17 Days to Go: End of Pregnancy Freak Out

On this blustery March Friday, I'm feeling pretty calm. It would be easy to say that this week's freak out was due to realizing how unprepared we still are with only 17 days left until the keiki's Expected Due Date. I don't think we have enough newborn clothes (20 onesies and 2 sleepers), burp rags (exactly 2), or swaddling (1 swaddle sack and 1 blanket). I'm not overly thrilled with the bassinet I chose. I have to pre-wash/disinfect all the pacifiers, rattles, hygiene items that will be going in the baby's mouth. We need to put together the stroller and the bouncer, then figure out how to install the car seat. Oh, figuring out the baby monitor would be a good idea too.

I could blame it on the birthing classes. Did I really need to see the video of a baby's head crowning? Illustrations of how an epidural is given? Did I need to hear that in America babies are delivered an average of NINE days AFTER their due dates? Oh, and I can't remember any of the breathing techniques we went over.

Nope, it couldn't possibly be anything as simple as my state of mind. Are you kidding? Have you been paying attention to this pregnancy at all? Yes, the difficulties of this pregnancy continue to dwell in the physical realm.

Morning Sickness returned about a week or two ago, and is now firmly in residence once again. The first the days of this week it went after me like it had something to prove for all those days it went easy on me during this last trimester. Which I'm pretty much used to, until my blood pressure went up. This week has been all about The Flirt with Pre-Eclampsia.

The flirting seems to be over - all numbers have been consistently good since Wednesday afternoon. But between the violent wretching, backache, stomachache, nausea with hunger, petechial hemorrhages around my face, swollen feet, headache, exhaustion, restless leg symptoms by midday, blood sugar monitoring, and constant checking and re-checking of my blood pressure... I was a breath away from demanding we induce.

I didn't say it, it didn't happen, I feel much better now, and baby seems to be doing just fine with all of this. I know this because when we played hookie yesterday to go see "The Hunger Games", she spent the entire two hours either kicking me or trying to shove herself through my navel.

Of course, this was all great incentive to finally pack my bags for the hospital. I will refrain from listing how many items I was unable to check off the list due to unavailability. *sigh*

As an extra bonus, OBGYN announced that in light of my inability to eat anything, he was lifting the strict parameters of my diet. I went out and bought various forms of fruit and fruit-based products. There has still been nausea, but so far I've kept everything down for over 48 hours. Anyone know what the symptoms of scurvy are? I'm suddenly very curious...