[morganeldi]

So, I have a 2 1/2 year old DS and I have baby fever in the way that I'd really like to have another baby soonish and can't stop day dreaming about it. My issue is that I had a rough pregnancy with ds with high blood pressure. It never turned into pre eclampsia but it was really high throughout pregnancy and worsened at the end. At the beginning I was with midwives and really dreamed of having a home birth but I had to be transferred to the hospital because of the PIH and be induced at 39 weeks. I had to deal with bed rest and weekly ultrasounds, NSTs, blood draws, 24 hr urine analysis..and then the awful pit induced labor.. I also had bad morning sickness the first & second trimester and I gained about 70 pounds (a lot due to fluid and bed rest, I'm sure some of it due to not the BEST diet or overeating). I also got almost daily nose bleeds. It took me over 2 years of really hard work to get back to my pre pregnancy weight and I'm just now starting to feel normal again mentally and physically.

The funny thing is I also really miss being pregnant, having the belly, feeling the movements and I would LIKE another chance at it but I'm just so aprehensive to go through all that again. I know its not a given that I will have the same issues but I just have a feeling that that is what my body will do during pregnancy. I have been doing tons of research and have been doing and will continue to follow the Brewer diet (as well as whole foods and very low sugar) during pregnancy to TRY to ward off some of the HBP and weight gain. But I don't know if it will work and now I have a toddler to take care of if I have all these issues again. And what if something bad happened to me?

If anyone has any words of wisdom to either try to talk me into this or out of it I would really appreciate it because I just feel really torn and nervous about it all. I have a nervous personality to begin with so that doesn't help matters. I wish I could just chill and let things happen but I'm having such a hard time doing that...

 

[Sonnenwende]

What is the rush?

 

[morganeldi]

Well I guess because I don't know if I want them really far apart in age...If I were to get pregnant now they would be 3.5 years apart which I am fine with but there's a 5.5 yr gap between my sister and I and we never played together or related at all and still don't. I know that's not always the case and a lot of it could be personality and they might not even get along at 3.5 years apart, but I'd rather they grew up slightly closer in age than that...

 

[bongoblue]

I'm something of a nervous personality. When faced with a decision, large or small, I go over and over and over details in my head. I can really relate to your post.

Truly, I understand the concerns about going through another rough pregnancy. My pregnancies were tough experiences, though I did enjoy the baby movements and the opportunity to do something so cool. But, logic won the day. We didn't want a large gap between our kids for various reasons and I was worried it might take awhile to get pregnant (uh, it didn't). Our kids are 22 months apart and it's worked out well for us. I'm so glad that my 2nd son is here - he's awesome. I visited my OB before getting pregnant again and it really helped alleviate some of the physical concerns.

Good luck. I know it's hard not to overthink things. It would be so nice to give over control of my life to a higher power or something.

 

[Sonnenwende]

My sister and I are 2 years and 2 months apart and we never got along until we were adults, and even now, just in well portioned doses.

My brother and I are 4 years 8 months apart and we have always had a great sibling realtionship.

Sibling relationship has a lot less to do with age and a lot more to do with personality, which you have zero control over. That being the case, I wouldn't freak out and wait to have another child when you feel good and ready to. You might want to consider some counseling to work though your feelings if it is really bothering you.

 

[Carolyn R]

Just wanted to let you know - I had really high BP with my third pregnancy and ended up being induced due to the extremely high levels of protein spilling into my urine. I had horrible swelling in my face, hands, and feet. I knew I didn't eay very well - lots of sugar, junk food, and not nearly enough protein and vegetables.

So next pregnancy, I followed the Brewer diet as closely as I could...completely different outcome. My blood pressure was perfect all the way to the end, no swelling at all, and I had a beautiful home birth. Now I tell everyone who will listen about the Brewer diet - I firmly believe that when you feed your body the nutrients it needs, it will respond positively. Good luck!