Any Excuse for a "Free" Meal

As you probably all know, Brandon and I like to find good deals, the cheaper the better, and we like to eat. So, when the opportunity presented itself to sample the food at the hospital we'll be delivering at, we couldn't resist.

"What is she talking about?" I'm sure that's what you're asking yourself right now, so I guess I should explain. On March 6th we went to the doctor for our regular appointment. We thought we'd be in and out, and then we were planning on having a date night. Something really extravagant, like a trip to a Chinese food buffet!! Soon after arriving at the doctor's office, however, our plans changed. My blood pressure has been a bit high over the course of this pregnancy, and it spiked at the doctor's office that day. It was high enough that my doctor was concerned I might have pre-eclampsia. Which can be a pretty serious condition, and if it got out of control, could lead to early delivery. Since I had a few other symptoms besides the high blood pressure, she decided to admit me to the hospital for the night. Just to monitor my blood pressure, make sure the baby was doing ok, and check my urine for protein (another sign of pre-eclampsia). So, Brandon and I settled in for an exciting night at the hospital. It was a little bit scary, because if my blood pressure kept going up, or if my lab tests came back as abnormal, they were thinking they would have to deliver our son that night. This was particularly concerning, as we were only 28 weeks along. Well, the stay in the hospital went well, the baby was doing fine, my blood pressure went down, the labwork all came back ok, and we were able to come home with strict orders for me to take it easy for a while. I went back to the doctor the following Tuesday, and she put me on modified bedrest. So, I can either lay around or sit for a little while at a time. I'm not supposed to be standing for too long, and I'm not supposed to be doing housework. (I was really disappointed about that, since I love doing housework.) But since then my labs have been coming back really good and my blood pressure's been doing ok. My doctor thinks it's gestational hypertension, which is a much safer problem to have. They're still keeping a close eye on me, but we're optimistic I might make it to full term, or at least close. So I guess all this relaxing is doing the job!! I also know that tons of people have been praying for us, and I know that's making a huge difference!! If you're one of the people who're praying for us - thanks so much!!

Now I'm sure you're wondering what all this has to do with a cheap meal. Well, we'd heard great things about the food at our hospital (I'm being totally serious, I know how weird that sounds, but it's true.) So, we were accused of going in the hospital simply to have the opportunity to sample the cuisine. And while I can't say that was our original intention, it was a particularly fantastic added bonus :)
Mandy <><