YEP, here we go again!

Yesterday I went for my 35-week appointment which was also a follow-up to last Thursday's hospital visit and fun-filled weekend of bed rest. I had spent all day Sunday with my trusty friend, biohazard Bob. He's a nice orange jug that I have occasional dates with throughout my pregnancies to conduct 24-hour urine collections. So, Bob in hand, I went to the appointment.

All seemed to go well during the appointment! My blood pressure, though still slightly elevated, was 143/80 (much better than it had been the previous Thursday). No protein showed in my urine on the standard office dip test and no weight gain in the last week (which would indicate fluid retention and possibly pre-eclampsia). The doctor seemed satisfied with these results and released me to go home, with the understanding that they would get the results of the 24-hour urine results in the afternoon and would notify me of the results. I asked if I could be released from bedrest and was told that I should be as much of a couch potato as possible. While there have been times in my life when that would have been a welcome prescription, that was not what I wanted to hear. However, "as much as possible" can be interpreted different ways and I rationalized that yesterday morning, with a realtor coming to assess our house (which was a mess!) in the afternoon, it just wasn't possible, so went home to help Aaron tidy up.

As I neared completion of the tasks I'd deemed crucial prior to the realtor visit, the phone rang. I could tell by the tone of the nurse's voice that the news wasn't great, so my head immediately started spinning. The basic gist of the conversation was this:

Whatever it is they test for in that 24-hour urine collection, they like it to be less than 300. Mine was 407, so they would like me to head back to the hospital. "Do I need to be prepared to stay in the hospital?" I asked. "Yes, look for the admitting office when you get off the elevator, they have a room waiting for you" I was told. Now, throughout this pregnancy, I have tried very very hard to remain strong and positive. Sure, there have been complications with both of the first two, but THIS one was going to be different. My blood pressure and other stats have been good all along allowing me to believe that things really COULD be uneventful this time. So, the news that I was going to be admitted to the hospital on the EXACT same time frame I was with Grace was hard to swallow. Not to mention that staying in the hospital is not pleasant for ANYBODY and that I had NEVER spent a night away from Grace in her almost 16 months. And further complicating things was the fact that I'm not READY for this baby yet. We have been sooooo focused on getting our house ready for the market, we haven't really had time to think about things such as where he will sleep and what he will wear.

I barely got off the phone with the nurse before the tears started flowing. It took me a few minutes to even share the news with Aaron because I was processing lots and lots of information. Eventually, we gathered up the things I needed, made sure Grace was settled in with my parents and headed off to the hospital.

And here I am...waiting. Waiting for more test results, waiting to see the doctor, waiting for time to pass, waiting to find out what the "plan" is (the doc told me last night that we'd discuss a "new delivery date" in the next couple of days), waiting for the next visit from Aaron and the kids.

The good news is that my blood pressure has been better than it has EVER been in my ENTIRE life since I checked in. 118/60, 116/56, 124/58 , etc. I actually even asked the nurse if she was sure it wasn't measuring only HALF of my blood pressure or if it was on the wrong system of measurement. The nurses have said things like "maybe your urine test will come out ok today and you'll get to go home!" But...I've lost my positive attitude about things. Somehow I have a feeling I won't be leaving this hospital without a baby and I've come to terms with that It's just my prayer that Noah will get enough time on the inside not to have to deal with complications after he is born. At 36 weeks, Grace had a few minor issues but was, for the most part, completely baked. So, I'm hoping to keep this little guy baking for another week at the very least!