Last week's prenatal was wonderful! It's so fantastic to sit for an hour and talk with the midwife and her assistant about...well, everything! Urine came back normal, blood pressure was at my normal-ish 128/70, and baby sounded good - once they finally heard baby, anyways. Apparently baby has the loudest cord they'd ever heard so all they kept hearing was the placenta!
I loved hearing that. It's little things like that that let me know things are going well, that my body is doing well. Loud cord means healthy blood flow to baby! One of the things that can happen with pre-eclampsia is restricted blood vessels. This time around the blood flow is good and LOUD - I will lay down and hear and feel the blood pumping in my veins for a few minutes! This is not something I can remember hearing or noticing in my last two pregnancies.
Another hint that my body is happier with me this time around is the little to no varicose vein pain in my legs. When I was pregnant with Kieran, I had to wear compression tights by 24 weeks because the veins behind my knees were swollen and painful. In December, around 24 weeks, I had some pain in my knees on a few occasions and was sure I was going to have to deal with them again. Both my mother and grandmother report having varicose vein issues get worse each pregnancy, so I thought that would be my fate as well. But I was hopeful that my healthy diet and healthy blood flow-promoting herbs & supplements would help - and maybe they have, because I haven't had any more issues! Sometimes they'll get slightly sore after being on my feet all day but that's understandable. It's just nothing compared to the pain I had last pregnancy, so I have been pleased about that!
The last thing I discussed with the midwives is my feeling that I am more in tune with my body since becoming more knowledgeable about a healthy, rounded nutrition intake and the protein needs my body has. If I do not start out my day with the 50g protein smoothie, I set myself up for failure. The few days I have waited to make it, for whatever reason (sometimes I run out of time on a crazy morning, but occasionally I've been too lazy) and I really pay for it I get lightheaded, tired and I just feel "off." I'm guessing that's my blood pressure rising and my blood sugar out of whack. If I have the smoothie right away, I am set up for success and stabilize my blood pressure, but if I have it at a later time, I find that I am not hungry or in the mood for it, so I have to have it first thing for it to really make a difference in my day.
So that's where I'm at now! 32 weeks is my next appointment, then every 2 weeks for a bit. I said to Josh, "I'll be 32 weeks at my next appointment!?" I never made it past 29 weeks 5 days last time, so here's hoping!
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