Preclampsia

I had an appointment yesterday to measure our son's movement and heart rate.  Before they hooked me up to the machine, they checked my blood pressure.  It normally runs and has been running between 120/80-128/80.  Yesterday it registered 148/90.  They checked it twice more (both in the same arm and with the same machine) and the results were similar.  The staff was a little alarmed and gave me a 24-hour urine test to do and bring back for my next appointment.  They are saying it may be preclampsia and if it doesn't adjust back to a more usual range, they may induce me early.

Part of me is thinking it's no big deal and they are over-reacting.  I mean, they could have taken the BP manually... or tried a different arm, but they did not.  Surely that would be standard procedure, right?  And the bf and I had a big, salty meal the night before... so maybe that had something to do with it?

Then there's the other part of me that's excited about meeting our son early.  He's been measuring big and weighing equally to his measure, which is 2 weeks further than I supposedly am.  We would LOVE for him to be born at the end of the month, which would put him at either 36 weeks OR 38, instead of the EDD of September 27th.  What I mean is, on my appointment on the 5th of this month, he measured 34 weeks and weighed 4.5lbs, instead of 32 weeks and the weight associated with that week.  Now, I know that the sizes and weights are only as good as the people taking them... but we are crossing our fingers that he's a big boy.  (Sounds crazy, I know.)

At any rate, preclampsia can be a dangerous thing, from what I read.  However, I haven't experienced any warning signs of it:  blurred vision, headaches, swelling of the legs and hands.  The higher a BP goes, the more stress it puts on the mother's body and that of the baby as well.

If you're pregnant and have been experiencing these symptoms, please call your doctor.  I might be making light of the situation, but it's no laughing matter.  Keep you and your baby safe.