Emergency Room Run, er.. Waddle

*Disclaimer: I'm not writing this for sympathy. I'm simply writing to document my pregnancy*

Friday morning I woke up with a little bit of a sore throat. Yuck, but really, just add it to the list of my current afflictions. I mosied on into work for a fun filled day of baby shower stuffs! I was so excited and so blessed to have recieved so many practical gifts! Don't ya love it when experienced mommies know EXACTLY what you need? We got our bouncer, daddy carrier, sleep sacks, diapers, wipes, boppy & boppy cover, bottles, shampoo, and so much more! My coworkers were very good to me.

Friday night husband and I took some of the gift cards we received and purchased our baby swing. We got dinner, got some things for a little yard work, and snagged a redbox movie! Little did I know, I should have rested. I got this extreme burst of energy friday night and stayed awake until 1:00am sorting baby stuff, cleaning, doing laundry, and organizing the baby room. It was awesome! I felt great.

Saturday morning I woke up relatively early and got started all over again! I painted a piece of furniture for the nursery {pics to come soon}, went to a sweet one year old's birthday party, folded laundry, and ate wings with my daddy and hubs!

Sunday morning. Oh how I loathe you. We woke up late, so I sent husband out to Sunday School, and I planned to meet him at "big church." Boy, was I wrong. I tried to get out of bed, and my legs were swollen, I couldn't breathe, my throat was on fire, and I had this imaginary elephant sitting on my chest. Scratch that plan to do ... anything! I laid on the couch all day coughing. Do you know what this does for a pregnant woman's bladder? How annoying! Where did this energy go that I had Friday? Why I am feeling this way.... What is my stomach doing? Are those contractions?

I try to go to sleep and nothing happens. Nothing. I'm not in the least bit sleepy, nor can I get comfortable. Not to mention my chest feels like it's caving in. Shortness of breath. Elevated heart rate. Ok... this is serious. I'm about to blow chunks everywhere. Of course I didn't, because that would mean relief. I woke up my husband at 2:00am{ish} and we decided we'd go to the emergency room {after I shaved my arm pits, of course}. Oh joy... exactly what I wanted, but I was scared. Scared that something might be wrong wtih my little girl. I couldn't breathe; that's never good.

After the triage lady debates with me about how I feel... And then tells everyone else that I don't have the symptoms I said I did... She finally takes my blood pressure. Elevated. Of course. She then debates with the OB triage on who should treat me... Blah blah blah. It was a nightmare. After 65436251 people ask my to list my symptoms in detail I'm aggravated. Practically naked and sleepy, too. One nurse takes the liberty to tell me that "being that pregnant" i'm going to be out of breath. If I could have reached her... I probably would have hit her. I was also asked if I took heartburn medicine. Wow... you people are so sensitive. Goodness me. We sit there for about 4 hours and they finally tell me that I don't have the flu. Ok, great... What the heck IS wrong then? They don't know, and they really don't care.

I ended up getting a double dose of nightmare.

A breathing treatment. My worst nightmare. I cannot stand for anything to be over my face. I'm very claustrophobic. Very. My husband is the only reason why I made it through that treatment. He held my hand, rubbed my hair, and told me that I was doing a great job. He said he was practicing his labor and delivery coaching. He's my hero! At one point I took the mask off, but he insisted I put it back on. I could have hit him, but he knew it was what was best.

Anyway... I was discharged with an inhaler & antibiotic. Five hours later, that is.

OB appointment went great that afternoon, baby girl looks great. That is all that matters. I'll feel like crap all day long if that means she remains healthy. I'm actually blessed that my pregnancy complications have all stopped at me. She has been healthy through and through. My blood pressure & heart rate rises and falls, but she remains calm and rested. My body aches all day long, but she still wiggles regularly. I cannot breathe, but her oxygen levels are good. Praise the Lord for that!

For now, I must tough out a 40 hour work week in order to remain in good standing with my vacation time. The state doesn't offer maternity leave, just sick and vacation. I'm at a very minimum level of leave praying that the Lord will provide someone to donate their vacation time to me. I know the Lord is going to take care of us!

Praise the Lord for my husband. I would tell you all the things he does to help me, but we'd be here for days. He's my rock. I'd be lost without him. He even sacrificed his birthday for me. Love him.