38 Weeks...Almost :)

Okay, I don't have a new picture to put up with this post, although if I get a chance to take one tomorrow, I will add it then.  Today has been a lazy day and I am still in comfy clothes (aka PJs :)) so no picture right now!  But I did want to update about my appt. yesterday, since it was a bit more "interesting" than most.

The short story is that my blood pressure jumped to 139/90, which was disappointing (but not surprising given my past history).  It was 128/86 when lying down, but still a concern because of the higher numbers when I was sitting upright.  The long story is that Sherry decided to order some blood labs to check for other signs of possible pre-eclampsia.  So after a longer-than-usual appt. with her, wherein she spent some time looking over my records from the past 2 pregnancies, as well as consulting with a couple other midwives on the phone, the kids and I headed back to town and to our local hospital for the blood draw.  On the way, we stopped by the health food store to pick up some herbal tinctures that should help with bringing the blood pressure down.  Now to clarify, these b/p numbers are not super scary.  90 is sort of the borderline number where they start to get more concerned, so that is why she wanted to have the bloodwork done, to rule out other possible issues.  My numbers got to just about the same place with both Julia and Josiah at the last appt. or two before they were born, so I am not really worried, but I appreciated her desire to cover the bases and be safe.

The good news is, the bloodwork results came back without any major warning signs for pre-eclampsia, so most likely this is simply "pregnancy induced hypertension."  I have "midwife's orders ;)" to get a lot more rest, eat tons of protein, and take the herbal tinctures, and we will see if there's any change for the better at my appt. next Weds.  If my b/p should get higher, we would be looking at consulting with an OB and possibly doing a hospital birth, but Lord-willing the steps we are taking will help, and everything will stay under control.  Pray about that with me, if you think of it!!

We had a neat little blessing when I was at the hospital for the blood draw, so I wanted to share about that, too.  The boys were happy to stay in the waiting room and play on my iPod, but Julia was acting a bit worried and really wanted to come in with me when I got the blood drawn, so I asked the nurse if it was okay.  She was fine with it, and almost the first thing she said to Julia was, "It's so early in the day, I'm guessing you must be homeschooled?" (in a very friendly way :)).  When we said yes, she said she would make this into a little learning time for Julia, and she carefully explained every step of the process to her!  Julia is fascinated by medical stuff like that, so in no time at all she didn't seem worried anymore, but just interested in all the nurse was doing.  Thankfully I don't mind getting blood drawn, and I have good veins for it , so it wasn't a big deal for me, either. :)  Julia got to help wipe down my vein/arm area before the needle was put in, and the nurse even put some of the stretchy wrap around her arm like I had around mine, after we were all done (I thought it was funny that they use "vet wrap" now instead of putting a band-aid on over the gauze!).  I really appreciated so much how the nurse took the extra time to give Julia a sort of "hands-on" lesson.  I have been amazed by how many people we meet who are homeschool-friendly; we rarely get a disapproving look or word if we happen to be out somewhere during school hours, and I am grateful.

So other than all the b/p stuff, my appt. went fine.  I'm measuring right at 38 weeks, and baby's heart rate was anywhere from 120s-140s.  Baby is still in a good position for delivery, and not likely to change, although it sometimes moves from left to right a bit, but it's definitely hanging out most on the left side.  I'm still feeling lots of movement, especially at night.  I had quite a few contractions 2 nights ago, but mostly Braxton-Hicks and not really painful.  Still, it's nice to know my body is getting ready. :)  Heartburn has been minimal for quite a while now--I still get some daily, but can usually keep it at bay with a few Tums.  SO thankful for that.  I've been drinking tons of pregnancy tea and getting excited that I probably only have a couple weeks or less left of pregnancy!  Looking forward to meeting this little person very soon!! :)