The Boss

I am learning all too quickly who the boss is these days. Gone are the days where I was the only one in charge of me. I have learned over the last few days that, at least for right now, baby girl is in charge. She is the boss. This of course will have to change at some point, but not until she is out of the womb. 

This past weekend was a busy one. I had my baby shower (more on that later) along with a few weekend dinner dates. Not to mention the usual house work and meal prep ect. I noticed at church on Sunday that my feet were unusually swollen. I took a picture to send to my mom thinking it was just funny.  She called me right after church and told me she was concerned. Why would you be concerned over swollen feet? This happens to all pregnant women, right? The answer is yes and no. Most pregnant women’s feet swell, but not all of their feet look like they belong to an elephant.  She told me I should just check in with the dr. Monday morning. That night I looked up a little about preeclampsia which was what she was worried about. It mentioned sudden weight gain as a symptom as well. When I got on the scale the next morning I weight 7 lb more than I did a few days prior. That got me worried.

I went to work as normal and waited for the doctor’s office to open. When I called they scheduled me for an appt an hour later. At that appointment my blood pressure was high and the dr. was concerned with the swelling. He told me to go home and lay on my left side for the next two days, this was suppose to help with the swelling.  He also started me on a 24 hour urine collection to check for protein in my urine which would indicate preeclampsia. 

I did as I was told and enjoyed the change of pace. I liked being told I had to relax for a few days. I went back in to the doctor on Tuesday and my swelling and BP had gone down. It seemed like rest was all I needed. He had me stay home one more day while we waited for the test results. I was ok with one more day off. The tests came back normal and I was given a clean bill of health.

I went back to work on Thursday. After being there for a while I felt my feet get tingly and start to swell. I thought I might have the school nurse take my blood pressure… it was really high this time. She told me to call the Dr. I did and he told me to go in right away and someone would see me. Perfect. So back I went.  The Dr. that saw me took my BP and it was once again, high. She said that it was something that had to be taken seriously and that she was sending me to the hospital for some tests, and that I might not just be there for a few hours. I may have started to break down.  Hadn’t I done what I was suppose to? I had relaxed and kept my feet up, why wasn’t my BP cooperating with me? It seemed so scary to be sent to the hospital to the high risk unit. 

I tried to call Mike but he was on another call at work so I called my mom and broke down. That probably had her even more worried than before because I NEVER cry. I told her what was going on then I pulled myself together and called Mike. He was pretty swamped at work so I didn’t want him to worry or feel that he needed to leave work to come sit with me if I was only going to be there for a few hours. I checked in at the hospital and they showed me to my room. I didn’t think I’d have my own room. Then they showed me the gown they wanted me to put on. I didn’t think I’d have to wear a gown. I tried not to worry and to just take big breaths. Once I was situated they hooked me up to a BP deal that took my BP every 15 minutes, they put monitors on my belly to listen to baby girls heartbeat as well. They did an ultrasound to make sure I had enough fluid in my uterus and that everything else looked good (which it did.) They also drew my blood and ran some more tests. After about two hours they said my BP had gone down and that my test results were good and that I could go home.

My doctor called and told me I would need to come in twice a week from now on to have a nonstress test run and to keep an eye on the development of the little one. The doctors have all been really great and I am glad to know they are taking so many precautions to make sure all is well. 

This has been quite the ride and has taken a toll on me emotionally. I have been so blessed to have such an easy pregnancy thus far.  No morning sickness, no aches and pains, I’ve felt great and been confident in my body’s ability to carry this baby. I’ve always just felt like my body was made to have babies; that I’d be one of those people who are back at it a few days after delivery. Now I feel slightly defeated. I’ve been sure to keep exercising and eat healthy through my pregnancy to ensure my body was in the best shape it could for the third trimester and delivery.  Now I feel like I have no control over any of it; which is a hard thing for my “type A” personality to deal with. Despite it all I’m trying to keep an optimistic attitude. Pregnancy is such a blessing and I am reminded of that every time I feel her little feet kick me. This is just the beginning of my life of selflessness and sacrifice for my children, and I couldn’t be more happy or excited.