Preeclampsia?

I have actually been suspecting this for the last two weeks at least. I had preeclampsia with Brenley so i was kind of on the lookout for it. I have had the symptoms, but the trick was to have them while I was actually at the doctor's office.

The last two weekends my feet, hands, and face have been swelling up like balloons. This is significant for me because I don't really carry water weight while I am pregnant. (It is all the real thing, ladies. Good old fashioned fat;) The only time I ever have is when I was diagnosed with preeclampsia when I was pregnant with Bren.

But by Monday, the swelling was gone. So by my Wednesday appointment, nothing major was showing up. My blood pressure is really low naturally, so to show up on their radar it would have to really spike.

Last weekend, same story. Blew up like a balloon. By Monday it was gone, so I didn't hold out much hope that it would show up again by today.

I was wrong! I gained five pounds in the last week (symptom) my blood pressure spiked more than 30 points (symptom), I am visibly swollen(symptom), (not as bad as Saturday and Sunday, but apparently bad enough)and I have been dumping protein for the last couple of visits (last symptom). They didn't tell me about the protein before because by itself it doesn't mean much. But combined with everything else, it is significant.

Why do I seem happy about this, you might ask. Well, I am 35 weeks right now instead of the 32 weeks I was when I found out with Bren. That means I can safely continue to ignore bed rest instructions.

It also means I can be induced at 36 weeks like I was with Brenley. Yeah! Frankly, I have been counting on this.When you have preeclampsia with one pregnancy you have a 40% chance of having it with the next. I thought these were pretty good odds.

It was so nice and simple to have a six pound baby, four weeks early. She was perfectly healthy and came home fromt he hospital when I did. The thought of waiting until 38 weeks and having an eight pound baby was just daunting. My children have huge heads. So giving birth to a little baby just makes everything easier. Labor, delivery, and recovery.

Plus, if I had to wait until 38 weeks, my mother would be gone! She will be flying back to Germany on the 20th, and I wouldn't have the baby until the 22nd. This would be seriously inconvenient. My mom is very useful after you have a baby, and she hasn't missed a grandchild yet. I didn't really want my last child to be the first one she missed.

So, today I did some bloodwork and am in the process of doing a 24 hour urine catch (TMI?). If my levels are too high, he will induce me right away. If they are manageable, I will have my amnio(to check lung function) next Wednesday and the baby shortly after that if it all looks good. Brenley's amnio at 36 weeks was perfect, so I am counting on this baby to cooperate as well.

I am hoping that I am looking at 7-10 more days. If all goes well. I would like to have her on the 10th or 11th. I just think 10-10 or 10-11 would make a convenient birth date, don't you?

I have to say this illness has put me in a very good mood. I know, I am strange that way;)