So a week ago I suffered what only could have been a panic attack. After visiting with friends and their new baby, I felt incredibly overwhelmed. Well, that's an understatement. It was more like I was suffocating. A visit that should have made me excited about our impending delivery only left me feeling anxious, conflicted, and depressed. And the next day I got to go to work and face a huge union labor blow-up where the responsibility fell on me to put together tons of things to file in federal court. It was not the best day. To top it off, I saw my OB in the afternoon for my regular appointment and my blood pressure was sky high.
I tried to explain that it had been a really stressful couple of days. But, that didn't allay my OB's fears and she started to talk to me about preeclampsia. I already knew what she meant, because early on in the pregnancy I had already read the "what could go wrong" section in my pregnancy books. (Hey, I like to be prepared for the worst, don't judge). So I knew this was not a good thing. I got to take another trip down to the lab, where my new friends there said "why are you back again?!!" But they were nice enough to show concern and ask how the glucose test went. I was relieved when I got a mychart message and a phone call the next day telling me the results were normal.
Today was my follow-up, and I figured I would just waltz in, be there for 10 minutes, and everything would be fine. Not so. The first BP reading they took was a LOT higher than last week. Then, after the nurse had me do some relaxation imagery, they took it again. It came down a bit, but still higher than last week. I still think I am ok, because everything else has been normal, but my OB is still being cautious (which I prefer anyway) and is having me check my BP twice a day for the next week. Then, I have to take the day off work tomorrow so I can (TMI***) collect all of my urine for the following 24 hours. Joy.
On the bright side, the doc says it might just be plain old regular hypertension - a wonderful family trait passed down for generations. She says it poses no danger to me or the baby during pregnancy, but that it can also show me a glimpse into my future. Like I didn't know that already.
I would obviously choose generic high BP over preeclampsia any day. Keep your fingers crossed.
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3 comments:
starting around this time when i was pregnant with levi, i started swelling and my BP shot up. i had to take my own BP 4 times daily until the end of my pregnancy, and i had the wonderful experience of doing two separate 24 urine collections....in the end, they never called me "pre-eclampsia", just pregnancy induced hypertension, even after needing to be admitted for observation to hillcrest solely because of my BP. I was on medication to control it until my 6 week post-partum checkup too, BUT, i was able to carry Levi to full term and just made sure to take things easily. I wonder when my BP problems will start this time- im hoping NEVER!!!! I am sure everything will be fine with you abby, and with baby botnick......
Thinking of you and baby!
Hey Abby, Hope you are doing well! You're almost done...
On a side note, your visit with the new baby reminded me of when Cole was 10 days old and my friend from NY visited for a few days with her 10 month old. I was totally FREAKED OUT. I couldn't believe my little baby was going to become this non-stop moving monster.
And he did, and I adjusted to it all and wouldn't have it any other way.
So ... I guess what I'm saying is it's normal to be overwhelmed but remember you'll adjust and you won't even know it.
I'm thinking of both my Eaton Rd mommies-to-be.
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