32-35 Weeks. An Ultra Sound & Blood Pressure Scare

Yes, I'm behind in my updates. No I'm not sorry about it either. My typical days goes as follows; I wake up hella early to start my day and after stretching and a cup of coffee I either have to lay back down or get moving to start my day which involves a lot of waddling. By the end of my day, my cankles need to be up in the air and all I want is my body pillow. This has been my Third Trimester experience. As time goes on, my comfort levels continue to decrease however my anxiety and want to meet our daughter increases.

So...

At 32 weeks, Joe and I went to our appointment to see Dr.Wallis. In addition to the usual urine screen, weight, check in we had an ultra sound appointment. I literally gasped when I saw the difference in our Emma. Our last Ultra Sound was or seemed like months and months ago and while we could see her and all her parts. this time we saw the detailed the curvature in her nose. Her fingers wrapped tightly. Her toes, making contact with her forehead AND the technician even pointed out her hair sticking out from her tiny gorgeous head to which I replied immediately "Oh honey, she already has more hair than you do!" In addition, after reading a story that very morning about a gender label gone wrong, I asked our tech to just simply verify our babes gender and sure enough, we are still in the girl zone :) 

Emma s approximate weight at this time was 4 lbs 9 oz. Mind you the measurements have a 1 lb error margin but to know she is thriving well, all organs and limbs and features doing well left me smiling so much my face started to cramp. Leaving the appointment I felt like I could have simply floated away back to the car in a utter state of glee, something out of a Disney movie with cartoon birds fluttering over my shoulders and harp music ever so gently in the background. 

34 Weeks. The First and Hopefully the Last Scare.

Figuring this would be the normal routine appointment, I dismissed Joe from attending. Naturally this would happen when I would want him around the most. This day I had a work assignment that ended early and decided to take a nice lunch solo at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the area, walking distance to my doctors appointment. I personally find having lunch solo sometimes incredibly therapeutic. I'm not on anyones time except my own. I can people watch, read, eat as slow as I want. My waitress seemed to enjoy my company because she would laugh every time she addressed me, especially when I first walked in and she pointed to my belly and said "oh wow!".... I would have reacted but instead simple smiled, patted my belly and said "Yes, WOW!" (This woman is about to handle my food... I aint no fool). 

Paying my tab and collecting myself, I moseyed over the 2 blocks to my doctors office. I had brought my iPod, the sun was out and I took my sweet time waddling across the busy streets on what was a gorgeous but a bit warm of a day. 

Arriving early, I check in and am immediately called back for the routine procedure.Weight. Urine. Blood pressure. Etc. After leaving my sample in the loo, I waddle into the exam room where the nurse takes my blood pressure. I watch her eyebrows kink and I immediately ask her "What is the number"... she says 138 over something something. I said "I just walked here so let's take another in a few minutes"... knowing this is high for me and maybe the chinese food (whoops sodium) and the walk in the sun were contributors. Second reading is 140. Third reading is 140 aaaaaaand now I'm getting upset. 

Dr.Wallis comes in and tells me that at 140... I'm border line for high blood pressure and she wants me to pee in a jug for 24 hours for lab work. Peeing in a jug? I asked if she was kidding. Sadly, she wasn't. I asked if Emma was ok, what did this mean and she explained that a lot of first time mothers can have pre eclampsia, theres nothing I did to make it happen, but if I do have it there's a chance I may have to deliver in 3 weeks instead of the expected 6 (ish). Panic. Mode. Ensues. 

How the hell am I supposed to remain calm now?? I kept my composure while listening to her instructions (go to the lab downstairs, retrieve jug and urine pan, do bloodwork and go home in a panic) but immediately called Joe choking back tears while exchanging messages with my close friends who I chat with daily. I had joked a few times prior that "Watch.. perfect pregnancy then something will come out of left field and ruin my birth plan, etc.".... I immediately went back to that moment and felt this impending doom lurking.

Thankfully I have an incredibly support system to keep me from pulling out my hair and driving myself crazy. Between my friends.. and Joe I managed to just carry on, do the test all in the end to find out WE ARE AWESOME and do not have high blood pressure. I'm a little higher than normal but hey, my body is working quite a bit these days but all blood work shows we are good. All organs are functioning as they should. There's a trace of protein in the urine screen, but that is also an indicator that "the time is near". Chances are my BP being a little high was just a fluke that day but none the less a reminder that slowing down and self care has never been more of a crucial requirement than it is right now. In addition, suppose we had to deliver at any moment now, we are out of the danger zone. As I type this I'm ending my 35th week and Emma is developed and the chances of her spending any time if a short while in the NICU is incredibly small. SO, with that nugget of knowledge, I breathe, relax and carry on.