Notes on Pre-eclampsia

Hi guys. Seigfred here. Just drop by my blog for updates regarding lei and baby lilly. I wanted to post a picture of her but she wouldn't let me. Maybe tomorrow if she's feeling pretty. Don't stop praying. :)

the journey so far..

posting using seigfred's imate jasjam, 2054 australian eastern standard time, monash medical centre, clayton, victoria, australia.

we need your prayers.

about a week ago I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. which could have been easily controlled by diet.

just when I was about to get endorsed to a specialised pregnancy dietitian, I have been diagnosed with high blood pressure which subsequently developed into preeclampsia.

sunday night I was rushed here in Monash Medical Centre via ambulance from frankston hospital. that was the cool part. the rest was very traumatic not only for me, the baby, but for my husband as well.

I had about three lines running through my veins--- saline for hydration, magnesium sulfate to preventme from having seizures and another drug to control my bood pressure from hitting the roof. I was considered a high risk preeclamptic patient.

overnight I had those drugs, in addition to oral medication. my kidneys were also starting to malfunction and I was given doses of steroids to help bubba's lungs mature just in case the need to deliver arose.

I am now on my third day in hospital, and taking it one day at a time. the doctors reckon I will definitely have to deliver preterm, the only question is when and how long I can keep the baby cooking in my belly without unnecessary risk to me.

currently I am 28weeks6days pregnant, I'm hitting week 29 tomorrow. each new day is a blessing. we're aiming for 30weeks.

I will be in hospital for as long as it takes, as the doctors don't want to send me home anymore.

your prayers helped us conceive. your prayers will definitely help us see this through.

all our love,
lei, seigfred and baby lilly soleil.

baby steps: the journey to yummyhood. entry # 6

it's been a while...

i've witnessed a lot of changes and since i still don't have the creative mojo to write, i shall document in bullets. game?

* winter has finally succumbed to spring. thank God i wouldn't have to carry the extra weight of thick jackets and woolen boots plus the growing bub inside my belly. melbourne is slowly flaunting its spring colors and the outside world doesn't look really dreary anymore. spring is love! i can finally take walks outside. (i know i don't have any excuse not to anymore)

* my belly has grown big. bigger. at first i was unhappy seeing three stretch marks on the left side of my bellybutton; but now with hundreds of them, i am forced not to care anymore. body butter didn't help. i'm just hoping that these pregnancy battle scars will slowly fade after the delivery so i can still wear two-piece swimwear. funny, i have stretch marks even on my breasts. haha. i am so laughing.

* my toes have become so alien to me. first of all, i can no longer see my toes when i look down from a standing position. next, i couldn't cut them myself as the belly gets in the way; flexibility is a thing of the past. and i haven't painted them in months. two days ago, they started evolving into vienna sausages --- i am starting to retain water and swell up. and speaking of swelling, we have just returned home from the jewelers. it broke my heart that they had to cut off my wedding band as i couldn't take it off anymore. we have tried all sorts of home remedies just to remove it, from slathering petroleum jelly to spraying on windex, to winding a string around my finger to just plain yanking. all i ended up having was a sore purple ring finger. and a frustrated bub kicking me in the guts. i didn't want to have it cut, because symbolically, it is my marriage we're talking about here. but better a cut ring than a cut finger, i guess.

* i have become so alien to me. i don't know what it is but i have become dark-skinned. all of a sudden. not just my armpits and the backside of my neck, (although they look like they've been rubbed with charcoal) but all of me. and i'm not really keen on changing my make-up bases because of this complexion change.

* i failed my first glucose tolerance test. now awaiting results for the 2-hour test i have done last saturday. hopefully, everything turns out okay, otherwise i might have gestational diabetes. which is not good at all. ah, the complications.

sounds like i have done a fair bit of complaining. but really, having this little miracle inside me is one of my greatest joys. having my husband talk lovingly to our daughter everyday through my tummy almost always brings tears to my eyes. thirteen more weeks to go. one more season change. shine, sun, shine. i am almost there.

baby steps: the journey to yummyhood. entry #5.

i knew it. little bub IS a girl.

we welcome name suggestions at this point. tristan wants Una (yoo' nah), and i would've wanted to christen her Psyche (as in Cupid's wife), if not for my mom's extremely violent reaction against the name. so, we'll see.

i really don't have much to say; so i'll just let the photos tell our story.

my belly at 19 weeks and 3 days

pensive

baby girl with mouth open

little bub thumb-sucking

full ultrasound videos follow:

and

i'm halfway there!

bad grammar makes me [sic]

i am lusting after this:

somebody get me one!!!

why it's called a PUBLIC car park

it's been almost 24 hours since, and i'm still seething over the incident that happened in the mall parking lot yesterday.

the sky was a bit overcast with the threat of rain, temperature was about 12 degrees, tristan and i were about to do our usual sunday afternoon grocery-shopping. as we were about to pull up into a parking space near the mall entrance, a lady in the parking slot next to 'ours' had her door open. tristan obviously had to wait for her to shut her door before we can park. and that, she didn't want to do.

when she finally did, i overheard her retort "can't you park somewhere else??" schwingg! that set off alarm bells in my head. i was in a rage.

i got off the car, slammed the door, peered into her window and remarked back "why, aren't we allowed to park here???," with as much incredulity i can muster. i wanted to say more (like "the last time i checked this was a public parking space, you don't own it, we can park anywhere we want to park so why don't you just go home to the slums, you bitch!"), and breathe fire down her throat, had i not caught a glimpse of a toddler in the backseat of her car. say yey for self-restraint.

but still, i had to do something. so i walked up in front of her parked car, took note of her registration plates (just in case she scratches our car or deflates our tires), and stared at her. if only looks could kill. to my sick satisfaction, woman-in-car cannot compete in a stare war against pregnant-fire-breathing-lady. it just irked me that she acted as if we were meek asians who wouldn't stand up against her white superiority notion. oh no. this mayumi descends from a long line of oppressed farmers from the ilocandia region, mixed with warrior ilonggo blood.

or maybe, she just caught me at a bad time, is all.

the month that was

there had been a time when i was taken to calling him barbs, short for barbiturate. good thing the name didn't get stuck. but although him being called barbs had long been dropped, my husband still remains to be my best sedative.

he turned a year older six days ago, and i wanted to give him the world. turned out i couldn't afford the world, so he had to be happy with a whole box of mtg shadowmoor cards and a seafood dinner in a bistro reminiscent of a restaurant gordon ramsay is trying to breathe some life into.

on turning a year older, i did too. and it was spent with family and a few friends over an extremely nice soulfood-laden lunch that my husband lovingly cooked. spending it that way was wonderful and simple, a good way to mark the end of the year that had been; suffice to say that the past year had been one of the most eventful years in my life.

got married twice, got knocked up, traveled to the philippines and back, sidetripped to singapore, supported my partner in his jobhunting endeavors, discovered new places, delighted in new cuisines, watched a lot of movies, took on more responsibilities. grew up. a bit wiser now.

***

but still a kid in a lot of ways.

to my absolute delight, mars snackfood australia has released mint m&m's! and hopefully, it will be produced as a regular option, much like the dark, crispy, peanut and almond.

i remember purchasing bags of the stuff in the philippines, hoarding, as it is only available during christmas or in puregold clark. im stuffing my face with little gems exploding with minty freshness and chocolate goodness right now.

***

im on my fifteenth week and i have started to warm up to the idea of eating food again. i think it's about to be over, the nausea and vomiting. im starting to feel flutters too. the nurse said it may be just gas, but heck, i know my body and i know what gas is.

***

and oh, we celebrated our first wedding's first anniversary a couple of days ago. nothing grand or spectacular, coz we're dirt-poor and saving up for a house that we intend to purchase in a few months' time. we just spent 48 hours together --- no work interruptions, no phone calls, no other concerns. it's just him and me.

the way it's supposed to be.