Pre-eclampsia

Here is what has been up in the Houghton home... beware: it's practically a novel. 

Pre-eclampsia, thanks to Wikipedia:

Pre-eclampsia or preeclampsia is a medical condition in which hypertension arises in pregnancy (gestational hypertension) in association with significant amounts of protein in the urine.
Pre-eclampsia is a set of symptoms rather than any causative factor, and there are many different causes for the condition. It appears likely that there are substances from the placenta that can cause endothelial dysfunction in the maternal blood vessels of susceptible women.^[1] While blood pressure elevation is the most visible sign of the disease, it involves generalized damage to the maternal endothelium, kidneys, and liver, with the release of vasoconstrictive factors being secondary to the original damage.
Pre-eclampsia may develop from 20 weeks' gestation (it is considered early onset before 32 weeks, which is associated with an increased morbidity). Its progress differs among patients; most cases are diagnosed before labor typically would begin. Pre-eclampsia may also occur up to six weeks after delivery. Apart from Caesarean section and induction of labor (and therefore delivery of the placenta), there is no known cure. It is the most common of the dangerous pregnancy complications; it may affect both the mother and fetus.

So I have pre-eclampsia. Every time I get my blood pressure checked at the doctor's office, it is high. However, whenever I would take it at home it was normal... so for the whole time I've been pregnant I've just chalked myself up as someone whose blood pressure raises in the doctor's office (not uncommon).

Because my blood pressure is high in the office, last Saturday the doctor had me to a 24-hour urine to test for protein (super gross... i have to keep all my urine for 24 hours). I happen to take my blood pressure on Saturday and it was as follows (take note that if the bottom number is ever over 90, they worry and my blood pressure at home has never been above 80):

At 9:30 am : 144/97. I call the doctor and leave a message. By 11:30, I still haven't heard from the doctor so I take it again: 137/105. I left another message for the doctor. So finally by 1 pm, I still haven't heard from the doctor and I called Labor and Delivery to find out what I should do. They said to come in and get checked. As we were pulling into the hospital, I finally get a call back from the nurse telling me to go to Labor and Delivery. I really like my doctor's office and with my experience in the medical field they definitely have the best reputation of any OB office in the Provo area... but someone definitely dropped the ball that morning. I don't know what happened... but its a good thing I was okay. Anyways... after a very unfriendly and uninformative lady checked me in, I was basically admitted. Really I felt fine so I thought all they were gonna do was check my blood pressure and I tried asking the check-in lady questions... but apparently she was in no mood to talk. At this point I'm NOT having a good day.

After having me change into a hospital gown and all that, they put all the monitors on me (contraction monitor, baby heart beat monitor and blood pressure monitor) and have me relax while they get a few blood pressure readings. My nurse was great, super nice and informative. My blood pressure was fine. Low even. After feeling pretty stupid (even though I wouldn't have done anything different) and stressing about how much it was all costing (which is stupid cause clearly I'm reaching my out of pocket max this year) I just wanted to go home. They finally got a hold of the on call doctor that was at the BYU football game, and I was discharged with clear instructions that if it happens again, especially with a headache/ blurred vision/ pain in my side or sudden swelling to come back.

So with my hopes of not being one of those women who go to Labor and Delivery before they are actually ready crushed, I went home and finished my 24 hour-urine. Then on Tuesday I get a call from the nurse saying that they got the results from my test back. There was 284 grams of protein in my urine (normal is under 100),  I have pre-eclampsia, I'm to go home from work right away and that I was officially on bed rest.

I have activity days in just a few hours so I call Trinity on my way home from work to let her know I won't be able to make it. Then when Casey gets from from work he tells me that I just HAVE to go to Activity Days. He knows I've been put on bed rest... but I have to at least stop by Activity Days. For those of you who know KC.. that is very unlike him to be demanding so I knew that must be a pretty compelling reason why I better at least stop by... and heck, I was just at work all day so why not?

Well I get to Activity Days and I probably the coolest/nicest thing anyone has ever done for me: A surprise baby shower. Not only were all the girls there, but all the moms and primary president. The girls were so excited and seemed like they were having a blast. It's hard to put into words how incredibly awesome that was... everything about it. For the rest of my life, I will always remember how awesome and thoughtful that was and wouldn't trade it for anything. Trinity, Melissa or anyone else that was there, if you are reading this: THANK-YOU!!

I was feeling normal at first but apparently I may have gotten a little overwhelmed about 20 minutes into being there because after I stood up to talk, I started seeing yellow splotches. Remembering that blurry vision is a big no-no... I sat back down but my vision just kept getting worse. Within a few minutes I lost all my peripheral vision and could only see very little right in front of my. I also got super confused, like I felt after having a concussion a couple years ago. I was trying to talk to Paula who was sitting right next to me and if I was looking at her eyes, I couldn't see her lips or understand anything she was saying and if I was looking at her lips I couldn't see her eyes.... everything was just blurry. At this point I don't think I was fully with it (and actually I don't remember much about it now) but I started opening presents. The theme of the shower was books.... so the girls all got me children's books for Easton (SUCH a cool theme... and exactly what we needed... seriously could have read my mind). So I was trying to read the titles of the books that the girls got me and I think after just a few I got frustrated because I couldn't even read that I started to cry. At that point Paula Thomas, a sweet lady that I used to do activity days with who was also at the shower took me home. She even texted Casey for me to come home from class because I couldn't text him myself. By the time I got home and Casey got there, not only was my vision blurry but I had last feeling in my hands.

Labor and Delivery trip number two. Thirty seven weeks. We get to labor and delivery and Casey has to check me in. I couldn't even understand them when they asked me my name and birthday. When I get settled they take my blood pressure and take some blood to run some labs. My blood pressure was high at first but the longer we were there, the lower it got (I guess proving the whole bed rest thing). After they get the results from my blood test, the doctor comes in and talks to me. By this time we have probably been there for a few hours and my vision was back to normal and so were my hands. Apparently the most concerning aspect of pre-eclampsia is "it involves generalized damage to the maternal endothelium, kidneys, and liver". If my labs had shown damage to my liver (or something like that)... then they would have induced me that night. However, my liver levels were good. The doctor said that because my liver levels were good, inducing me was not worth the risk of me having to have a c-section, especially since this is my first and apparently the chances of me having to have a c-section if they were to induce me at that point is pretty high. I was 60% effaced but only dilated to 1.5. The doctor told me that they are going to try to get me to 39 weeks.

Then when I had my doctors appointment on Friday, they had me to an NST ( non-stress test where they monitor the baby to make sure the baby isn't under stress). They told me at the beginning of the test that they like to get 2 readings in 20 minutes. When the nurse came back in, she told me Easton was a champ and gave her 6 readings. They are having me do another 24-hour urine today (Sunday) and if my numbers come back over 500, they will induce me (I'm guessing they will get the results Tuesday). The doctor told me on Friday also that as long as I'm faithful to bed rest,  I should be able to make it to 39 weeks... which if I make it to exactly 39 weeks... we are having a Halloween baby!!

36 Weeks...

I'll be turning 36 weeks on Wednesday. How I look in this picture is actually how I feel : TIRED and huge.

I feel like the last few weeks I've had some harder days than others. Its still not bad everyday... and I have moments where I forget I'm pregnant and feel like I can do anything. Those moments are getting to be fewer and I'm having more and more moments where just walking to the mail room feels like the equivalent of running a 5k. I'm still working full time and I'm planning on doing so until he comes (actually, I have the nice idea in my head that I'll go into labor at 5pm on a friday and walk upstairs) but I've had a few moments where I'm not sure I'm gonna make that.

I didn't want to write this post to seem like I'm complaining... I've just had so many thoughts go through my head that I don't want to forget. So... here are a few things I can think of right now that I would like to remember so I can appreciate NOT being pregnant later:

• MY FEET FREAKING KILL! Honestly - I don't think most pregnant women have this problem as much as I have. This started when I was just 24 weeks pregnant. From the minute I wake up in the morning, walking to the kitchen is painful. By the time I've walked from my house to my desk at work, the bottoms of my feet feel like I have walked about Disneyland ALL DAY. My feet being a little swollen comes and goes (which I couldn't care less about)... but the pain never goes away. I would much rather have elephant feet than painful feet. Actually - my hands have felt more swollen than my feet.
• Turning around in bed at night SUCKS. By the middle of the night I have turned from side to side enough that the lenghts of both my legs hurt (like you've been sitting on a hard chair for a while and your butt hurts). So by morning it is so hard to get comfortable and just switching sides is hard and it hurts. I don't know if I'm turning wrong or something, but it pulls my stomach muscles and sometimes I get a pinching pain.
• Bending down. Could I be more CLUMSY? I swear I have doubled the amount of things I happen to drop in the last few weeks just cause my mind is playing with my body... forcing me to bend down. I feel SO unlady-like spreading my legs so I don't squish my stomach in order to pick something up. I think dropping something, knowing you have to bend down to pick it up can drive a pregnant women to tears... and I've been close!
• Cramps. For the last week or so I've been getting menstrual camps that come and go. I've told that's a good sign... early signs of contracting and my body doing its maternal job... but heck- not cool! They have moved towards my lower back and make sitting in a chair at work all day even more unconformtable.
• Tingling arms. It started with just my hands and only at night. Now the tingling is all over my arms and anytime. I have tried stretching my wrists but that is not helping. It doesn't matter how I sleep, I can wake up with my whole arm(s) asleep. This isn't painful at all (thank goodness!) but just uncomfortable and troubling. I'm told that will go away after delivery... I just hope I'm not damaging the nerves in my arms at all.
• My poor intestines. I don't know if I'm confusing the cramps with Easton shilling on my internal organs... but I swear everytime I get in a car he pinches my intestines or something. By the end of the day I just feel worn out and laying down on my side, getting some of the pressure off my insides really helps. I think the position of riding in the car is the worst... it always hurts something on my pelvic floor.
• Sore Legs. Especially by the end of the day, my legs are just tired. There have been a few times getting off the couch where I feel like my leg is going to give out. I don't think my body is liking the extra weight very much.

Okay, I think that covers the main stuff.

On another note, I still can't enough of his kicks. My favorite thing so far has been when he's trying to move and can't... kinda like banging your head against the wall. He tries so hard for a minute to rotate or move and there's just not enough room. It breaks my heart a little, but also makes me LOVE him so much for trying. Maybe its cause in my mind it gives him a little bit of personality. I can already tell I'm gonna miss his kicks.