One discomfort for another

So this has been an interesting week. I guess you could say it was a 'trial run' at what being at the hospital could be like when the big day finally arrives. Let me give you a little background. As I mentioned in my most previous post, I have more recently struggled with dizziness and difficulty breathing. Overall, it feels like I'm on the verge of passing out. I have heard from coworkers this these feelings could be a symptom of high blood pressure, which is a cause for concern during pregnancy. So, Tuesday morning, after a long weekend and morning of lightheaded-ness, I asked my supervisor if I could run over to employee health real quick to get my blood pressure taken. I'll keep this short and sweet. Let's just say that this little request soon turned into an all out Emergency Room spectical. Before I knew what was happening, my doctor was on the phone and not long after I was getting rolled through my work hallways in a wheelchair to a car to be taken to the hospital. Did I faint?! Was I too whoozy to stand?? No. I was perfectly fine, insisting this was all a 'little much'. "Better safe than sorry" everyone kept saying. Due to my dizziness and difficulty breathing with chest pain, my doctor ordered me straight to the emergency room to have everything checked out. And my poor husband. He comes full running into the waiting room, on the verge of tears, unsure of exactly what is going on with his wife and poor baby. 4 hours later, a chest xray, 4 blood tests, and a liter of liquids through an IV, we were able to go home for the day and rest. So what did they find?? Nothing. Not a dang thing.

I was told to rest and call if anything got worse, which it hasn't. But, on the bright side, I was able to get a very small taste of what it will feel like to be all set up in a hosiptal room. Granted, I was in the ER which is different then the maternity ward, I'm sure. Either way, the pure thought of potential labor was instantly terrifying!!!

Week 32: Since my ER visit on Tuesday, my dizziness is minimal and breathing difficulty comes and goes. My struggle with back pain is starting to level out and my gallbladder is less tempermental, but now what is causing serious discomfort is the recent onset of sciatic nerve pain. I knew this was something that was a possibility towards the end of my pregnancy, with a growing uterus pressing on the nerve in my spine which sends sharp shooting pain up my back and down my legs (mainly the right one). This makes trying to sit down, stand up, walking, or even turning around a major pain! Pun intended. I feel like a pirate with a wooden leg everywhere I go because lifting my right leg and then pressing down on it again just to walk is serious work, all while holding back tears every step of the way. This pain isn't new territory for me, as I have suffered from a bulging disk a few years ago, which creates the exact same pain as the disk can pinch or rub against the sciatic nerve. Familiar or not, this is an foe I strongly despise.

By the end of this week our little munchkin could weigh anywhere between 3-4 pounds and 16-18 inches in length. How is all that fitting in such a confined space?!? Well, this space is about to get much smaller as bean is about to start packin' on some major poundage, around 1/2 a pound a week! Our sweet baby has plenty to do; blinking, grabbing, making faces, and practicing breathing for that big first breath! Oh, and did I mention working those karate chops and jump kicks? He/she has those down pact!

Next week: My mom comes (on Wednesday)!!!! Plenty of pictures to post coming up!