Week 35: Hospital visit No. 1

Week 35 started off like all of the other weeks. Besides the common fatigue I’m now experiencing, I was feeling pretty normal. Last Thursday I went for my checkup and told my doctor that we were planning on traveling to our hometown for Easter if he thought it was OK. He said it was perfectly fine, and if something were to happen, we should just call—so he could let us know what we needed to do.
Our weekend was great. We spent a lot of time with our families, I had a joint baby shower with my sister, and we had Easter with our children. Other than being busy all weekend I was feeling fine. When we got home Monday I knew I needed to catch up on my rest. Let’s be honest though; with a toddler that wakes up before 7 a.m., there isn’t much time for rest. However, I did manage to squeeze in a 30-minute nap.
Tuesday morning I woke up feeling fine. I had some work to get done that morning and then Addie Rivers and I planned to go to the grocery store and run a few errands around 11:30. I didn’t think it would take us as long as it did, but we didn’t get home until 3p.m. Addie Rivers snacked on things in the grocery store, but I never felt hungry while we were out. My appetite these past couple of weeks has just been kind of non-existent.

As soon as we got home, I sat down and ate a sandwich with a few carrots—and then it hit me. The weirdest feeling came over me. I started shaking uncontrollably, and the rest was a blur. I somehow managed to call my husband to tell him I felt like I was passing out. (Thankfully he works close to home.) While I was waiting on him I called my sister and asked her to stay on the phone with me until Barrett got here. She is a nurse and told me my blood sugar was probably low. While I was still on the phone with her I ate a piece of candy and drank some juice.
By the time Barrett got there, I felt a little more normal. We immediately called our doctor, and the nurse told me it was most likely due to not eating enough that day. After about 30 minutes I felt almost normal and told Barrett it was fine for him to go back to work. That lasted about two hours. Addie Rivers and I were sitting on the couch, and it hit me again. I called Barrett right away and immediately got up to eat something.
When Barrett got home I wasn’t feeling any better. We called our doctor, and he told us to head to labor and delivery—he would meet us there. We were there for a few hours. My blood sugar was a little low and my potassium was low. He put me on a potassium supplement and said to make sure I am eating six small meals a day.
Just when I thought that was it he started listening to my chest. It turns out I am having irregular heartbeats. He told us it happens sometimes when woman are pregnant because our bodies are working twice as hard. He also said it could be due to the low potassium.
He sent us home, and I am going back for my weekly checkup this week where I’ll get a heart monitor to wear for a few days to see exactly what’s going on.
This experience is definitely one of the scarier ones I’ve been through during pregnancy. But on the positive side everything was fine with the baby.
I’m thankful for a husband who has stepped up and taken on some of my responsibilities, so we can make sure I’m taking it easy for the next few weeks.
We didn’t expect to go to the hospital so soon but we are so glad it wasn’t any worse. There is a little more than three weeks left until we meet our baby boy. Hang in there, little buddy!