Jasmin and Frank's
Pregnancy Journal
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20 Weeks |
| Posted on June 16, 2011 |
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Since I will be delivering at 36 or 37 weeks (fingers crossed), I am passed the half way mark. But 20 weeks also means I am approaching the time I started to get sick with Blue. I started having symptoms at 20.5 weeks, so I am starting to get a bit anxious. My first symptom last year was swelling. Swelling in my hands and feet. I was so swollen in my feet that when I took off my shoes, it took several minutes until the shoe imprint finally disappeared. This time at 20 weeks, I only have swelling in my hands that is intermittent. It usually happens when I am hot. I can still wear my wedding ring, which is a good sign. By this time last year, I either had to go without my rings, or only wear one of them. That's the scary thing about preeclampsia: headaches, swelling...these are all common in a normal pregnancy. At 21.5 weeks last year was when I got the awful, unrelenting headache associated with preeclampsia. At 22 weeks was when my blood pressure started to shoot up. It went from my normal baseline of 118-120/78-80 to 154/100. Dr. Johnson gave me medication which lowered it a bit. But at 23 weeks I eventually had to check myself in to Labor & Delivery. A week later, Baby Blue stopped in to say hello and goodbye. The final BP reading I recall was 235/115, well within stroke and/or seizure levels. I'm just lucky I walked away relatively unscathed, physically. Other moms I spoke to had strokes and had hemiplegia after it. Others had permanent liver damage, kidney damage, or are now chronic hypertensives. The next 5 weeks are going to be difficult and I am going to have to try to keep calm about any changes that might happen. In the mean time, my Lovenox shots were increased from a 0.4mL dosage to 0.6mL. It's not fun and I'm running out of places to stick myself, but at least I'm used to it. Snowflake has been moving around more. Typically it's just a kick or two. But now I can feel him move for longer periods before he is quiet. Apparently babies at this stage sleep at 12-14 hours a day. I am so jealous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v70cQzwRxfI |