Almost the beginning!!

Well, I've decided to start a blog to keep friends and family up to date with news about our little girl, Roo (real name will be used once she joins the world). Plus , being on bed rest means there's very little that I can do, so this way I can keep everyone up to date and keep myself busy. :)

I'm currently 35.33 weeks along with her, and was put on bed rest 3/12 in order to stave off any possible complications from possibly developing preeclampsia. I haven't developed it, but my blood pressure was high enough above my baseline that our wonderful OB, Dr. QB, wanted me home and off my feet 80% of the time to lower it and keep me and baby healthy.

The good news is, we went to our appointment Monday and my bp was almost back down to baseline (122/70), and the ultrasound revealed a super healthy and thriving little Roo. Yay! This was what we had been hoping for. The ultrasound also estimated her current weight at 7lbs, 9oz. Ahem. Excuse me, was that 7lbs, 9oz?? That's what I asked QB right after he told me, because I honestly thought I had heard him wrong. This is what I expected her to be at birth, not 4.5 weeks before full term.....especially considering that babies gain the most weight the last 6 weeks in utero. However, ultrasounds are not exact predictors of baby's weight, so we will have to see. I still think she won't be more than 8.5 lbs, but who knows.....:)

For those of you not familiar with preeclampsia, here's a brief rundown. There is no known medical cause of it, the signs can be almost invisible or very sudden, and it can be, in severe cases, life threatening for mom and baby. There is speculation that women who get less exercise and women with low amounts of B vitamins and protein in their diet are at higher risk, but there are currently no studies to prove this. The higher bp in the mom plus swelling decreases blood flow to the baby, causing possible distress and lack of appropriate growth in the baby. Eclampsia refers to convulsions, as severe cases can lead to convulsions in the mother before or during labor, and possible death of mom and baby. There are certain populations that are more likely to develop it, such as women who have been diagnosed in earlier pregnancies, women with diabetes, kidney problems, women who are overweight, etc. The signs that need to be looked out for include edema (swelling), especially of the hands and face, protein in urine (a sign of stress on kidney function),and a bp reading that is significantly higher than the basleine determined for that woman, or 140/90. Indications of a severe case include sudden swelling, blurry vision and severe headache. These are all reasons to never, ever miss your OB appointments while pregnant, and to always call if you have questions or concerns. Matt and I have never missed an apoointment.

While my bp was up in the last 6 weeks, I had very little swelling, and no protein in my samples. However, within 3 days of my appointment 3/08 (the first apoointment in 4 weeks that QB said we could go back to two week visits because my bp was good), I had developed severe swelling in my feet and some in my hands. After taking a day off to rest, I went back to work for two days. I called my OB's office and went in. Sure enough, my bp was 140/80 (this compared to 110/70 my first appointment in Sept. '09) and my edema was +1 (0 being none, +1 being moderate and +2 being severe). Luckily though, no protein was found. QB said that I was "flirting with preeclampsia", and at 35 weeks he wanted me home, resting to ensure that I didn't develop it so we could get the baby to at least 37 weeks (at which point Roo would no longer be considered pre-term).

Phew! That's a lot of info. Well, the good news is the bed rest has had a positive effect, and baby roo is doing very well, moving a lot (a LOT!), with lots of amniotic fluid and good blood flow, and apparently gaining some good weight, too. :)

More to come, very soon!