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When I saw my feet and ankles had swollen to look like I had Elephantiasis in a very short period of time, I decided it would be best to get it checked out. I had stepped into the shower at around 6 o'clock yesterday and my feet looked normal. By 6:30, when I went to put my shoes back on, my ankles had swollen to the point where you could not even see the bone on the side of my ankle that usually sticks out on the outside. My toes were all red and looked like overstuffed sausages. They were swollen around the toenails, and if there wasn't a tiny indent in my pinky toe, you may have thought I didn't have a nail on that one.
When I arrived at the hospital E.R., the doctors told the nurse to perform blood tests to rule out preeclampsia, as I had several other symptoms of that: vomiting, headache, seeing spots...
Thank goodness the blood tests all came back negative, but the doctor couldn't explain away my symptoms. He just told me to take tylenol for the headache and rest to reduce the fact I'd been seeing spots (I was a little overtired...). He didn't address the vomiting except to say that Lucie was in prime position to be kicking my stomach, but... since my ankles and feet were so swollen, he said. "Your husband should massage your feet." Jon made a face. The doctor said, "He doesn't look too excited about that." At the time, the doctor was right.
We had just spent the entire day at lamaze class practicing massage techniques to increase natural production of Oxytocin. The feet were not included in any of this practice, as they do not have acupressure points in them which stimulate the production of this, and other hormones necessary to advance labor. Jon was tired, after spending the whole day massaging my face, my neck, my hands, my back, and now, the doctor was telling him yet another thing he'd have to massage, and I wasn't even in labor yet!
I understand his frustrations... just a little...
I know he's sick of bringing me to the hospital to get checked out all the time, but this has not been an easy pregnancy for me, and I've had legitimate concerns. I'm sick of being sick, and I wish that it was all daisies and roses, but it hasn't been. If I hadn't gone to the Labor & Delivery E.R. as many times as I have, I may not have had these minor issues addressed, and they would have compounded on each other, leading to some very serious complications. If I hadn't gone to the hospital Christmas Eve when I did, I would have been too far gone with the contractions, which may have caused dilation if allowed to continue, and the baby would have been put in a position to be under distress. That would have meant delivering her early, as a preemie.
I'm not worried about my health. I'm worried about the health of our baby. This isn't about me anymore. It will never be all about me again. It's all about taking care of her, as a member of our family.
I'll be so glad next Friday, when I hit 37 weeks. At that point, if I begin contracting, the doctors will allow it to continue, and I can just deliver her, and see her beautiful face, and find out if she's a redhead.
Most people wonder throughout their pregnancies if it's a boy or a girl. I found out pretty early on (15 1/2 weeks) that Lucie is a girl, and I've had it confirmed over the course of several ultra-sounds that the original gender determination was correct... Although last week, I must admit, there was a scare when Lucie's foot was positioned in a very unfortunate spot, and I had to ask the ultrasound tech if she was SURE about it being a girl. Once the ultrasound tech pointed out the five toes at the end of what I was afraid was a penis, I had to laugh at myself. I had a moment of panic, since my baby shower was just last Saturday, and I received A TON of pink clothes!
My main wonders in this pregnancy I will not be able to learn the answer to until Lucie is born.
I'm really curious to know if she's a redhead and what color her eyes will be. I've always dreamed of holding a little baby girl with curly red hair, a tiny button nose (which I can see she has from the sono photos), and green or hazel eyes. I know, Jonathan has brown eyes, and I have hazel eyes. Brown is dominant over blue or hazel, but Jonathan's brother has green eyes, and if Jonathan carries the green eye gene as a recessive, and that gene is the one passed along to Lucie, she could have green eyes, since green is dominant over blue. If Jonathan carries a blue eye gene as a recessive, she could have blue or hazel eyes. Or, she could just have brown eyes, if she received the gene which expresses itself in Jonathan's eyes.
Lucie could also be a redhead, genetically speaking, as Jonathan may have inherited a recessive redheaded gene on his father's side through his grandmother (who must have a recessive redhead gene because one of her parents was a redhead, and whose greatest wish is for Lucie to be a redhead). Jonathan's hair was dirty blond when he was a kid and has gotten darker over the years, and now it's a light brown, but he has some red hairs in his goatee and mixed in on his scalp, if you get up close and personal (which I have, or else I wouldn't be pregnant with his baby right now). I possess a double copy of the recessive redhead gene, which shows in my hair. Now, being as Jonathan could have this gene as well (as a recessive), it is possible for Lucie to get one redheaded gene from me, and a redheaded gene from Jonathan.
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