I’m grateful that this pregnancy, minus the regular aches and pains, has been fairly easy thus far. I still think it’s weird to have this big tight belly that just keeps expanding. And now feel kicking, flipping, and bouncing around in that big tight belly regularly. It’s truly a surreal experience for me. Still being an out-of-this-world experience, I thought it was time to do a little check-in. Now that I am ending my 28th week, it’s time to update this 28 weeks pregnant.
Once again, it’s still shocking to me that I am even having a baby. Here I am, 41, and never even had a scare on a pregnancy. And magically, it happens now. I feel old and can’t believe that I am starting this so much older than most others. I am a firm believer, though, in things happening as they should and in their own time. I have never been one to follow others. We always do things in our own way and in our own time. It’s all just surreal. But it’s happening, and the more it gets here, the little bit more excited I get. Not about the birth, though, nope, still scared out of mind for that, and routines change. We got this, though.
So how I am feeling? What kind of appointments have I had thus far? Keep scrolling down to read a bit more all about that.
28 Weeks Pregnant
As I mentioned in the opening of this post, I’ve thankfully felt pretty good while pregnant. I’m achy and tired, but otherwise, I haven’t had any issues thus far (knock on wood!). Not to say I haven’t had to go through a bit more hoops and will. Overall though, I’m good. I’m considered higher risk because of my age but haven’t felt like I’ve been treated differently or seen differently.
The belly is sore, I’ve had round ligament pain (which has eased so much in the last couple of weeks), my back has ached, and my hips have ached. I’ve also had weird pelvic pressure; mostly, it seems like when I need to go number two and can’t, it can make walking not enjoyable.
I’m still trying to do at least 3 days of walking, but I’ll admit that hasn’t been very steady lately. Naps have won over those walks big time, especially because our weather has been rainy and windy lately.
Glucose Screening
At my 27th week, I went in to do my labs which included the 1-hour glucose screening. I did loads of research on it before going in and thought I had the proper amount before it. I had peanut butter toast and a small bit of strawberries. My blood sugar before I left for my labs was 103, so I thought I’d be golden. Yes, I had already been taking my blood sugar since Jason is a diabetic I was testing to see where about I was most of the time. I had never been high.
The glucose drink my Kaiser used was the lemon lime and I thought it was no big deal at all. They kept it cold and it was perfectly fine for me to drink. I had heard such horror stories for this drink that I was dreading it so much and was I ever grateful that it was not bad at all. It reminded me a slightly stronger 7-up. No biggie.
I drank my drink then went to wait to get my blood drawn. Baby girl was loving the sugar rush and started kicking and moving around like crazy. The hour flew by with ease and went back in for my blood draw.
Was I wrong?
That evening my result was in, and I was 138; I JUST missed the passing. While I was below where a lot of places have it, I didn’t pass for here. I needed to be 130 or less. UGH. Dang, it. So I already knew I had to take the 3 hours before the doctor replied in the morning. In addition to the needing to do the 3 hours, she told me I was low on iron. Again, that was no surprise. I am pretty sure I was low before I was pregnant.
Thankfully one of the labs was open on Saturdays, so Jason could go in with me on Saturday to get my 3-hour glucose done. It stated that it’s better to bring someone with you, just in case you don’t feel well during it or after it.
3 hour
In case you don’t know, the 3-hour glucose is a fasting one. Which normally, for me, is no big deal; I am not super hungry in the mornings and usually have to force myself to eat something. Yet, I woke up this morning starving to death. It was horrible not to eat anything until after thankfully though you can drink water, which helped.
The drink was the same size as the previous one; it was just twice sugar-filled. Again had no problem drinking the drink; it was probably slightly thicker than the first one. Still, nothing I had an issue with drinking, nor found god awful.
I went in every hour to get my blood tested a total of four times. The first time was before I started the drink and the rest every hour after. Results were in quickly that evening, and I had passed. However, one mark was off, which was weird since it was the 2nd hour, but everything was normal. I still passed, though, thank goodness.
Blood Pressure
My blood pressure has always been normal in doctor’s offices. But my pulse has always been high because the doctor’s office, in general, gives me anxiety. I never even went to a doctor until 2015? That was my first time going. Even when I was little, Mom didn’t take me in much at all. So the idea of doctors, in general, freaks me out. But since I got pregnant, not only has my pulse been high, but so has been my blood pressure. But ONLY the first reading; if they do a follow-up, it’s back down to normal. It’s even lower than it was before I was pregnant. At home, it’s perfectly normal and good, always.
They told me to request not to do the blood pressure reading until after the appointment, or I had been in for a while since my second reading has always been good. Well, this time for my 28th-week appointment, the nurse didn’t really listen to me and took it right after I tried to go to the bathroom to pee in the cup. So no relaxing. No talking to calm me down. Nothing. And, of course, it was high. Now it’s not super high but high. This last time I think, was 140/70? When they took it the second time, it was 117 something. Perfectly normal and good.
Yet, now they diagnosed me with gestational hypertension. Even though I highly doubt I do. This means I have to go in every week for 20 to 40 minutes for a stress test on the baby. It isn’t very pleasant, but I guess it’s better safe. And they want to think about inducing me at 37 weeks, which I am not having if everything is still going well like it is now.
That is Where I Am
So that is how I am doing and fairing at 28 weeks pregnant. Things are moving on swiftly and with ease thus far. I can’t believe that I am already this far along.
I’ve been taking an extra iron supplement in hopes of helping raise my iron. Which hopefully will make me a bit less tired, that would be nice.
Do you have any questions about my pregnancy this far? Any words of wisdom?
