I'm looking forward to making new memories of Christmas Eve this year to replace the memories of last Christmas Eve. I work every other holiday, and last year Christmas was my holiday to work. Normally, at work it is relatively quiet around the holidays, but last year it was busy. We would typically close the unit when the Clinic closed (3pm), but we were too busy, so I had to work until 5pm. Working that late meant that we weren't able to attend our church's Christmas Eve service and I wasn't thrilled about staying up late to go to a candlelight service when I had to work at 6am the next day. To complicate matters, I was having quite a bit of swelling in my legs, feet, and hands due to pregnancy, that made me more tired and just plain uncomfortable. After work, I was very emotional and indecisive and wasn't sure what we should do for dinner. I certainly didn't want to go home and cook and most restaurants were closed. I still can't remember what we ended up doing, but I'm guessing it was along the lines of fast food. I think I cried all the way home because all I wanted to do was spend time with family, but knew that what was best for me was to just go to bed. Later that evening, I developed a severe headache and sleep just wasn't going to happen. After several hours, Steve finally convinced me to call the OB nurses to see if I needed to come in and be evaluated because it was the worst headache I've ever had. The OB nurse reassured me that my blood pressure had been fine at previous appointments (100/60s) and that I should take more Tylenol and try to rest. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the complications during my pregnancy. A few days later at my next appointment, my blood pressure was elevated 120s/80s (normal for pregnancy, but higher than normal for me), and there was a concern about my headache and excessive swelling and the possibility of these symptoms being related to preeclampsia. Eventually, my symptoms led to mild preeclampsia and Amaya was induced two weeks early to prevent further complications.
Christmas holds an entirely different spectrum of emotions for me this year. Instead of focusing on the anticipation and worries of a new baby, I can focus on the anticipation of celebrating Christ's birth. This Christmas season we are fortunate to be able to celebrate with our families and we are looking forward to the traditions of the past and creating our own traditions and memories with Amaya. It's amazing how much things can change in a year. Who knows what the next year will bring?