Swelling: I have Fred Flintstone Feet and Sausage fingers. And they go numb all the time.
I'm going to stop there because it's just a lot. And that list doesn't even include some of the smaller typical pregnancy issues. Basically, experiencing this has made me question whether or not I could go through it again. When you have a lot of medical issues to begin with, it just makes everything that much harder. Before I was pregnant, I would experience some of these things, but mostly not at the same time. So it was much more manageable. Now, it's all at once. And I'm having a hard time dealing. I cry. A lot. And I just feel like a mess and a failure. I am so thankful for my kind and patient husband because I don't know that I could get through this without him without going completely insane.
All I can do is pray that the moment Hannah is placed in my arms, that I will forget how bad some of this was. Everyone keeps telling me I will and I really hope so. I do know that if I do want to get pregnant again at some point that I would like to start by being in better physical shape than I am now. I'm sure that's contributed to some of the pain and discomfort.
Anyway, it's all out in the open now. I hope I am not judged too harshly for my feelings. I do try to look at the bright side and that is that I have a healthy and active little girl inside me. I am also so incredibly grateful to the women from my DDC and another small private group because everyone shares without judgement and supports each other and I think that's a beautiful thing.
Only a few more weeks to go. I know I can do this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)