Preeclampsia

Yesterday, I was diagnosed with mild preeclampsia. I find it so ironic that my last post had me bragging that I was one of the lucky ones who didn't get preeclampsia!

I went in on Wednesday for my weekly check up, and I was sooooo nervous about my little baby boy and his growth. They didn't do a growth scan, as it isn't as accurate when you do it every week, but I was so happy to see that his cord flow was in the normal range. The week before, the doppler showed that he wasn't getting enough blood flow, but this time it looked normal!! So, he is growing! I don't know how much he weighs at the moment, but it is so reassuring to know that things were looking good with him. I thought everything was great and I even considered going to my baby shower that evening which was hosted by my awesome ward.

We then met with the doctor and they found protein in my urine, which is an indicator is preeclampsia. Basically, you can't feel preeclampsia until you are at the severe stage, but they diagnose mild preeclampsia with high blood pressure (which I've had for the past 6 weeks) and elevated protein in your urine. The protein is an indicator that my kidneys are over working themselves. Luckily, my blood work came back normal for kidney and liver function - which are the two main organs that are affected my preeclampsia. However, the normal count for protein is 100 - 200, and mine was at 2,000! Yikes! The good news about my situation is that women who get mild preeclampsia can usually carry the baby or babies for an additional 3-4 weeks after being diagnosed. Once I hit the severe  stage of preeclampsia, they will have to deliver the babies immediately. I can't express how grateful I am to have made it to 32 weeks, and I still can look forward to hopefully carrying the babies for a bit longer! Preeclampsia is very serious, as it causes harm to the mother and babies, but if it is caught early - which in my case it was - they can monitor me extremely closely and make sure that things turn out for the best. One part of preeclampsia is that the placenta doesn't always attach properly, which is most likely the case with our little guy. We just hope and pray that I can keep these little babes in for two more weeks and hope that both of the babies are growing from now until then. It is reassuring that they measure the heart rates every few hours, so if either baby goes into distress, they can deliver them. I still feel like it is WAY too soon, but I just know that I have to walk forward in FAITH!

Preeclampsia is rare (only 3-8% of pregnant women get it) and it's obviously serious. It's crazy to me that with my diagnosis, I honestly felt really at peace about things. I didn't even cry about it - I teared up when I knew that I couldn't go home after my routine weekly visit- but I haven't been overly emotional or concerned about things. Looking back on our pregnancy journey, the times that I had a really difficult time were the times I thought something was wrong with one of the babies. Now that my health is more of the concern, I don't seem to mind as much. I am grateful every day that I've been on bed rest that I get to keep these little babies inside of me for a day longer. I am so grateful for the hundreds of people (Yes, I said hundreds! We feel so LOVED!) that have kept us in their prayers. That is honestly how we've been able to move forward with such faith. We understand that these twins are miracle babies and are so grateful to that we get to have them. It has been a difficult journey, but I feel that I've learned so much from all of this. While it seems that the end of the road is not far off, I understand that things will be hard even when they are here. I've been asked by the nurses if I would like to tour the NICU, and every time they ask me, I tear up a little knowing that they will most likely spend some time in there- especially our small little guy. It will still be so hard when they are here, but it will be so worth it! Rich has been an absolute rock through everything - I can honestly say that I have married the best husband - and we will continue to move forward. I remember one of the midwives looking at our chart halfway through my pregnancy, and told us that we had our fair share of drama so far, and that nothing should happen towards the end, and I actually believed her. I thought - how much worse could things get? I never would have imagined that I would be on bed rest for 6 weeks (and counting!) and that my pregnancy would end of being so complicated. Sometimes I look at women who get pregnant so easily and have the easiest pregnancies ever, and I get a little bit jealous. However, I am so much BETTER than I was a year ago, and I have so much to be thankful for!! Whenever I go outside (which is rare these days) the leaves have turned a prettier shade and the air is that much crisper.  My perspective on life has forever changed, and I appreciate things so much more. Yes, things are hard, but things are so GOOD! We have a lot to be thankful for! Keep those prayers coming - they definitely give us the strength to move forward!