puff mommy

do you wanna hear the latest drama of my preggy life? hehe. well yesterday I got the biggest freak out of my pregnancy when I woke up and saw how swollen my face is.  the swelling is more concentrated on the eyelids and eyebags area, but you will see a little swelling on my cheeks and my nose too.  for better understanding why I am freaking out - I took a picture of my eyes and you can tell I look like Manny Pacquiao's victim.  my feet started swelling a week ago and I did not really give much notice to it because I was thinking I am getting heavier and heavier and I have been on my  feet alot especially last weekend.  the swelling of my feet has gone down a little but it's still fat compared to my normal sexy feet (that's a lie I do not have sexy feet haha).

so going back to my hideous face, I called Ryan who was out of town yesterday to let him know I am calling the doctor about my face because it's not normal.  Of course I am trying to remain calm coz he is 8 hours away from home and I do not want him to panic or anything.  i called Women's Care Group and let them know of my dilemma and they immediately asked me to come in the clinic so they could have my blood pressure monitored. I am afraid they are going to say that because over the last few days I have been reading about this thing about pre-eclempsia or toxemia (a condition in pregnancy where the mom develops toxins /bacteria in her blood).  usual symptoms include high blood pressure, swelling of face, feet and hands, and presence of protein in the urine.

so off I went to the hospital and the first thing they did is check my urine and get my blood pressure.  true enough they found slight hint of protein in my urine and my BP is at its all time high of 143/93.  i have always had BP of 120/80 and never higher.  i started freaking out.  I finally consulted with my OB Dr. Turner and she said that I am showing signs of pre-eclempsia but we need to do some more blood work to verify.  She explained that there are cases of pre-eclempsia where they need to have early delivery to ensure mommy and baby are A-OK because what pre-eclempsia is is development of toxins and bacteria in the mommy's blood stream which can be harmful for the baby.  On the other hand, she said there are mild cases of pre-eclempsia where they just require the mother to get alot of bed rest.    what she said next freaked me out when she told me I am to go down labor and delivery center.  I was like WHAT???  she said its after 5PM and the clinic is closing so the triage at the birthing center can do the monitoring from there haha.

i went down to the family birthing center and they had me change into a hospital gown and strapped two dopplers in my tummy - one to monitor Apollo's heartbeat and one to monitor any signs of contractions.  then they also hooked up BP monitor on my arms to monitor my blood pressure every 10-15 minutes for an hour.  they took 5 vials of blood sample to be tested for any sort of toxins and bacteria and it would take an hour to get the results back.  and you know what the next hour would be like for me - freak out time!  the whole hour that I was waiting for the blood test result did not help my BP at all, it just keeps on going up because I was stressed out.  what if I tested positive for pre-e??  i don't want that!  the good news is Apollo is doing abso-freakin-tastic!  :) His heartbeat is good, movement is normal and he is just great - good boy!!

anywho after one grueling hour of wait, doctor came in and delivered some great news that my blood work is perfect!  you have no idea how relieved I am after hearing that I do not have pre-e and that I could go home.  I was given strict orders to take it very very easy and not do anything heavy while at home.  she did not necessarily asked me to go on bed rest but just to put my feet up 90% of the time.  (for me that's the same as bed rest!).  i do have to continue watching for more of these changes and call the hospital as soon as I feel or notice something different.  and as usual, i need to continue watching salt levels on whatl I am eating and lots of water still.

i only have 8 weeks left and ryan, myself and apollo have been praying nonstop for apollo to hang inside mommy for 8 more weeks and just happily kick inside!  on the other hand, i also took the initiative to start drinking salabat (ginger tea) everyday and continue eating my daily dose of good oatmeal to help with my blood pressure.

on may 25th next week I go back for another check up and ultrasound so we should see if there are improvements in my blood pressure and protein levels in my urine.  Oh and I also read that protein in urine is another indication of UTI.  happy to note that I do not have UTI still yay!


at this point, I would say prayer is the best medicine... and of course being a good momma and listening to doctor's advise. :)