Bed Rest

People have been asking me about how I've been feeling carrying twins. My immediate response is - I feel great! Physically, my pregnancy has been wonderful. I never had terrible morning sickness, I wasn't very tired, I really felt great. The only real symptom I had was terribly swollen extremities. My hands had been swollen since 20 weeks and my feet were so swollen that I couldn't put on normal shoes anymore. I was originally a size 9 1/2, and I had to special order size 11 shoes. Even those fit a bit snug!

With doctor approval, I went back to work teaching 5th grade. I had a student teacher who I would train, and he was going to take over the class when I felt like I needed to stop working. I went back to work for 5 days of training, and I felt awesome. Then, my first day of school was last week - Wednesday, August 22nd. The day went smoothly, until I starting feeling a bit "off" around lunch time. I called and talked to a midwife about me feeling a little bit weird, and I told her that I just knew that my blood pressure was off. She suggested that I go to a local Walgreens after school to get my blood pressure taken and then call her with the results.

I went to the Walgreens and the pharmacist taking my blood pressure was shocked at how high my blood pressure was. He ended up testing me 6 different times with an average level of 150/100. I nonchalantly told him thank you and that I would then be driving myself to the Emergency Room.

Once I got to the OB Emergency Room, I was in for a series of tests. My doctor told us that he thought I had preeclampsia and that I may have to deliver in the next 3 - 4 weeks. Oh, did I mention that I was only 25 1/2 weeks pregnant at the time? Rich later told me that the doc had also said that I may even have to deliver within 48 hours if it was advanced preeclampsia. I am sure glad that I didn't hear him say that....

I was admitted to the hospital and was hooked up to blood pressure machines. I also had to do a 24 urine analysis, as protein in the urine is a sign of preeclampsia. My doc told us twice that he thought I had it. He kept coming back telling us that he was "pleasantly surprised" that my blood pressure had dropped on its own. My urine analysis came back negative for preeclampsia. What a miracle!

So, the doc has ordered that I be on strict bed rest this week. I can only walk around for 2 minutes at a time. I can only go upstairs once or twice a day. So far, the bed rest has been keeping my blood pressure down. We head back to the doc on Wednesday for further testing.

How do I feel about bed rest? Obviously, it's pretty miserable. But, I'm determined not to complain! Things could have been soooo much worse, and every day that I keep my babies inside of me is another accomplishment. I don't mind if I am on bed rest for the next 8 weeks. I will do whatever I have to do to keep these babies healthy. Of course, this pregnancy has been an absolute whirlwind. Who knew that my first day of school would also be my last? I just think that when I meet these little ones, I will love them that much more!

"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." -Gordon B. Hinckley