38 w 4 d

Once again, I'm posting the update a couple days late. I'd like to say it's because I've been so busy. But... instead, it's simply because I've been taking care of myself and being a bit lazy. That and my mom was here most of the weekend... and she doesn't know about this blog, so I was too afraid to post while she was around for fear she'd walk in and question it.

Let's see..... I went to the doctor at 38/2 because I'd started in the night before that with a racing pulse. It started around 8 on Tuesday night while I was sitting at the computer. I laid down and almost an hour later hadn't really noticed any change, so made the hubby take me up to the store to check my blood pressure in their machine. My bp was okay, but my pulse was just over 100. YIKES! By the time we got back home and I laid down again, I was feeling better and could tell it had slowed, so decided to just go to bed and call the doctor in the morning. Next morning when I woke, just walking to the bathroom and back to bed I was extremely winded and could feel my pulse racing again, so called the doctor and went in to the office to be seen.

My blood pressure was still a higher than what is typical for me, but within the normal range and nothing they were too concerned about. My pulse was normal the entire time I was there, it just has episodes where it starts racing. As a precaution, they hooked me up to the monitor for an NST. Baby was his active self, kicking so hard at one point he knocked the probe loose from the belt and it had to be reattached! Since all looked good with baby and me at that point, doctor ordered me to stop working and just stay home and "take it easy."

Friday, at 38/4, I went back in for a follow-up. Blood pressure was still in the normal range, the pulse episodes had gotten to be much less, and the water-retention weight had gone back down. Phew! The whole "take it easy" thing seemed to have done the trick. But... in an effort to keep it down... I will not be returning to work before baby is born. And since I wasn't planning on going back after he's here either, I have suddenly become a stay-at-home-mom-to-be! I had planned on working up until baby was here... so the leave is a little sooner than expected... but I'll take it.

Admittedly, it has been very hard to sit at home all week and not want to be up doing and cleaning and organizing. You tell a nesting pregnant woman to stop nesting and see how well she takes it!!! It really overwhelmed me by Thursday night and had me rather freaked out. But, after a chat with my mom, she calmed me down by graciously offering to come help this weekend. The hubby did up the dishes, wiped down the counters and cleaned the stove top. Yesterday, mom came and scrubbed the bathtubs and swept and mopped the bathroom floors. (I had already cleaned everything else in the bathrooms before I was ordered to rest). Today, she came over, wiped down all the kitchen cabinets, the refrigerator, and swept and mopped the kitchen. As well as cooked dinner for us. Part of me feels bad for her working so hard and me not doing anything to help... but I know it's best for baby and me. And I am sooo grateful to have her do all of that. I feel such a relief knowing the house is clean before we bring baby home.

And in all of this, my wonderful hubby has been even more wonderful. He was already doing tons around the house to help out... and now that I'm doing less, he's doing even more. The most I've done all week is a few loads of laundry... and for that I'm not even allowed to carry the laundry basket without him jumping in to help. He's cleaned and scrubbed and lifted and moved and anything else I need that might be strenuous and cause my pulse rate to go up again. He's quite happy to insist on doing if it means I'm resting. I would certainly be lost without him!

So... it's been a long week. I'm feeling much better about it all than I did a few days ago when it all started. And I'm even better tonight sitting in a clean home. I can rest without looking at every tiny little thing and wanting to nest and clean. (and believe me, it was just tiny stuff at this point). Thankful for an understanding and helping family. And anxiously awaiting this little guy to arrive...