Hypertension? What Hypertension?

Today was my 31 week doctor appointment. I didn't expect anything different than has been going on for the last several appointments. Wait for the nurse to call my name. Get weighed. Have blood pressure taken and get told it's too high. Grumble to myself that the doctor is going to put me on bedrest when he sees the numbers. Pee in a cup. Wait for the doctor. Get told my blood pressure is too high. Get measured. Doctor listens to heartbeat (I'm sadly past the point where he uses the doppler to hear it) and tells me it sounds good. Ask any questions. Set up appointment. Go to work. It's all pretty routine.

There were a couple of changes to what happened. After the doctor came in he asked about my blood pressure and I told him it was still too high. The measurement was 160/78. The number on the bottom was fine, but the one on top was too high. He decided he would take the pressure again and I realized that I can't even remember the last time anyone but a nurse took my blood pressure. Anyway, he took it again and this time the reading was 122/80. Completely normal. I've been wondering for the past several weeks if the nurse was just taking it too soon after shuffling me around the scale and the exam room. I guess so.

The other change was in the frequency of visits. I have now graduated to being seen every two weeks. This is both encouraging and unhappy. It is encouraging because it means I am coming closer and closer to my due date. It is unhappy because I know good and well it means I'm going to have to start dropping my pants at each appointment so he can check my cervix. Not my favorite part of a trip to the doctor. However, I really can't complain. I don't have pregnancy induced hypertension, so my risk of being ordered into bedrest just went down significantly. If I can have that I'm much more willing to get a couple of fingers where I don't want them every two weeks.

I have suspected for the lest little bit that the baby has not yet moved into head-down position. The doctor confirmed this, but reminded me that she still has time to turn herself before delivery. Most of the kicks I've been feeling have been lower down and I often feel a hard spot under my ribs on the right side. I think that is her favorite place to rest her head. Hopefully she will turn herself in the next couple of weeks so we don't have to use other interventions. I'd really rather not have it come to a C-section for delivery, but you do what you have to.