The Countdown Continues

I went into the hospital late Monday afternoon as I was not feeling well again. As they were checking my vitals, they registered several high blood pressure readings, which was concerning. So in went an IV (blegh!) and more blood work (I have had more blood work in the past 8 months than my entire life combined!) to check for other symptoms of preeclampsia. I was admitted into my own room, and after a couple hours, we started up the magnesium sulfate again, as that is one of the medicines to help bring blood pressure down. Fortunately, for me, the mag sulfate does not seem to bother me as much as others. Many people feel nauseous, dizzy, double vision; some have said it feels like you've been hit by a truck. I just get really hot! So I was able to have the freedom to get up and use the bathroom on my own instead of needing a catheter this second time around. They came and drew my blood every 6 hours... once again --blegh! And kept me for around 24 hours. The doctor was great and continued to check on me regularly. At around 5 pm the next day she said no other symptoms were showing up, so my diagnosis is Gestational Hypertension. They took me off the mag sulfate and the boys came to pick me up around 7 pm.

All about the balance -- salad and a milkshake :) Another lovely hospital meal. (7/21/15)

With this second diagnosis, in addition to my already high-risk pregnancy, it looks like I'll be going in for check-ups 2x a week for the duration of the pregnancy. To monitor my blood pressure, but also keep an eye on all the other previous factors. My bed rest will continue, maybe even to a higher degree as now I need to make sure I'm not over-exerting myself and bringing my blood pressure up. Which is a bit more challenging with 2 literally, bouncing-on-my-bed, boys! But baby girl is always active and happy when they're around and making noise and talking to her. Once again, she was in no danger during my last 24 hour stint at the hospital, which I am thankful for! Her vitals all looked fabulous, so although my body seems to be giving out (at least it feels that way this time around!) she has not given ANY warning signs that she is in danger. We are all thankful for this. I went in yesterday for a bp check and it was 110/60 which was good; meaning I don't have to have any more blood work done until Tuesday.

As of today, I am 33 weeks + 1 day and our goal is the 37 week mark. My countdown is helping greatly because it feels like a long time ago that all the shenanigans began -- 4 weeks -- and that's about the amount of time I'm left with. In some ways, it doesn't seem awful because I've been through that much time already, we just have to do it again. In other ways, it feels like a LONG way off because I know how these past 4 weeks have seemed to last and last. The good news is: we have some visitors coming over the next month (hooray!), we have our baby shower tomorrow, our anniversary is on Tuesday -- and we get to go on a date! I already got the doctor's approval, twice :) -- and then with 2 check-ups every week, I think we'll stay fairly busy and the days will pass a bit faster. Please continue to pray for Baby Girl and I through this final stretch. I am more anxious than ever to meet her, but also happy to do what I can to keep her cooking a few more weeks so she can continue to develop and grow as much as possible. Thank you for caring and praying for us through this pregnancy! We truly appreciate it!

To life... full of life lessons on trust and patience!