30 weeks

As of Saturday I hit the 30 week mark.  A little nerve racking seeing as how we are in major limbo between houses at the moment!  It will all work out in the end!  We should be moving in this weekend!  Anyway, back to half-pint.  He/she is now the size of a squash, and growing each day.  Each week I should now gain 1/2 pound. 

  This week we did have a minor complication to speak of.  Monday I went to my regular OB appointment and I told B just to keep working on the floor because it was just the usual run of the mill blood pressue, weight, and measuing my belly.  Last week I started having these heart palpatations and I thought it was from too much coffee or chocolate.  I know I'm a bad pregnant woman, but I have a small cup of coffee each morning at work.  Well my heart would race and at first I thought nothing of it, but it continued to happen.  At my appointment Monday I mentioned it to my doctor and she took my heart rate.  She said it would jump to 100bpm and then 3 seconds later drop to 60bpm.  She ordered an EKG, which came back abnormal.  She said that my heart rate was jumping all over the place and that this could be causing my higher blood pressure.  Normally my bp is about 90/60, Monday is was 127/90, which would be normal, just not for me.

    Yesterday B and I went to see the cadiologist and he was so sweet and asked a ton of questions.  Thankfully my heart started racing when I was there so he was able to see what's happening.  It doesn't happen all the time and can come and go for hours.  Or do nothing at all.  He said that he thinks I am having Supraventricular Tachycardia or SVT. 

 

-Supraventricular tachycardia is one type of heart rhythm disorder.

-Tachycardias are rhythm disorders in which the heart beats faster than normal.

-Supraventricular means "above the ventricles," in other words, originating from the atria, the upper chambers of the heart.

-Supraventricular tachycardia, then, is a rapid heartbeat originating in the atria.

 In other words the cardiologist said that my heart is under stress due to brewing half-pint and needs some rest.  This is why I've been noticing my hands and feet swelling.  He said at 36 weeks, swelling is normal, but at 30 weeks with a 22 pound weight gain, the amount of swelling I am having is not normal.  Yes, I just told you how much I've gained...that was a big barrier for me to overcome. 

  So now for treatment...First, he had my thyroid tested, is doing an echocardiogram  (u/s of my heart) and I have a monitor that I wear for 2 weeks, until I see him again.  I press a button everytime my heart races and then dowload it so he can be reading it over these next couple of weeks.  He said that I would probably have to be put of medication, that would not hurt half-pint and my OB agreed.  This would help with the swelling and how much my feet and hands have been hurting and how faint I have been feeling. 

 

  Thankfully he wasn't in panic mode, which made B and me feel better.  So we shall see.  I will update when I know more.  I apologize that this post got soooo long, I will leave you with my 30 week bump pic.