Heart Update

Many of you know that I have been having heart palpitations since the beginning of December. It feels like my heart occasionally skips a beat. When it first started happening, I though it was just in my head, but one night, when it was particularly bad, I asked Doug about it and he was able to feel it skipping beats. So, of course, we googled it. Doug's solution for everything. Everything we read said that this is very common during pregnancy so I didn't worry about it but mentioned it to my OB at my next appointment. I thought he would reiterate what we had read--that it was common and nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, this is not the reaction I got and he referred me to a cardiologist. Long story short, after several tests the cardiologist said everything looks good and that this is probably just another fun side effect I will have with this and subsequent pregnancies.

The most fun part of the process was that I got to wear a holter monitor for 24 hours. A holter monitor is a small piece of equipment that has five electrodes with wires that attaches to several locations on your upper torso. Often, you can strap the actual monitor around your stomach like a belt under your clothes. Not mine. Mine had to be worn like a camera on a strap around my neck. While wearing the monitor you cannot shower. So for 24 hours I looked like an unshowered, eager, picture-taking tourist.

Here it is after I got to remove it. Did I mention I also go to sleep with it around my neck? Just another joy of pregnancy:)