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22:33, 3 November 2022"No, I don't want these babies vaginally. If possible I want them to be cut out of me by c-section." I groaned out.
"I understand ma'am I do, but normally we only do that if it's emergency and you can't medically deliver them vaginally."
Since it was just me and the doctor in the room I decided to voice my concerns. Matt couldn't be there today because of band stuff and I was okay with that.
"Look, you obviously don't. If I deliver to babies down there, I'm afraid my husband will look at me different intimately. I know he won't want anything to do with me that way because of the fact he'll probably be thinking how he can do anything after two humans just slid out from down there. And I wouldn't blame him."
I could tell the doctor wanted to chuckle but was keeping it professional, "I can assure you Mrs. Sanders, most men won't think that way. Maybe at first but those feelings will go away very soon. I bet he'll be more amazed by you and your body actually. And if you're concern that everything will stay stretched out in that region, I can also assure you that it won't. The woman's muscles go back normal as if they didn't have two miracles go through the passageway, I promise."
"They do?"
"They do." The doctor nodded, "And there's also these exercises that you can do after the babies are born that help with the healing process, they're called Kegels. You know what that is?"
"Not exactly, although I think I've read something about it in my pregnancy book." I shrugged, "My memory isn't the greatest."
"The old wives tale calls that pregnancy brain." The doctor smirked.
I shook my head, "No, it's been going on before I was even pregnant. I'm sure in my medical file it's got information about an accident I once had. I think, me forgetting things easily has a lot to do with that."
"It does mention that." The doctor nodded, "But it doesn't affect this pregnancy so I haven't been focused on the details of it."
I nodded, "Yeah, towards the beginning of my pregnancy I was concerned that the injuries I got because of that accident that it would affect everything but thankfully it hasn't."
I decided to go back to what the doctor had mentioned about the kegel exercise.
"So you had mentioned the...kegels? How does that work?"
"Right, so with those, it's basically tightening the muscles down in that area. It's basically goes like this, imagine you're going to the bathroom and while you're urinating you contract the muscles to stop the flow then relax to continue the flow of your urine. Doing those exercises is one that you can do without anyone knowing you're even doing them actually. They can be done at any time, we just don't recommend to do them while you're actually urinating though as that can actually cause more harm than good. But concerning the exercise, what you've got to do is tighten the muscles, holding for roughly 5 to 10 seconds then relaxing them, and it's best to repeat doing that 10 to 20 times."
"Per day or during one sitting?"
"Which ever you feel more comfortable doing. However many times you decide to do them, you can even split it. Do half of them in the morning, half in the evening or spread them throughout the whole day if you want. It's all up to you on that."
"Okay, cool. So my other concern is my swelling." I lifted my feet to show off my swollen ankles and feet that have doubled in size that they normally are. "And I used to walk a lot, but I haven't been able to for a while, it's painful. On my legs and my back. And it's not just my legs and feet that become swollen, sometimes it's my hands and face too."
"Ah, and that's normal during pregnancy, it's called edema. That happens because you're body is producing approximately 50% more blood and body fluids to meet the needs of the babies." The doctor began examing my ankles, "We're going to make sure you're not getting what's called pre-eclampsia especially since you came in with high blood pressure. Meanwhile to help with this swelling I want you to limit your intake of food that are high in potassium, such as bananas, and foods high in sodium and definitely try to avoid caffeine intake. Best thing to drink is water."
"Man, but bananas are one of my favorite foods. So I can't eat them now?"
"No, I didn't say that, just limit yourself on how many you do eat. Maybe eat only a couple a day rather than a bunch."
"Okay, and you mentioned pre-eclampsia. What is that? Is it dangerous?"
"It can be yes, for the mother anyways." The doctor nodded as he grabbed a cuff and put it around my upper arm to check my blood pressure.
After he checked it he spoke again, "Your pressure is still elevated. Now do you get headaches easily?"
"Yeah, but that's been going on even before this pregnancy."
"Does blurred vision happen when you have a headache? Or even without the headaches?"
I shook my head, "Nope, my vision has been fine actually."
"Okay, so that's good. Any shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting? You had mentioned back pain, but do you get upper abdominal pain, usually under your ribs on the right side?" As the doctor talked I watched as he was messing on the medical tablet.
I nodded slowly, I actually have been getting those symptoms, I just figured it was normal because I've been carrying on extra weight and the babies have been kicking and moving non-stop.
"I do get the shortness of breath, I just figured it's from the extra weight I have now. I don't have any vomiting but nausea I do. Usually after I relax and have some water, it goes away. But on the pain part, these two are the cause of that I'm sure, they are very active." I spoke as I rubbed my belly.
"That's good they are active. I see here though, the protein levels in your urine are a little higher than they should be. So with the symptoms you have and your levels in your vitals being high, it does appear you do have pre-eclampsia."
"Oh God." I sighed, "Is there any treatment to get rid of it?"
"No, unfortunately there's not. But we can reduce the risks of it. I'm going to prescribe you some blood pressure medication that's safe for you to take. I'm also going to recommend you relax as much as possible with your feet elevated, and when you are laying down, try to lay on your left side. That will help take the weight of the babies off your major blood vessels. I know you mentioned you drink water, just make sure it's at least 8 glasses a day. Right now it's still too early to deliver the babies so hopefully doing that stuff will reduce the risks that can occur from pre-eclampsia."
"What are the risks if we don't get it under control?"
"If it's not treated properly, it can lead to serious complications for you like liver or renal failure and even future cardiovascular issues. And no one wants that."
I took a deep breath and let it out, "Definitely not. So are the babies fine? It's not affecting them is it?"
The doctor looks at my chart then shakes his head, "At this moment no. Thankfully the placenta is getting just enough blood flow, it's a little lower than would like for it to be but the babies are still getting the oxygen and food they need. Which is normal for that to happen when mother is having multiple babies because the placenta is having to work harder to provide nutrients to the babies."
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