29 weeks and all is (kind of not) well

I cannot believe we have made it this far. Feeling the baby move inside of me, and seeing her move on the gazillion ultrasounds I have had is more than Adam or I ever hoped for when we started fertility treatments last summer. No matter how the next 10 weeks play out, we feel truly blessed.

My second trimester was so amazingly uneventful. After an utterly terrible first trimester, riddled with nausea, touch-and-go doctor appointments, and bed rest, second trimester was like a tall cool drink of water. Awesome! I was able to walk most days, play volleyball, and feel normal most of the time. Aside from being tired, I didn’t usually feel pregnant. Aside from a flutter here or there, I felt “real” movement in week 22. And Adam was finally able to feel baby from the outside over July 4th weekend. It was actually on our anniversary….which was really cool.

And now….well, all good things must come to an end, right? I was diagnosed with Preeclampsia this past week. When I went in for my one hour sugar test, I asked if I could get my blood pressure taken, on a whim, because I just felt off. I was swollen like a marshmallow, terrible headache, seeing spots, dizzy, and just felt bad. I thought it was from overdoing it at our camping reunion the weekend before. This is how little I know about pregnancy! ๐Ÿ™‚

They sent me straight to the hospital for monitoring. Then home for a couple of days on bed rest. When I went back on Friday for my next monitoring, they ended up admitting me. I spent two more days being monitored. I peed in a jug for TWO 24 hour period. I had multiple blood draws and ultrasounds. Lots of recordings of baby’s heart rate. All to confirm what we already knew from my symptoms. ย This is what we know now:

Baby is doing well. She doesn’t seem “stressed” in her heart rate or blood cord flow yet, but her belly is now measuring three weeks behind, which is concerning. The slowing down or stopping of fetal growth is one of the tell tale signs that the disorder is worsening. Baby girl has measured about a week behind for most of the pregnancy, which is no big deal, as most of you know. But now there is a wide discrepancy that wasn’t there before. The head and the belly are the two areas where the doctors concern themselves with growth measurements at this point. Regardless, baby is curled up in her breech little ball as she has been for the entire pregnancy. She seems content, and doesn’t like to move much. She especially doesn’t like the heart rate monitor. She typically runs from the nurses when they put it on. It’s kind of adorable!!!

As for me, I was put on blood pressure medication yesterday. That should help regulate my end of things for a little while, hopefully. I have weekly monitoring at the hospital and weekly appointments with my OB now. Oh, yay! Modified bed rest and lots of water are the only things I can do to help the situation…or at least how my body is feeling. The swelling is really bad some days, and others it is not. It just depends on how much I can stay off my feet. I have also been referred to the high risk clinic for a second set of eyes. I really do love my doctor. She has been so thorough and helpful. I completely trust her and her partners at the clinic.

Apparently, once this starts, it does not go away and cannot be mitigated. It is just a matter of time until they will have to take the baby either because of risk to me or to her. Doctor Mac said to pack a bag because it could be at any appt that they decide to take her. It is just impossible to tell how quickly it will progress. My niece was born only three weeks after my sister was diagnosed, but Jaimee’s progressed rapidly into Eclampsia with full seizures etc. So we are all on guard and will do what we are told around here. ๐Ÿ™‚

It is slow for some, and fast for others. The doctor will not deliver me past 37 weeks. So we at least know she will be a little early. I am really hoping we can make it another month, at least. I don’t want her in the NICU any longer than she needs to be. But we will take her however and whenever she comes. And we will ever remain grateful for the blessing of a baby in our family.

3 comments

  1. Dang it! I hope your able to hold off delivery for awhile. Your little angel must be itching to meet her amazing mama.

  2. Hi
    I’ve been reading your blog ever since we started into our adoption process for a sibling group in Columbia 15 months ago (we had thought about applying for a threesome so I was looking for people who had taken a larger sibling group). We finally ended up applying for 2 kids but… fell pregnant in October.
    And there you are, having the same problem that shortened our pregnancy on a very short notice (since I was diagnosed with preeclampsia only a few hours before our son was born through CS and I then continued onto the whole eclampsia&seizures cocktail); we were very lucky since he was already at 36 weeks. We know now that, should we be blessed with a 2nd pregnancy, the baby may well have to be taken out much sooner than his or her elder brother, and we’re quite anxious about that.
    Yet though he’s still wearing birth size despite turning 2 months this weekend, he’s a very lively baby ! so there IS hope, our little ones do manage to develop in a amazing way !
    I’ve thought of you often over these past few months, and will keep you in my prayers till your little girl is safely born

  3. Rach, we are saying lots of prayers on your (and baby’s) behalf. Thinking about you lots and we are so grateful for amazing and dedicated doctors.

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