If you haven’t figured it out by now or you are new to my blog, first of all….WELCOME!! Second, we are expecting!!! I am super excited for our bundle of joy to arrive and finally ready to share my journey.
I already have a 19 year old son (don’t laugh lol) and now I am patiently waiting on my little girl to arrive so that I can spoil her! Currently, I am one week shy of 7 months and I can definitely tell that there is a little person growing inside of me. I can already tell that she has a personality and quite honestly, I talk about her like she is already here. This experience is so surreal for me and makes me believe more than ever that everything happens for a reason.
I wanted to kind of share a little bit of my experience thus far. Even though this is not my first pregnancy, it’s almost feels like it is. It’s been 19 years since I had a baby and had to deal with baby issues so alot of what’s going on feels so new to me. Up until now, everything is going as smooth as any other pregnancy even though they consider me high risk. I’m considered high risk because of 4 reasons:
- I have had a premature birth in the past.
- I was diagnosed with Lupus years ago.
- I am over 35 years old.
- I developed preeclamsia in my previous birth.
Although the first and the last reason are similar in the fact that they induced my labor because I developed preeclamsia, they definitely are good reasons to watch out for this baby. Preeclamsia is when a pregnant women develops high blood pressure issues and she never had high blood pressure problems before. Preeclamptic women will have a high level of protein in their urine and often also have swelling in the feet, legs, and hands. If undiagnosed, preeclampsia can lead to eclampsia, a serious condition that can put you and your baby at risk, and in rare cases, cause death. There’s no way to cure preeclampsia except for delivery, and that can be a scary prospect for moms-to-be. Even after you give birth, signs and symptoms of preeclampsia can last for 1 to 6 weeks. Sometimes even longer.
At 33 weeks, I went in for a stress test 19 years ago and my blood pressure was out of this world. I had headaches and dizziness just laying there while they monitored my baby. They had me sit up to see if the symptoms would go away but my blood pressure continued to spike. So they requested a urine sample and once tested, they found protein in my urine and told me to go to the hospital. Outcome: They were going to admit me. I was 19 years old at the time and scared out of my mind! I was by myself and wasn’t sure of the full extent of what was going on but I was worried about my baby.
After being admitted, they explained that I had developed preeclamsia and that they would have to deliver my baby so that we both had a chance of living. Nineteen years later, I can honestly say that my miracle baby is truly amazing! He was born at 4 pounds, 13 ounces but had a personality bigger than himself. To look at him today, you would never think that he was a preemie.
Thus far, this pregnancy is on task to be full term but again, they treat it like it’s high risk. I have had numerous tests run and gallons (it certainly feels like gallons) of blood drawn to ensure that she is healthy. At 27 weeks pregnant, I am now going to see my midwife every 2 weeks for a check up. My next appointment is next week and I can’t wait because I get to see my little pumpkin again. Almost a month ago, she was estimated at being a few ounces shy of 2 pounds and it truly makes me wonder where all of this weight I gained is the process is coming from lol. So far, I’ve gained about 40 pounds which scares me because I don’t know how I’m going to get it off afterwards.
My first trimester was plagued with morning sickness and wasn’t very fun. I spent most of that time in the bed because I thought I had a summer cold which I tend to get sometimes. My summer colds are always horrible and keep me congested and feeling nauseaous at times. This time was different though. Once out of the first trimester things got better as far as pregnancy symptoms but I still have my moments where I’m dizzy or just have an overall blah feeling. My hips, legs and feet are desperately trying to adjust to this new weight and the prospect of a baby exiting in about 12 to 13 weeks. This 38 year old body is definitely trying to get ready for delivery.
I went to see my Rheumatologist last week and she is pregnant as well!! The crazy part is….we are due like 2 days apart lol. I’m due on the first and her on the third. Because I don’t have any Lupus symptoms, aches or pains and my blood work has been coming back okay, my Rheumatologist feels that she can see me on an as needed basis. Which is fine by me!! I haven’t had a flare in years and I haven’t taken my Lupus meds in years. I never enjoyed taking the meds they had me on and always felt worse when I was on them. With the blessing of my doctor, I am off of the Plaquenil that they had me on for years. Although every day is not a great day, I feel blessed to be in the number each morning and blessed that I am not sickly because of this disease.
For the past few years, I have been living a Pescatarian lifestyle and feel like it is part of the reason that I am not sick and always in pain. Again, I have my moments where my joints feel a bit older than they are but overall, I live like the average 38 year old “healthy” person.
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Until next time….
~Divine Opportunist
Lohnnie Green 