Well I have had an eventful Maternity Leave so far! I thought I'd get a nice 1.5-2 months off to prepare for baby... hah!
I started my mat-leave on December 24'th so we had all the business of christmas. then My Mat-leave OFFICIALLY started on the 28'th (had some vacation days in there).
I went to my regularly scheduled Obstetrical appointment, where my bloodpressure (BP) was 150 over 90 (very high). My doctor sent me to St. Boniface Hospital for some testing as it was a friday and she required blood/urine test results back ASAP given my high BP. When I arrived, all the nurses freaked out because my BP was so high (Apparently a person can seizure with BP that high) and they admitted me overnight for monitoring and medicating (as well as a wonderful 24 hr urine test...). Wow! Aweful time! By the time I left my BP was in the 140's over 88... still high, but not bad! They set me up with home-care where a nurse visits me every day and teaches me how to track my own BP 4 times a day. Seems okay right? WRONG!! IT'S AN EVIL TRICK!
So I go home get 11 hrs sleep, wake up 3 lbs lighter than I was a week ago (lost a bunch of retained water) and the Nurse shows up. The nice nurse lady comes, and is showing me the machine. As we do the first reading while she's explaining it, she shows me a pamphlet that says "if your blood pressure reaches 150/100, then please proceed to your nearest hospital" Almost immediately after, the little machine finished checking mine... "156/102".... UGH!! That's HIGHER than my original BP at the doctor's office when I wasn't on ANY BP medication. How does that make any sense to anyone?? (i'm paranoid and convinced the meds are increasing my BP vicariously somehow)
Of course, she had to admit me back to St B.... So I spent last night in the hospital too. My medical dose is now quite a bit higher, much closer to the maximum dosage they would give me before having to just induce me. The doctors have said that they will likely induce me in 3-5 weeks due to the blood pressure.
I left the hospital with my BP in the 130's/low 90's... At home now it's about 142/92. Soooo cloose...that ALONE will be enough stress to raise my BP... Knowing I might have to go back...
And the worst part is, in the Hospital I don't sleep properly, the lights are all fluorescent and give me a headache (which they magically associate as a blood pressure headache, even though I don't get them at home)... and the food is crap and I have to share a room, and the nurses march in at all hours of the night to check my blood pressure, whip off my shirt and listen to baby's heartbeat then tell me to "relax" so my BP goes down!!! Not terribly effective if you ask me... No thanks. I'd rather be on bed-rest at home.
This is all very frustrating, but the most frustrating is that there's really nothing I can do about it. Diet changes do not work with pregnancy-induced BP issues. The only thing I'm going to give a shot to, was suggested by our Doula. She suggests an increased Protien-Sodium diet because the high BP in pregnancy is related to the higher demand for blood. I don't have enough blood, so my heart has to work harder to pump the blood around. The idea is to eat healthy protiens/sodium every hour, accompanied by a balanced diet. This is supposed to help increase your blood volume, therfore lowering the blood pressure. VERY wierd, and VERY counter-intuative, but at this point I have nothing to lose!
The other "most" frustrating part, is my baby is almost guaranteed to be a preemie now, and I can't help but feel like its my fault. I know there's nothing I could've done since being pregnant (Except exercise less actually... and how could I have known that?), but I started this pregnancy unhealthy and that probably is the only contributing factor other than genetics and this particular baby's placenta's will for me to have high blood pressure.
So anyway, your prayers are appreciated. God is a God of the impossible and he CAN lower my Blood pressure and keep this (His) little baby safe and growing for a few weeks longer. Please pray that God will work this miracle in my life.
Thanks!
