Our new baby, installment #22

In the days before we were to meet with our home birth midwife again, a few things happened. First, our midwife, who knew I was at my tattered edge with the elevated blood pressure issue and just generally Done Being Pregnant, sent me a long and thoughtful email that basically boiled down to this: Relax. Soak regularly in the birth tub to get used to it (it will also lower the BP). Stay home and listen to your body. Force feed the protein (a homeopathic remedy for elevated BP). Walk twice a day. Let your husband do nice things for you -- and stop yelling at him (I had entered the grouchy phase I am sorry to say...) She wrote many other thoughful words but I will keep those for myself. I was moved that she sensed I could use a pep talk. And it worked. I did as she advised. I did NOT go back to the doctor for a blood pressure check, a decision I came to on my own. And given my recent frustrating experiences going to those medical offices I decided to forgo a Strep B test, embracing instead a prophylactic homeopathy.

At our next appointment, I was eager to see what my blood pressure was.