Much Ado About Nothing

Do you know what persistent headaches and nausea are a symptom of? Preeclampsia – a very, very serious pregnancy condition. Do you know what else they can be symptoms of? Clogged sinuses and indigestion.

I’m going to cut right to the chase and tell you that I most assuredly don’t have preeclampsia.

Kristian and I drove up to NH on Friday evening (in our new car! woohoo!) to spend the weekend helping out at his old summer camp as part of their annual work weekend. Well, Kristian was helpful. There’s not a whole lot that a woman who is 27 weeks pregnant and can’t lift more than 5-10 pounds can do to help out. I drove the camp truck around and did various easy jobs, like putting together flower arrangements and setting the tables for dinner.

Long story short, we didn’t get a ton of sleep this weekend. And we had a big meal on Saturday night that included a lot of salt and fat. It’s also been overcast over the past several days, which tends to give me sinus headaches. Plus, we spent a lot of time in the car. The combination of all of this was apparently enough to make me feel fairly miserable yesterday, with some serious nausea, headaches and a general feeling of un-wellness. Normally, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. My boss sent me home early and I spent most of the afternoon napping on the couch. But, because I’m pregnant, I decided that I should probably call the doctors office.

The on-call doctor didn’t think it was anything serious, but she did want me to head in and have someone take my blood pressure, just in case. No big deal, right? Kristian drove me to the doctor first thing this morning. The plan was to have a nurse check my vitals and then send me on my merry way. But the nurse didn’t want the responsibility of telling me I was fine and sending me home. Like I said, my symptoms were likely nothing but could also have been a sign of preeclampsia. So, I had to wait until a doctor was available.

I ended up having my blood pressure taken, then a long conversation with the doctor, then she listened to Gummy Bear’s heartbeat for a bit and then I had to pee in a little plastic cup. After all of that? Everything checked out fine. My blood pressure is normal, my weight and fundal measurements are good. The only swelling in my hands in feet is where I twisted my ankle tripping and practically falling down the stairs (again!).

Basically, there was a whole lot of kerfluffle over a whole lot of nuthin’.

Obviously, I am happy that everything checked out OK. And, even though it’s slightly embarrassing to have wasted everybody’s time over what ended up being pretty much a non-issue, I’m still convinced that I did the right thing. Pregnancy really is a time in your life where it’s better to be safe than sorry. Everything could be totally fine one day and then you could have a serious complication the next. It’s not just my health that’s at stake, it’s Gummy Bear’s health as well. And I will always make her health my top priority. Always.

I think that’s called being a mother.

Yikes.