Category Archives: preeclampsia

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 37

Happy Monday! And welcome back to another installment of my week by week pregnancy guide. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, then feel free to scroll to the bottom.
Week 37
Your baby is now breathing inside of you. It sounds creepy, but it is actually kind of cute. At this point everyone was saying I should take a tour of the hospital where I would be delivering. I didn’t get a chance to, and honestly I don’t think I would have cared. When you get there you will be wheeled straight into the delivery room. After which you will be taken to your room, and you will be there until you go home. With Munchie I was in the hospital for the whole mandatory two days. With Ducky my doctor sent me home same day. So really, whether or not the hospital chooses to display O’Keefe or Monet in their hallways doesn’t matter. Skip the tour. Go get some ice cream instead. Unless of course you are lactose intolerant, in which case don’t. But feel free to skip the tour anyway.
Some doctors will want to induce during this week. If so, find out why. If there is a legitimate health reason, such as preeclampsia, or other factors, then by all means, trust your doctor. However, I have friends who’s doctor had them induced without any valid reasoning aside from scheduling convenience. Sorry, that is not a good enough reason for me. And it shouldn’t be for you either.
Now your doctor will want to see what position your little one is in. Until now your baby was probably doing somersaults. Which was fine. But at this point his head should be down, otherwise you have a breech. If so, then your doctor may try turning the baby over from the outside. This can be very painful for you, as it is something like a violent massage. But it does not hurt the baby in any way. If this doesn’t work, then you play the waiting game. You may not go into labor as soon as you might think, giving the baby time to rotate on his own. However, once you are in labor and he still hasn’t turned, you are most likely looking at a c-section. As scary as this may sound, it is not the end of the world. You will recover, and at this point, the best thing you can do is trust your doctor. However, until you are actually in labor with a breech baby, trust your instincts.
Two weeks to go!!
 
If you want to catch up…  

Week 15 

Week 23 

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 32

Welcome back to Week 32 of my week by week pregnancy guide. If you are new and want to catch up, scroll to the bottom.
Week 32
Your baby is now breathing, and suckling and doing all sorts of other cute things. I am sure this is not medical terminology, and I am sure your doctor will have more information for you, especially since around now you are going to start seeing your doctor every two weeks or so.
With Munchie around this time I was diagnosed with mild preeclampsia. Mildly, it is nothing to really worry about, but if you get a severe case of it you may be put on bed rest, or have an emergency c-section. If you have it, your doctor will tell you what you need to do.
As you are looking into different methods of childbirth, you have probably heard about Lamaze, a breathing technique most people have heard of. But there is also the Bradley Method, similar to Lamaze that is also worth trying. I looked into both, but honestly, I didn’t use either. Mainly because when it came to actually giving birth I was too busy hyperventilating to remember anything.
When considering where you want to give birth you may also be thinking about who you want to deliver your baby. I went the traditional route at a hospital with my doctor. But I have also heard of some people who have used a Doula, and have had great success. Look into and see if it is something that may interest you.
What have you been considering?
If you want to catch up…  

Week 15 

Week 23 

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 5

Moving forward with our Monday pregnancy updates, we left off with Week 4 last time, so…
Week 5
The first thing you may start noticing at this stage is your breasts. They will start getting bigger. Which for some, is one of the perks of pregnancy. But unfortunately they may also start to feel sore. By the way, this is absolutely the worst time to check for breast cancer, as your breasts will start developing all sorts of bumps that will most likely last until after you are done breast feeding. This is assuming you will breast feed. If not, then the bumps will go away shortly after you give birth. Again, every pregnancy is different. I did not experience the same magnitude of bumps or discomfort with Ducky. Either my body was used to being pregnant, or my hormones were different. Or both. Either way, I wasn’t in as much pain. But unfortunately my breasts didn’t increase in size as much either.
This is the week when a home pregnancy test works best, so if you take enough of them you will be sure without a doubt. Unless you have been pregnant before, in which case, you don’t need a test to tell you what you already know. If you haven’t already, schedule a doctor’s appointment.
During the next few weeks miscarriagebecomes a scary thought for a lot of women. And yes, a quarter of pregnancies end in miscarriage, but I urge you to look into the subject, and speak with your doctor, because those numbers are very skewed. There are circumstances which lead to miscarriage, and you may not have anything to worry about.
Right about now your doctor is going to start with the blood tests. If this is your first pregnancy, it is going to seem like you are a pin cushion. If this is not your first pregnancy, you will be more used to it, and also they will be able to use some of the tests from the first one, so it makes things a little easier. I loved the blood tests because they let me know what is going on with my baby and my body. Through blood tests they found I had mild pre-eclampsia with Munchie (and we were able to make the adjustments necessary to carry full term), and it was through blood tests that I found Ducky drained me of all my nutrients and I had become anemic. Again, good to know so I can take some preventive measures.
At this point, your body is constantly changing (and it will for the next 35 weeks), so just enjoy the feeling the best you can. It may be wonderful and you want to relish. It may be horrible, and in that case, I say this again, it is temporary. It will end, so just focus on the good and think of your bundle of joy/prize at the end.
If you want to catch up: