Weeks and Weeks

Brian & I headed back to the doctor's office on Wednesday night.

Our appointment went as usual:
BP = 122/90...better
McKenna's heartrate = 152bpm
belly = 34, almost 35 inches
weight = haha...increased
blood work and urinanalysis = fine

Dr. Weeks explained preeclampsia a bit clearer for us, and said that I was indeed diagnosed with mild preeclampsia due to my high blood pressure. We were under the impression protein had to be present in your urine as well as high blood pressure in order to have preeclampsia. Not so. If my labs would have shown protein in my urine then I would have been diagnosed with severe preeclampsia.

This whole preeclampsia/high blood pressure subject is scary, it can really affect the baby's growth or cause the placenta to pull away from the uterus too soon. It can also cause early delivery. Dr. Weeks is hoping that we can keep McKenna in for atleast 3-4 more weeks. At the moment it's looking as though she'll be arriving before her April 20th due date. She just may be a little Easter Bunny after all! ;)

When we had the biophysical profile completed in the hospital, the ultrasound tech told us that McKenna is in the breached position. Dr. Weeks was able to confirm it by feeling my stomach. If she doesn't turn in the next couple weeks, we'll definitely be having a c-section.

I'm okay either way. I'm not particularly scared about giving birth, whatever is safest for both McKenna & I is good for me.

So, the big question came next...Can I return to work???

...the big answer...NO

Dr. Weeks has restricted me from returning to work for the duration of my pregnancy.

I thought for sure he would clear me to return to work...there was no question....

Well, I was wrong.

When I am up and moving around my blood pressure begins to increase and we can't risk it getting out of control again.

At school there is just too much walking around and too good of a chance of my bp skyrocketing into dangerous levels.

So, here I sit, at home, waiting...waiting for my little girl to make her big arrival.

From here on out I have weekly doctor's appointments, but everyone does starting at 36 weeks, so that isn't anything out of the ordinary. They have also added a fetal non stress test (NST) to each appointment from here on out. The primary goal of this test is to measure the heart rate of the fetus in response to its own movements. Healthy babies will respond with an increased heart rate during times of movement, and the heart rate will decrease at rest. The concept behind a non-stress test is that adequate oxygen is required for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges. When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally. Low oxygen levels can often be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.