Holding On

Heartburn, watery mouth, leg and muscle cramps, backache, trouble sleeping, trouble breathing, occasional queasiness...ahh, the joys of pregnancy. I have to take about a dozen pills a day to keep my strength up, because I can really tell the difference when I skip them. 8 of them are food-based prenatal vitamins, which are less potent (which is why there are so many of them) and more easily absorbed without causing nausea. The other 4 are liquid liver capsules, which contain small doses of iron to try and alleviate my anemia. I can tell within hours if I’ve forgotten to take them, because I’ll hit the wall pretty quickly. I hate taking pills, but it’s worth feeling better. Lately my stomach muscles have been hurting from all the stretching, especially when I’m standing up. A few people have suggested I wear one of those maternity support belts, but I find them very uncomfortable. They tend to chafe tender stretch-marked skin, the material isn’t very breathable (a must in hot weather), and often they put direct pressure on your bladder.

PREGNANCY BLUES

I’ve been getting pretty tired and blue towards the end of the day, especially in the few hours before Dave gets home. Eva seems to want extra attention just as my energy level is crashing, and starts to get clingy and fussy. She wants to climb all over me (and the couch I’m sitting on) just as I’m trying to rest, and gets upset when I make her get down or push her away for hurting me. I find myself getting impatient and snappy, and I hate being like that. She’s only two, she has lots of energy, and she doesn’t understand why Mommy’s so tired and can’t play. Thank God I only have about 6 more weeks to go. I guess this is the body's way of getting you to look forward to labor and delivery. On the one hand, I’m tired of waiting and would love to just get it over with already. On the other hand, I’m afraid to start labor until I’m sure little Amanda has shifted into the right position. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be a big baby (Eva was 8lbs 1oz), and if she’s still facing posterior (the back of her head against my spine), it will make it more difficult for her to fit through my pelvis, and could make labor much longer and more painful. It’s really not the pain I dread, though, it’s the exhaustion. I distinctly remember, towards the end of pushing with Eva, thinking that I didn’t have the strength to go on, but knowing I had no choice but to finish. It was worth it, of course. But knowing how tired and worn out I’ve been feeling lately, it’s hard to imagine how I’ll ever have enough energy to deliver a baby within a few weeks.