The Rest of the Story

Thank you SO MUCH for your comments on my last post concerning me and the baby. I am so appreciative of other's prayers and I can't express how much that means to me. So you don't think the worst, here are the basics of what's going on...

At my 24 week doctors appointment my blood pressure was slightly elevated. At the end of the appointment they had me lay down on my left side for a few minutes, took it again and got a normal reading. At 28 weeks the same thing happened. They had me come in the following week for a blood pressure check - more of the same. At that point we talked about what risks my high blood pressure meant for the baby and what could be done to help minimize those risks. I was put on partial bed rest (which for me means 2 hours on my left side 3 times a day) and some lab work was ordered, all of which thankfully came back normal. At 32 weeks they would begin doing a weekly ultrasound to check on my fluid level and a weekly non-stress test to make sure the baby is doing okay and isn't in distress.

My 32 week appointment was last Thursday and I'm very glad to report that the baby "passed" that non-stress test beautifully! We might have a little performer on our hands because I don't think I've ever felt the baby move so much in such a short length of time. It's almost as if the baby knew he/she was being watched (or in this case monitored) and really hammed it up. :)

Unfortunately at the appointment my blood pressure had risen a bit more and my ultrasound showed my fluid level to be a little low. In addition to my 6 hours on my left side, I'm also supposed to really increase my water intake and spend 30-40 minutes submerged in water twice a day. That helps push the fluid from my skin into my body, hopefully increasing the fluid around baby (I hope this isn't too gross for anyone!) They also had me buy a blood pressure monitor for at home and I'm taking my BP 2-3 times a day. So far it hasn't gone any higher and has even come down slightly - praise the Lord!

I have seven weeks left in this pregnancy and I really pray that the baby can stay in me until around 39 weeks. We've already discussed with the doctor that I will probably not be allowed to go past 40 weeks. My 33 week appointment is tomorrow and I covet your prayers for the following:

- That my blood pressure will not be any higher. I'm happy if it levels out but would love for it to come down closer to the normal range.
- That my fluid level would have increased to a 10, or at least not be any less than it was last week.
- That the baby would truly be doing just fine and once again do well on the non-stress test.

Also, just an FYI - my doctors are not considering this preeclampsia, which is really a huge praise in and of itself. That would bring more risk to me and probably to the baby as well. It's been explained to me that preeclampsia is a triad of symptoms, one of which is high blood pressure. Since I don't have the other two (and am praying they don't decide to show up!), they've diagnosed my condition as Pregnancy Induced Hypertention (PIH).

I'll have to do a separate post about bed rest which has been an interesting situation to adapt to - even if it's only partial bed rest!

Again, THANK YOU for your prayers and concern. I will update tomorrow after I get back from the appointment. Blessings on your Wednesday!