week 36
This week I was especially looking forward to seeing the doctor. I have been weighing myself each morning and Wednesday I woke up 3 pounds heavier than Tuesday. I have been eating well and went to the gym Tuesday, so I was concerned about the quick gain. Midday I noticed that my ankles were more swollen than normal (I no longer had ankle bones!) and by dinner it looked like I had two sprained ankles. Thursday morning I hadn't gained any weight, but the swelling had not gone down (it's usually more mild in the a.m. and at its worst before bed).
I looked on-line and read about edema and preeclamsia. Even though I had several of the symptoms, I didn't really think I had preeclamsia, but I didn't want to take any chances and wanted to do everything I could to get my blood flowing and to get the swelling down so I did 1 hour of yoga and 30 minutes of swimming (i love hydrostatic pressure!). The next thing I wanted to do was drink a lot of water and lay down (primarily on my left side) for at least 12 hours to see if the swelling decreased. I debated about canceling with a friend and skipping the breastfeeding class, but figured that I actually felt pretty good and my ankles were more ugly than physically painful. I'm glad I went - I found a beautiful hairpiece at Briar's shop (Prrr Design) and learned a lot in the breastfeeding class. As soon as I got home, I set myself up in bed for a 12 hour stint of laying on my side. J got home soon after and set me up in the living room so we could hang out and watch the sonics (4th loss in a row! argh). I woke up this morning two pounds lighter and with 4 distinct ankle bones. ya!
I mentioned this to the doctor and she said I do not have any blood pressure issues, swelling is normal, everything still looks good, and all the steps we took were right on. I forgot to ask how many centimeters we measured this week. She did a strep B test (routine) and if I'm positive I'll need antibiotics (routine) so that Gilhooly doesn't start life with a bacterial infection. I haven't started to dilate, although my cervix is thinning (the first step!) and his head is pushing right up against it.
As far as preventing swelling in the next few weeks, I'm going to try to skip my one cup of coffee each day and curb the sugar cravings (they've been really strong the last few weeks!). I'll also try to spend more time each day taking a break and laying down. D&S gave us a step stool for xmas and I'm using that during work to keep my feet elevated which should help prevent some of the blood pooling in my ankles.
We bought a Christmas tree today at Swansons with my holiday dollars. I had been saving those for the plants for Phase II of the garden project, but I finally accepted that Phase II will not be completed by 31 December and it will have to wait until spring. sigh. But, I'm happy with our tree and ornaments and can't wait to decorate this Sunday.
I get to pick up the crib tomorrow! Plus, the mattress and a few other odds and ends from Babies 'r' us. I'm wrapping up several odds and ends at work...only 5 days left. On one hand I can't wait to meet Gilhooly and hope he is early, on the other I'm looking forward to a couple weeks of time off before he arrives.
I looked on-line and read about edema and preeclamsia. Even though I had several of the symptoms, I didn't really think I had preeclamsia, but I didn't want to take any chances and wanted to do everything I could to get my blood flowing and to get the swelling down so I did 1 hour of yoga and 30 minutes of swimming (i love hydrostatic pressure!). The next thing I wanted to do was drink a lot of water and lay down (primarily on my left side) for at least 12 hours to see if the swelling decreased. I debated about canceling with a friend and skipping the breastfeeding class, but figured that I actually felt pretty good and my ankles were more ugly than physically painful. I'm glad I went - I found a beautiful hairpiece at Briar's shop (Prrr Design) and learned a lot in the breastfeeding class. As soon as I got home, I set myself up in bed for a 12 hour stint of laying on my side. J got home soon after and set me up in the living room so we could hang out and watch the sonics (4th loss in a row! argh). I woke up this morning two pounds lighter and with 4 distinct ankle bones. ya!
I mentioned this to the doctor and she said I do not have any blood pressure issues, swelling is normal, everything still looks good, and all the steps we took were right on. I forgot to ask how many centimeters we measured this week. She did a strep B test (routine) and if I'm positive I'll need antibiotics (routine) so that Gilhooly doesn't start life with a bacterial infection. I haven't started to dilate, although my cervix is thinning (the first step!) and his head is pushing right up against it.
As far as preventing swelling in the next few weeks, I'm going to try to skip my one cup of coffee each day and curb the sugar cravings (they've been really strong the last few weeks!). I'll also try to spend more time each day taking a break and laying down. D&S gave us a step stool for xmas and I'm using that during work to keep my feet elevated which should help prevent some of the blood pooling in my ankles.
We bought a Christmas tree today at Swansons with my holiday dollars. I had been saving those for the plants for Phase II of the garden project, but I finally accepted that Phase II will not be completed by 31 December and it will have to wait until spring. sigh. But, I'm happy with our tree and ornaments and can't wait to decorate this Sunday.
I get to pick up the crib tomorrow! Plus, the mattress and a few other odds and ends from Babies 'r' us. I'm wrapping up several odds and ends at work...only 5 days left. On one hand I can't wait to meet Gilhooly and hope he is early, on the other I'm looking forward to a couple weeks of time off before he arrives.
posted by sp1ral at 9:35 AM
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