Becoming

Moonchild

Dave accompanied Tamar to the next doctor appointment she had after he arrived back home, and was glad he did, as her health had taken a turn for the worse.

"With the swelling in your legs, on top of the elevated blood pressure, I'm going to have to put you on complete bed rest, Mrs. Murray," the doctor said. "You're definitely in pre-eclampsia now, so we have to be cautious. You may get up to use the bathroom, and you may shower every other day for not more than fifteen minutes, but other than that, you need to be in bed or on the sofa, on your left side and if you can get your feet elevated at the same time, that would be best.

"What about eating, can I sit up for meals?" Tamar asked.

"As long as you stay seated with your feet up, rather than down on the floor, yes," the doctor told her. "Also, I want to set you up with a blood pressure monitor for your home, so you can track it a few times per day. There will be some fluctuations, of course, but if it gets much higher than what we just saw here, you'll need to come to the hospital immediately. Or if you develop any of these symptoms." He listed off what to watch for.

Dave asked quietly, "What else should we do or not do?"

"Remain as relaxed as possible," the doctor said, giving them a rueful smile. "Which I know, is much easier for me to say than for you to do, especially with what I've just told you. But we want that baby to stay inside for as long as possible, and you staying relaxed will only help keep your blood pressure from rising any further."

"What about treatments to mature the baby's lungs?" Dave asked.

The doctor's smile warmed a bit. "Well, those are available, of course. But they're also most effective when given less than a week before the baby's born, and our goal right now is to keep that baby right where he or she is for at least four more weeks. Longer is better, of course, but realistically, with the pre-eclampsia, we're not likely to make it much beyond four to six weeks before delivery will become necessary."

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Tamar asked.

"Honestly, just keep doing what you've been doing," the doctor said kindly. "You're one of the most cooperative patients I've ever had. Unfortunately, sometimes even when you do everything right, your body just doesn't get the memo."

Tamar sighed but nodded. "Well, it's not as though I didn't know this was likely to happen, even if I had hoped otherwise," she said. "At least you're home now, Dave, and will be until some time after the baby comes."

"Yeah, just got the one festival in June, then a few dates in September," Dave confirmed. "I know there's a break after that, before we gather for our songwriting session and rehearsals ahead of going in studio once more, but no one's set dates for that yet. I do know the plan is to record at the Barn at Harry's place in Essex again, so timing is a bit more flexible, it's not as though we'll be booking time in Nassau like we used to do before we had a fully-equipped studio of our own, y'know?"

"Well, let's get your next appointment scheduled, and you two are free to go," the doctor said. "Baby has a clean bill of health so far, and we're going to do our best to keep it that way, while not putting you at any more risk than absolutely necessary."

"All right, and thank you," Tamar said softly.

After the usual stop at the desk to schedule Tamar's next appointment, the couple made their way out to the car. "Want to drive about for a time before going home, since you'll need to stay in bed after this?" Dave asked.

"You don't mind?" Tamar asked.

"Of course not," Dave answered. "Honestly, whilst we ought to keep them short, I'd say we can maybe, erm, take the so-called scenic route back to the flat after all of your appointments until the baby comes, if you'd like to? I know it's not much, not like you can be out wandering about as I know you'd like to, but I thought maybe you'd enjoy at least a little bit of an excursion on the regular. Maybe even stop for an ice cream or that shave ice you like? I know you've got to limit sugary foods, but don't they have some sugar-free options?"