It has been a little weird to consider myself high-risk. I had hoped and prayed that I wouldn't go through what I did with Noah this time. Still no one can say if it will happen again, but we are taking all of the precautions. Just in case.
It has been reassuring to know that if preeclampsia does happen again we should be able to catch it a lot faster and take action. I practically had a panic attack on the way to my first appointment, but by the end of that visit I was feeling confident and well cared for by my doctor.
The plan was that at 20 weeks we would start to keep a closer watch on me. (Preeclampsia usually doesn't start until after 20 weeks.) I would begin to visit my doctor every other week, start to get specialty sonograms monthly (later increasing to weekly), and get blood and urine tests ran to get a baseline to run future test by. Right on schedule my blood pressure started creeping up. So on top of the normal plan, I was also put on blood pressure medicine on top of my daily baby aspirin.
It has been six weeks since this kicked in and it has been interesting. I had to purchase a weekly pill box to make sure that I was remembering all of my pills. I have spent way too much time driving to the hospital to see my doctor and get sonograms, and it's about to get worse. But it is all worth it. Because it just reassures me that I am well taken care of and that I am taking all of the steps to make sure that me and little Sophie are healthy, and really that is all that matters.
I know that there are other women that have trouble with their pregnancies too, some a lot more than me, and that I am not alone. I just hope to share my experiences and my story to reach out to other moms like me. And to give others insight on what high-risk pregnancies can look like. xo, Britt
