The Notorious J-U-G
There are many things I never thought I would experience in my life.
For a long time, pregnancy was one of them.
Then, one of the treatments worked and this infertile gal got pregnant, with the help of a small army. As a pregnant girl, I had no idea how to write for my audience. I had loads to say when infertility was torturing me. But, there are SO MANY mommy bloggers. I have so many friends who are still fighting in the infertility trenches. How do I write authentically but with regard for their struggles?
Well... as I wrestled with these notions, life plopped a big old dose of inspiration in front of me... in the form of a rather large orange jug.
I haven't written about the ins and outs of pregnancy because every pregnant person has them. I've been tired. My belly itches. I deal with nausea and the like.
But, whatever. All the pregnant ladies are doing it.
However, a few weeks ago, I went into one of my prenatal appointments with Dr. S. Typically, these are short, we listen to the baby's heartbeat, he gives me a couple of pointers, asks if anything is out of the ordinary, tells me what to expect in the next couple weeks and we are out the door.
But, when they were getting my vitals, Kim, my nurse, stopped the normal banter to tell me my blood pressure was "a little elevated." I've seen Dr. S for longer than the life span of a Queen Ant (bet you didn't know they lived for 3 years... see you learned something today.) Suffice it to say he has a record of my blood pressures. They know what's normal and what's elevated for me.
At the first visit, he didn't act "overly" concerned because the BP could be a one time fluke. But I was headed into the second trimester, when BP should be at the lowest point. It shouldn't be going up. So, onto vacation I went, with the advice to take a low-dose aspirin per day, because, even though the chances of it being a solution were small, it was the one thing I could do to potentially stave off greater risks.
After vacation, I went back to his office and had a little check in on Baby Boy. His heart rate was fine, but once again, my BP was a little higher than he would like to see it, almost at the same level it was been at the previous visit. Once again, we chatted, talked about implications for my BP and scheduled an appointment for after my visit to West Virginia.
This past Friday, I went to my prenatal visit. BP was down a little, but still not where Dr. S would like to see it. However, one more wrench was thrown in the works. I had protein in my urine.
If you've never been pregnant, you probably have no idea what goes on behind the veil in the OB's office. Let me reassure you there is no glamour. Each time, your nurse takes your BP and makes you pee in a cup. If you've never been through infertility, this might seem humiliating or like a huge indignity. If you've been through infertility, you gladly pee in the cup and thank your lucky stars there are no needles involved.
Each time I do this, the nurse checks my glucose and protein levels to make sure they aren't too high. I'd never had a problem... until Friday.
Kim told me I had protein in my urine. I knew that was no good. So, I anxiously waited for Dr. S. He came in with his normal demeanor and told me I had "homework." If any of you know teachers, you know we HATE homework. But, for my little guy, I would do anything, so I listened as he explained the role of the big orange jug.
If you've ever gone through a 24 hour urine analysis, you know exactly what I am talking about. I will spare you the gorier details, but suffice it to say I am collecting all of my urine in a big orange jug and taking it back to the office for analysis on Monday. Oh, an it had to be refrigerated. Let's just say J's beer fridge on the back porch has been temporarily repurposed.
Why the jug you might ask? They are checking to see if my protein was a one-time thing that was a result of dehydration or if it is a larger problem. Dr. S knows I am a worrier, so he is slow to alarm me with the new "p" word-- pre-eclampsya. But, I have talked to him and researched enough to know that pre-eclampsya is a scary thing that I really would like to avoid.
So, for now, I will pee in my jug while I hope and pray this is nothing serious. In the grand scheme of things and on the list of things I've done to get to this pregnancy, how bad is peeing in a jug, anyway?
For a long time, pregnancy was one of them.
Then, one of the treatments worked and this infertile gal got pregnant, with the help of a small army. As a pregnant girl, I had no idea how to write for my audience. I had loads to say when infertility was torturing me. But, there are SO MANY mommy bloggers. I have so many friends who are still fighting in the infertility trenches. How do I write authentically but with regard for their struggles?
Well... as I wrestled with these notions, life plopped a big old dose of inspiration in front of me... in the form of a rather large orange jug.
I haven't written about the ins and outs of pregnancy because every pregnant person has them. I've been tired. My belly itches. I deal with nausea and the like.
But, whatever. All the pregnant ladies are doing it.
However, a few weeks ago, I went into one of my prenatal appointments with Dr. S. Typically, these are short, we listen to the baby's heartbeat, he gives me a couple of pointers, asks if anything is out of the ordinary, tells me what to expect in the next couple weeks and we are out the door.
But, when they were getting my vitals, Kim, my nurse, stopped the normal banter to tell me my blood pressure was "a little elevated." I've seen Dr. S for longer than the life span of a Queen Ant (bet you didn't know they lived for 3 years... see you learned something today.) Suffice it to say he has a record of my blood pressures. They know what's normal and what's elevated for me.
At the first visit, he didn't act "overly" concerned because the BP could be a one time fluke. But I was headed into the second trimester, when BP should be at the lowest point. It shouldn't be going up. So, onto vacation I went, with the advice to take a low-dose aspirin per day, because, even though the chances of it being a solution were small, it was the one thing I could do to potentially stave off greater risks.
After vacation, I went back to his office and had a little check in on Baby Boy. His heart rate was fine, but once again, my BP was a little higher than he would like to see it, almost at the same level it was been at the previous visit. Once again, we chatted, talked about implications for my BP and scheduled an appointment for after my visit to West Virginia.
This past Friday, I went to my prenatal visit. BP was down a little, but still not where Dr. S would like to see it. However, one more wrench was thrown in the works. I had protein in my urine.
If you've never been pregnant, you probably have no idea what goes on behind the veil in the OB's office. Let me reassure you there is no glamour. Each time, your nurse takes your BP and makes you pee in a cup. If you've never been through infertility, this might seem humiliating or like a huge indignity. If you've been through infertility, you gladly pee in the cup and thank your lucky stars there are no needles involved.
Each time I do this, the nurse checks my glucose and protein levels to make sure they aren't too high. I'd never had a problem... until Friday.
Kim told me I had protein in my urine. I knew that was no good. So, I anxiously waited for Dr. S. He came in with his normal demeanor and told me I had "homework." If any of you know teachers, you know we HATE homework. But, for my little guy, I would do anything, so I listened as he explained the role of the big orange jug.
If you've ever gone through a 24 hour urine analysis, you know exactly what I am talking about. I will spare you the gorier details, but suffice it to say I am collecting all of my urine in a big orange jug and taking it back to the office for analysis on Monday. Oh, an it had to be refrigerated. Let's just say J's beer fridge on the back porch has been temporarily repurposed.
Why the jug you might ask? They are checking to see if my protein was a one-time thing that was a result of dehydration or if it is a larger problem. Dr. S knows I am a worrier, so he is slow to alarm me with the new "p" word-- pre-eclampsya. But, I have talked to him and researched enough to know that pre-eclampsya is a scary thing that I really would like to avoid.
So, for now, I will pee in my jug while I hope and pray this is nothing serious. In the grand scheme of things and on the list of things I've done to get to this pregnancy, how bad is peeing in a jug, anyway?
Bummer. Hopefully the protein was just a one-off, but at least they are watching you carefully! I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 30 weeks and had an emergency c-section at 32 weeks. My bubs is now 9 weeks old and doing great! Pre-eclampsia and a 6 week stay in the NICU weren't fun, but we got through it. It is scary, and of course best to be avoided, but if it happens these days and it is caught early it often has a happy ending. Hoping for the best for you!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Hope it all goes well! And from someone who is infertile, and never had a child.. I still want to hear what it going on, rather than it seeming that you just fell off a cliff!
ReplyDelete