Tempting fate? Yeah, I think so.

Dude.  I have got to learn.

I spent hours and hours crawling around on the floor painting that bed. It looks great. I'm thrilled. All is well, right?

We-e-ell.  I had an appointment with our midwife yesterday morning.  I took out the new car seat for the baby.  I got it pseudo-installed (not safe to be used, but safe in the sense that it won't hurtle around in the cabin of the car) despite the pouring rain.  Peanut and I got to the midwifery office on time, nay, early.  Our midwife and I had a great chat: we're ready, all we need to do now is wait and see when this baby will decide to be born. All is well.

Then we do the clinical stuff, checking my blood pressure, measuring fundal height and auscultation.  Blood pressure is first and...yeesh. 140/94.  Ho. ly. crap.  My midwife looks at me: "How are you feeling?"

I feel fine. Seriously. I feel fine. A little foot and ankle swelling, but I'm 36 weeks pregnant so whatever, right? We wait a few minutes while I do some deep, slow breaths.  We try again.  I can't remember the number but it wasn't any better (actually, I think it was worse because now I'm flipping out about high bp).

Here's where it's really good to be as informed as I am.  My midwife knows that I'm studying to be a doula, that I read research and educational blogs by different midwives and that I really care about prenatal health.  So when she said what she said next, I had a sinking feeling in my chest, but I didn't actually freak out or fall apart:

"At this point I need to recommend you go to the hospital for blood work and if it comes back concerning, we need to talk about inducing."

Oy.

A far cry from the peaceful, Peanut-inclusive water homebirth that we had planned. But we weren't there yet: we just needed to be careful.

A non-stress test, much phoning of various family members to find someone to hang out with Peanut, a trip back to the apartment to get her settled and a little lunch and to get a hospital bag (I felt much better knowing that if things turned out crazy and we ended up birthing right then, we'd have everything we wanted and needed) as well as pick up The Recruiter, and then off to the hospital.  And then the waiting.  I think we waited for at least two hours just to have my blood drawn.  It was insane.  But the nurse was very nice and knew my midwife personally and didn't throw a fit when my bp was shockingly high again in triage.

And then more waiting, this time for the lab results to see if there was anything hinky going on with my liver (a sign of pre-eclampsia).  And more waiting.  And then I realized I was absolutely starving and sent The Recruiter to find some food.  Which we devoured.  And then waited some more.  Finally we got to speak to a doctor and get my lab results.  The labs were all clear - phew! - but she wanted another NST and to do an u/s on my leg because I have asymmetrical edema.  Oy again.

After just over four and a half hours in the hospital we learned that...I have very high blood pressure at the moment.  Which we knew. And that baby and I are otherwise totally fine. Which we were already pretty certain about. We also confirmed that a) the hospital isn't the most evil place on Earth and that b) we would really, really rather not birth there.  We also learned that I'm having contractions which are surprisingly strong but I'm not noticing.  Everyone said I shouldn't pay it any mind since I'm not noticing them, but I'm reminded that I slept through early labour with Peanut and only woke up when active labour began, so I'm not  making any assumptions either way.  And I've dropped: this kid is now sitting lower and way heavier.

But I'm still pregnant!  So hooray for that.  36 weeks 2 days, which puts me at least two days further along than I got with Peanut.  Hopefully I can make it to May.