And it begins...

I had my 34 week doctor's appointment today. It was supposed to be Dr. Burkholder's mini-childbirth class, where he gave us his version of what would go on and how things would happen on our big day. Little did I know, we'd have a lot more to discuss.

This past weekend I noticed some swelling of my ankles and feet. I kinda just went on about my business, but was a little concerned. I did my weekend things as normal, like going to the grocery store, a quick trip to walmart and on a walk with my sister. I found that my legs and feet were hurting pretty bad during our walk and we made the decision to cut it short and head home. I looked in my What to Expect book and found that minimal swelling was fine and not to worry, but facial swelling was a sign of preeclampsia. I immediately looked in the mirror and noticed that my eyes were quite puffy. Not to worry. I'd mention it to Dr. Burkholder on Tuesday and it probably wouldn't be a big deal. I had had an easy pregnancy to this point and figured the next 6 weeks would go just the same.

After work yesterday, I noticed quite a bit of swelling and today when the nurse took my blood pressure...dun dun dun...it was high. I can't quite remember what it was. (I've had my blood pressure taken so many times since this day, I've got all kinds of numbers running through my head.) I believe it was pushing 140/90 which is the cut off. When you get there, it's time to be a little concerned. My blood pressure has been fine my entire life, low even, and had continued that trend throughout the pregnancy. Today was a turning point. I have gained 6 pounds in two weeks due to swelling and I now have pregnancy induced hyper tension. Dr. Burkholder was not happy about this. For anybody who knows Dr. Burkholder, you may only see him for a few minutes every month, but you totally feel like the man loves you and would do anything for you and your baby. I knew if Dr. Burkholder was a little concerned that he would lead me in the right direction to get this high blood pressure under control. He told me to monitor my bp, 3-4 times a day, for the next week and to call and give him an update.

I left his office today, thinking that I could easily monitor my blood pressure at home, since Nick is an EMT and has his own cuff and I am around a school nurse all day at work. This wasn't going to be a problem and I felt confident that my high blood pressure at the doctor's office was a fluke thing. I would be able to call him next Tuesday, after my baby shower, and let him know that all was well.

I never thought that today, Tuesday, February 16, was the beginning of one wild ride.