a reason for feeling lousy

I had yet another midwife appointment yesterday—and I’m back with Kari, my original midwife!  This is a cause for celebration.  She’s amazing at what she does!  I don’t know how to explain it.  Even though she gives you the same information that all the other midwives give, you just feel so much more informed and assured of a healthy baby when she tells you what’s going on.  She can tell you exactly where she’ll get the strongest heartbeat, and then be bang on target.  She’s hilarious—I think being British helps her in this area.  I mean, really, what does the phrase “I was in there like a whirling Derbyshire” actually mean? She just makes me giggle. 

This last month has been a tough one for me.  I’ve been feeling dizzy, sluggish, and sometimes flu-ish.  I’ve also had to watch how quickly I stand up, or else I’m in danger of fainting or getting a wicked headache.  With all of the H1N1 hype everywhere, you might guess that I’ve been a little uneasy about my present  condition.  All my fears were silenced yesterday, however, when Kari took my blood pressure.  Over the last four weeks it has dropped significantly.  When Kari told me what it is now compared to what it was four weeks ago, I was astonished—and slightly worried.  Thankfully there was a medical student present in the room who had the ability to ask more intelligent questions than I could have done.  Kari explained it’s common for girls my age to have low blood pressure to begin with (which I did), and it’s expected to drop between 24-28 weeks, which is where I am right now.  For pregnancy, this level is normal.  The student seemed astonished, and rightfully so: if I was sent to the hospital with that blood pressure at any other time in my life, they’d think I was dying.  I’m normal, however, and that knowledge is good enough for me.  It won’t go up at all in the last weeks of pregnancy, but Kari assured me that I will become more accustomed to it, thus I will feel better. 

So, that’s the latest in my road to motherhood.  In the meantime, I’m enjoying sitting back, putting my feet up, and delving into novel after novel.