Baby #4 - 36 Weeks

Are we there yet?  That's what I feel like asking after a long two weeks of not feeling well!  Beware, the post below will have more whining then you are used too. 

 36 weeks baby #4

The past month has been very busy!

I took Erik to Kansas and Nebraska 2 weeks ago to visit family and go to my cousin's wedding.  It was a fun trip.

 About 24 hours after getting back I started feeling crummy and haven't felt well since. It's been a long 12 days.   I think the biggest problem is a bad virus that I've had trouble shaking.  It started with a terrible sore throat, quickly moved into a head/chest cold.  For the past 10 days I've had a terrible cough and headache.    I haven't slept very well.  About a week into the viral symptoms I started noticing swelling in my hands and feet, nausea and of course the awful headache.  So while at work on Tuesday I decided to take my blood pressure.   That was probably a mistake.  It came back elevated.  My blood pressure is usually about 110/60 but that day it was 145/90 twice.  I called my OB thinking he'd let me do some lab work at my clinic as I had an appointment the following morning.  He wanted lab work, but he wanted it done on his turf. :)  So I ended my office hours early, arranged babysitters (thank you Aom and Ervins) and then headed to the hospital.  My BP sitting up was 140/80, laying down was normal. Labs were okay, baby was fine on the strip.  I went back to the clinic the next morning.  Repeat labs were done and okay.  Dr. K did an ultrasound that morning - fluid levels and placenta all looked okay.  So he sent me home on limited activity (no working out) and I will see him again Monday. 

My ankles on Tuesday night (this has improved thankfully)!

Since Wednesday I have continued to feel crappy.  The swelling seems better but man do I have a bad headache and can not get rid of the cough.  Yesterday when I woke up my face, teeth, and neck hurt in addition to my head so I went to the walk in clinic and have now been started on antibiotics for a sinus infection.  I am hoping and praying I feel like a half way normal human soon!  My blood pressure yesterday was still the high end of normal (135/85) but not high enough that they'd do anything about it. 

Aside from not feeling well the pregnancy is going just fine I think.  I'm eagerly awaiting not being pregnant anymore mainly because it seems like I won't feel normal again until I deliver.  We'll see.

Heartburn continues to be an issue.  It's not daily, thankfully, but when it kicks in nothing seems to get rid of it.   On the ultrasound this week I could NOT see any hair so now I've decided this baby will be bald like L and C.  (You could definitely see hair on E's ultrasounds by now.)

I've basically been side-lined from all forms of exercise for the past 10-11 days.   At first it was self-imposed because I didn't feel well, then imposed by my doctor.  I managed to run all the way to 34.5 weeks pregnant.  I'm pretty proud of that but think that will be my last run until post-delivery.  Since I still don't feel well I haven't been feeling too anxious about getting zero exercise but I am a little worried that no exercise will delay the arrival of baby boy as I've always walked 4-6 miles a day right up until delivery day which always triggered plenty of braxton hicks contractions.

I've gained 19-20 pounds at this point.    Baby boy was measuring just over 5 pounds on ultrasound (this can be off by a pound or more) about 5 days ago so he may be a peanut.  I am really hoping he will be a good 7 pounds at birth.   I delivered the other three 10-15 days from now.  It's exciting to know he will be here soon!

 To sum things up:  I'm fighting a bad virus, turned sinus infection.  Monitoring borderline blood pressure issues.  Praying for a healthy baby and that I will be feeling better at the time of delivery.