PIH

That's Pregnancy Induced Hypertension for those keeping track at home. All is well with the babe, but Hallie's blood pressure, which has been climbing steadily for months, has reached the threshold of 140/90 that sounds the alarms.

So what does that mean? Well, for starters the "weekly checkup" turned into a "hospital visit". Natalie (our midwife) was not going to wait & see and ordered a lot of tests. Hallie was hooked into a non-stress test where the babe's heartbeat was monitored along with Hallie's uterine contractions. All was well there, and they took some blood and sent us down for an ultrasound to check on the babe's movements & development.

Ultrasound went well. Babe scored an 8 of 8 on the biophysical profile. We saw some kicking and sucking. We turned away before seeing Penis? Vagina? You'll just have to wait! There was also a point where the baby moved her forehead- either furrowing her brow or scowling at the ultrasound technician. Perhaps Harpo Marx is waiting to be reborn?

What are the consequences of PIH? First the mamma can: get headaches, see "floaters", have quick reflex reactions, and ultimately seizures. Is Hallie experiencing any of these symptoms?- perhaps mild headaches, but that is all. The rest of the symptoms have not shown up and show that our Midwife's concern is an abundance of caution as opposed to a panicked worry. Results on the baby can be: premature birth, low birth weight, and worst case, the placenta can detach from the uterine wall.

Is this happening? No. Yesterday's ultrasound showed the baby to be about 6 1/2 pounds, and measuring out at 38 weeks. Now, Hallie is 36 weeks pregnant, so low birth weight is not a major concern of mine. We're lucky that this condition has surfaced so late in the pregnancy. The head size is actually at 42 weeks, so we've also got a big-headed Charlie Brown ready to meet the world- ala Uncle Byron. Ala Uncle Steve. Kid's going to be a frickin' brainiac.



So that brings us up to what we're doing now. Hallie's on "modified bed rest" until Friday. She spent today on the couch reading, programming numbers into the phone, napping, and calling me to complain of boredom. I think secretly she enjoys being pampered, but don't let on that I said that.

I had to bring a couple of jugs - 24 hours worth of urine into the hospital lab today. Man, that girl can pee!They're looking for protein in the urine as an indicator that the PIH is a concern. With any luck, we'll find out tomorrow that they found little to be concerned with. It would be nice if she could get some walking orders to move around a little more- go swimming, walk the dog, etc. I think it would help her stay calm to be able to swim a few more leisurely times.

So that's everything we're dealing with- more tomorrow when Natalie reads all the results and takes Hallie's BP again. Wish us luck!