The last three weeks have been an eye opener for me. I have been thoroughly enjoying my second trimester which I realized recently has been flying by so fast it is pretty much over already. I had been feeling so great I didn't see some things catching up with me until they were staring me in the face - and laughing maniacally!
First, I know this is the mark where if I had been allowed to be running I'm sure I would have to be stopping because I physically can't do the same things I could just a week or two ago. I've kept myself pretty active - I walk 3-4 times a week - and have only gained 9 lbs so far for my efforts. About a week ago I was leaving work and by the time I walked down 6 flights of steps and out the door to walk to my car, I was aching and out of breath. WTF?! I hoped it was a fluke - maybe I was a bit dehydrated or something? - but every day it is the same thing. Even my backpack with my laptop seems heavier lately and my mind goes over ways I can lighten my load. Maybe I don't need to carry a purse AND a backpack to work every day? What a drag... Second, I don't have the energy to keep up with all aspects of my life anymore. I haven't slowed down in the Mom department or the work department and last week the keeping up with my 8-year old and her dance schedule on top of my work schedule with graveyard and swing shifts on call from home really took a toll. By the time Thursday night rolled around I was ready for bed at 8pm. Me, the ultimate night owl! Third, the aches and pains and discomfort of my body as it grows huge to accommodate this baby I'm carrying are starting to annoy me. I feel like I'm back in my first 12 weeks again and always needing to sit on the couch with my feet up except it isn't because I'm exhausted but because my legs hurt and my back hurts and even sitting there I can't get comfortable. Even my sleeping has been impacted. I've had to start the pillow dance at night in order to be comfortable. What is the pillow dance? It is the weirdness of propping pillows between your legs and under your belly and snuggling with them like a lover in order to find just the right sleep position. If it sounds like a drag, you're right, it is. But, it is worth it to be able to sleep all night. And fourth, there's the bladder bothers. Having to wake up in the middle of the night at least once for a bathroom visit is now the norm. And during the day is even worse with visits becoming more and more frequent. I know that will only get worse as things progress but man is it ever so annoying!
The baby bump is still growing and I look my 6 1/2 months along just as much as I'm feeling it. She is still a feisty baby who likes to kick my innards at all hours of the day and night. The funny thing is, the minute I voice that she is kicking and anyone around me touches my belly to try to feel her, she stops. How can she be my kid and be that bashful? I've started to employ this to my benefit and when I want a break from her acrobatics I call her sister over to touch my belly. It works like a charm every time!
Last week was a routine doctor visit. Everything looks good - baby sounds great and my ultrasound results are as good as the sonographer indicated. The placenta is a little low and I'll have to have a follow-up ultrasound in a couple of months to make sure as things grow there's enough room for her to squeeze by on her way out. If not, there's a C-section in my future but I'm hoping that isn't happening. My doc said we'd just have to take a look and see in a couple of months to make sure and was pretty calm about it so I'm staying positive.
The insane (and in my opinion unnecessary) panic and pandemonium about the H1N1 Swine Flu caught up with me twice in the last two weeks. I have said before, I am a healthy girl and I never get the flu - except those two years about 10 years ago when I got flu shots! - and I do not ever get flu shots. This year was no different for me and I'm not giving into the panic and craziness about the newest strain of flu that is getting so much attention. Yes, the swine flu is a nasty flu and yes it kills people but that is no different than the "regular" flu every year. I discussed it with my doctor at my visit and of course he gave me the party line that it is recommended for me to get it because I'm in one of the risk categories. I respectfully declined and I'm sure he wasn't too happy with me but I'm not going to get scared just because we are now collecting different statistics in order to scare larger pieces of the population. I work in healthcare and I know for a fact that we've never collected statistics on flu specific to pregnant women. With H1N1, now they are and I had those statistics thrown at me at the doctor's office. I asked what the stats were for pregnant women and the regular seasonal flu and he couldn't answer. Sorry, not compelling enough for me. Especially when I read on the CDC website that there are insane things like mercury and formaldehyde in the vaccine. Sorry, I don't ever want those things injected in my body for any reason! This last week our company got a limited number of vaccines from the Health Dept and they were only being offered to pregnant employees. Another respectful decline, thanks. It amazes me how easy it is to incite panic in the masses and how trusting people are. Maybe it is my cynical nature but I'm not ever going to be ok taking something that has been so fast-tracked on the way to market that the safety factor is based solely on the history of the companies making it and not on the actual manufacture process itself. "It is assumed to be just as safe as the regular seasonal flu shot" isn't good enough for this doubting girl! Just say No!
All in all, things are progressing nice and quick and holy shit I'm almost in my 3rd trimester! Where did all the time go? Better get my ass in gear and get working on getting the nursery put together or she'll be here and we won't be ready for her!
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