The Gathering Storm: September 10-14

First off, it's odd to think about all of the factors leading up to Tempest's birth in the past tense now that she's literally in front of me as I type this, peacefully cooing into my bosom.  (She doesn't mind the tapping of MacBook keys as long as there's milk in it for her.)

The combination of late pregnancy symptoms and the rate at which they escalated really did have the odds stacked against us of being full term but we were lucky enough to have a healthy, term-sized baby waiting impatiently to be helped out of my cozy womb.  This kid is amazing and yes, I am biased.

September 10 
With a tentative c-section date of September 23 on the calendar, our final MFM scan revealed that the previa had become a marginal previa which is categorized as being at least two cm from the cervix.  Are you serious?  Awesome...I guess?!  Now what?  The bugaboo which shadowed me the entire pregnancy defied the statistical odds and cleared itself of the birth canal just before 36 weeks, however the vascular cervix was still very much lighting up the screen and our dear daughter was confirmed breech.  C-section it would still be, though likely at term in another three weeks.  Ugh.
The bright spot of the appointment was a confirmed face sighting in utero and a generous tech who took some 3D shots of Tess.

Shockingly, this was an incredibly accurate preview.  A nice ending to an otherwise confusing/frustrating/happily resolved appointment.


September 12
By now I had been off procardia for three days though new symptoms unrelated to irritable uterus were cropping up.  I had sudden swelling of my left ankle and leg accompanied by constant calf pain that alarmed me enough to call the after hours number to check in.  The midwife answered and reassured me that edema of one leg can be common in the late third trimester because the uterus tilts to one side.  OK, but this was different and deep down I think I knew that so by the time we arrived to see Dr. Convery at what was supposed to be a typical wellness check the next morning, my suspicions had turned very serious overnight.  In addition to a general feeling of something being "off," I had been experiencing a headache and nausea unlike any I'd dealt with throughout pregnancy but the real clincher came when the nurse took my blood pressure - typically 100-110/70 like clockwork - and it first read 134/89.  Whaaaat?  I mean, sure, I was getting anxious now that our time frame was up in the air but not that anxious.  

She moved us to another room with a different cuff and took it again, asking questions about how I was feeling and taking me very seriously.  The reading was a bit lower this time, 128/89, but still a huge jump for me.  I knew it before she said it: could be early onset preeclampsia and the doctor would be in shortly to discuss.  Now true eclampsia is fairly infamous for killing the beloved Sybil Crawley on "Downton Abbey" but this is not 1920's England, thank goodness.  Today, preeclampsia, when discovered in time, does not yield high mortality rates.  It is fully treatable.  By delivery.  Yes, that's right: the only proven treatment for preeclampsia, which usually develops after 36 weeks, is giving birth typically by c-section to minimize risks to the mother and baby.      

Dr. Convery came in concerned and told me there was trace protein in my urine that day.  Never had that before.  She ordered a 24 hour urine collection test and blood panel but because it was Friday, I'd have to wait till Monday.  We were sent on our considerably less merry way to puzzle out how it was that I could have developed two rare and extremely serious complications in my first pregnancy that was otherwise as healthy as could be.

By 4 pm that day, I was on the phone with Dr. Convery describing what was one of the scariest days of my pregnant experience.  I felt like I was falling apart and I was worried for the baby.  I could barely breath, I was lightheaded, nauseous, aching, with my heart thumping out of my chest.  She said get to L&D ASAP to be evaluated and they would do some blood work there.  Another fun day of IVs at Morristown Medical Center maternity triage, this time with a Doppler of my legs to check for blood clots which I honestly don't remember having because they gave me some epic painkillers that made me feel like a drunk-ass sorority and we were finally discharged around 10 pm. .  I was ordered simply to rest and keep my feet elevated since my blood work came back at the limits of normal. 

Sunday, September 14 I did the 24 hour urine collection.  A 3-liter jug was almost not enough!  Dr. Convery was amused when I suggested as much in the office but clearly she doesn't know my champion bladder and the output it's capable of.  I just made the sample without going over, partially by holding my pee during the last few hours of collection.  On Monday morning, we dropped the sample at LabCorp and I did another blood panel.  Nothing to do but wait patiently for results.  I also had Rhett pick up a home BP cuff to keep an eye on my rising levels and rise they did.  I logged each and every measurement. 

On Monday, September 15 I felt sufficiently crummy but still had no hard evidence back from the lab work yet.  I instinctively knew, though, that my body was turning on me and I just hoped that some anomaly would crop up that my doctors would catch and be able to diagnose me with something tangible and treatable.  It was agony, waiting to hear, and my immense physical discomfort certainly didn't help.  The truth is no matter what the prognosis, I was simply ready to have this baby.  Turns out I'd get my wish faster than I had hoped.