A Lot Has Happened
A lot has happened is actually an understatement! Where do I start…..
Last Monday we had random snow fall and I managed to slip on the sidewalk, going into my school. I did a split, hit my knee, and bounced back up. I thought nothing of it but about 30 min later I felt sharp pains in my lower abdomen and pelvic area. And soon after it hurt to walk, sit, or move. Immediately, I called the OB office and few hours later I was sent to Labor and Delivery to get checked out. Although I found myself in a lot of pain and discomfort, baby girl was living her best life. Everything checked out with monitoring and ultrasound.
Then last Wednesday is when it really got real. I went for my normal 32 week OB appointment. But found out that I had high levels of protein in my urine and blood pressure was high. My OB decided to also draw blood and put a rush on it. By the time I got to my MFM appointment that afternoon, they told me my liver enzymes were high too. As a result the OB and the MFM sent me to Labor and Delivery due to symptoms of pre-eclampsia. What I thought was just some monitoring ended with a week long stay. Initially when I got there the doctors were talking about keeping me for 2 weeks and delivering baby girl at 34 weeks. According to doctors, the only way to deal with pre-eclampsia is to delver. I even had a consult with peri-natal doctor about what might happen delivering that early. So they needed to continue monitoring my vitals, enzymes, and the baby. Needless to say she again was living her best life, kicking up a storm, and escaping the doctors. After a week stay, the doctors reported that my levels were trending down and I could be monitored outpatient. The caveat was I would continue to be monitored with 3x per week appointments and we will induce at 37 weeks.
When i first got to the hospital I was sad, confused, hurt, and feeling like a failure. What did I do to make this happen? And feeling insecure about not being able to keep my baby safe. I ended up crying myself to sleep the first 2 nights. I had to seriously pull on my faith at that point and realize that God has been with me this entire pregnancy and was going to be there now. I was also grateful for my family that checked on me, sent encouraging words, and reminded me I was loved. I am glad to be home from the hospital.
3 WEEK COUNT DOWN!!!!
Getting ready
LATE POST: Couple weeks ago I participated in childbirth classes, hospital tour, and infant care class. According to my mom, these classes have changed some over the years LOL. But basically this was my opportunity to practice breathing techniques, learn all about delivery options, medications, complications, and ultimately help to develop my birthing plan. It was a long virtual class but was helpful in giving important information. I was grateful to take the childbirth class with my mom who will be my support person in the delivery room. Unfortunately the hospital tour was also virtual, so we only got to see pictures of the rooms and spaces where I’ll be.
The infant care class was probably the hardest to sit through because I knew a lot of that information form my experiences working with kids over the years but there was still some valuable information to gather.
I have also officially chosen my child’s pediatrician office. I looked up several offices and consulted with other SMC in the area. I was ultimately looking for a person of color who had variety of office availabilities. There were rave reviews for Dr. Brown at Dr. Klebanow & Associates https://www.klebanowandassociates.com/ . And best of all, the practice has several persons of color to choose from in the event I can’t see Dr. Brown. **Special fact: this is the office that I was also seen at as a child, only by a different doctor**