The previous post was just getting too long, so we now begin part 2…
Same warning applies: Don’t read any further if you don’t want to know gross body stuff (the same will be said about the birth story later).
I started having some blood pressure and headache issues. After several days of Tylenol not helping a low grade headache, I called the doctor. I was put on labetalol, a beta blocker, to bring my blood pressure down. It didn’t work (or rather, it worked too well). I almost passed out in the pillow aisle at Target it dropped it so low. So then, I was switched to methyldopa, an alpha-2 receptor agonist, and managed to do well enough through my non-stress test and so on.
Because of my age and my blood pressure, I had to have tons of non-stress tests. On one hand, that was OK because I got to listen to her heartbeat twice a week. On the other hand, I had to sit there and have my bp taken every five minutes until I was past sanity. It’s hard to not get stressed out when you’re hooked up to machines and you need to go back to work, but no one will let you go. It more than stressed me, it angered me. Even thinking back on it, I get a little irritated.
In February, I caught a “cold”. I put it in quotes because I have never been that sick from a cold before. I missed the wedding of one of my best friends because I was too sick to drive three hours. (It was a beautiful wedding and I’m still very sorry I missed it.) I had a fever that hovered around 101, that I struggled to keep down so I didn’t have to go to the hospital. I was on a regular schedule of Tylenol and sleeping with just a sheet on (I was so cold, but if I got under the blankets my temperature was too high). I ended up being given a Z-pack because I was sick for so long, and historically bronchitis is a regular visitor to my lungs. I almost had to do FMLA paperwork for missing so much work.
At the end of February, I broke down and bought some maternity pants. I had resisted as long as I could, but when I caved, man those were some awesome pants.
I also had low iron issues. I don’t tolerate iron supplements well, but I found a chewable one that didn’t taste bad and kept my levels up enough to get by.
Along the way, Rachel moved around. I didn’t write it down, but I was very aware of the time she turned head down. There was a lot of movement that actually kind of hurt and then sort of a settled feeling. That had been one of my fears, that she wouldn’t turn, because I didn’t – I was transverse and thus a c-section baby.
I went on maternity leave on July 1. And it was glorious! So much cleaning happened; I was finally “nesting.” On July 10, five days before my due date, I posted to Facebook:
Being pregnant sucks and I don’t recommend it.
There’s one more post that is the conclusion of “Jenny’s Pregnant” saga and then, it’s the beginning of a whole new chapter in life…
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