When I was pregnant with the twins, everything went to hell at 33 weeks. And then getting from 33 to 35 weeks was a day by day, minute by minute thing. So, it was a milestone to come up to 33 weeks this week and hope to get past it unscathed. I had hoped that I could carry just one baby all the way to term and avoid all the preterm stuff I dealt with before.
But I felt things going South over the last two weeks. At first I thought it was because Kim, my babysitter was gone and I was just feeling the extra work without her here. But then I woke up one night and called Big N and said, “I think you need to get here sooner.” He was planning on coming out November 24 for a Dec. 7ish birth. I told him I didn’t think I was going to make it. After a whirlwind of paperwork and flight changes, he is now coming here next Sunday.
People who are always healthy don’t seem to understand the feeling of when you are teetering on the edge and you calculate your every move, is this going to be too much? Can I get this one more thing done? Will this make me feel better or put me in the hospital? How wimpy am I being or how crazy am I being trying to do too much? It is frustrating because the kids are looking forward to Halloween, preschool, Sunday school, other stuff that I thought we could do and has been increasingly difficult. Sometimes I know a day of taking them to preschool is going to ruin me for the next 24 hours, leaving me barely able to walk to the bathroom, feeling out of breath and listening to the pump of my heartbeat as my blood pressure rises. But to stay in bed all day makes me feel shitty, too. Laundry piles up, the kids trash the house without my supervision, meals become PB&J and frozen pizza. And what about haircuts? Christmas presents? Applying for WIC in case I can’t breastfeed? etc. It all weighs on your mind when you are alone all day with two kids under what basically amounts to house arrest.
So, I went to the doctor today and as I suspected, things are turning south with this pregnancy. It’s not eminent danger territory yet, so I have almost officially made it past the 33 week marker (or will on Monday.) But my B/P has risen 20-30 points systolic, my protein in my urine and creatinine are up. I’m not in terrible danger, it just means that I just fulfilled my role of being a high-risk patient for the perinatologist and I no longer bore him. He now wants to see me two times a week and has brought my nephrologist in.
It also means that I’m in the balancing game that I was in with the twins, the race to give this baby more time while not going so far as to endanger myself. I will not make it to my due date, December 14 or even my goal date of Dec. 7th. The doctor said to expect a November baby. Whether it is early or late November is still going to be a day-by-day thing. Basically, when he gets too uncomfortable with my B/P and kidney stats, he is going to call it quits and do a C-section. Now my goal is 36 weeks. One more week than I had with the twins.
The good news is that the baby is HUGE. Estimated to be about 5 and a half pounds, which is more than Little A and N weighed at birth. The baby is doing well and will likely do fine even this early. Still, a few weeks can make a big difference. So I’ll try to bed rest some more (I’m only one more week with no help and then I can probably do bed rest the majority of the time.) And keep this kid in a little longer without anyone losing life or limb.
Also, good news is that I was able to get my H1N1 vaccine today. So I no longer have to walk around being in the highest risk group (third trimester pregnant women) and worrying about that.
That’s where things lie today. And as the famous and now MIA blogger GetUpGrrl used to say, “Nothing Bad Has Happened Yet.”
Day at a time. Day at a time…
Stella said,
October 30, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Hoping and praying that the baby hangs around as long as possible and that everything works out wonderfully.
beep said,
October 31, 2009 at 3:51 am
Hang in there!
Alice said,
October 31, 2009 at 9:39 am
Very glad that NBHHY! Thinking good, stay-inside-mom’s-uterus thoughts to the little one …
twangy said,
October 31, 2009 at 10:14 am
All digits crossed for you, Lexie.
I am glad N is on his way.
xx
beate said,
November 1, 2009 at 3:45 am
Very best wishes for your health and the baby’s. Pregnancy is hard work even under the best of circumstances, and you’re doing what sounds like an amazing job with chasing around the twins and growing the baby. Hang in there.
Katie said,
November 2, 2009 at 5:10 am
Lisa, don’t be a hero. Reach out to your church for help.
I am suprised someone in your neighborhood hasn’t organized a round of “make the high-risk pregnant lady and her cute twin sons dinner.” Where I grew up, all the neighborhood ladies took turns making hard-up neighbors dinner for weeks at a time – death in the family, one lady broke her leg and had four kids to feed, any general hardship. They took pride in who made the better dinner, who included dessert, etc.
You’re gonna hang in there, the baby is going to be fine, everything is going to be beautiful.
laurajmax said,
November 3, 2009 at 11:18 am
Praying for you and the baby, Lexie. And Katie is right– reach out to your church for help! They could at least keep you in meals.
I’m thankful that you got the H1N1 vaccine. I’m in the same boat you are– 29 weeks pregnant with twin girls, and I was freaking out about H1N1. My OB’s office STILL doesn’t have the vaccine! I finally went to a park where the county had set up a free clinic, stuck out my belly as far as I could and said, “I’m a pregnant lady who needs a shot!” Bam, right to the front of the 3-hour line! I felt like I had won the lottery.
cat said,
November 5, 2009 at 3:57 am
Great news about M2 – told you it was not you, just a bad match. GOod luck with the rest of the pregnancy. I made 38 weeks with my first one with half failed kidneys.