tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37813919798971732152011-04-21T21:14:59.458-04:00A Grumpy Guide to PregnancyACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-27347708056106016062009-02-14T12:49:00.004-05:002009-02-22T20:36:59.747-05:00

Just have a couple of thoughts as we hit the one year mark (!), not on parenthood but on the aftermath of pregnancy and all the crazy bodily changes, so thought I'd post them here in case they might be of use to somebody else wondering about that later set of indignities.So, a number of you are bummed that you had a c-section. Longer hospital stay, recovery from major surgery, further

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-80301714242231722782008-06-19T17:34:00.003-04:002009-02-14T13:34:17.472-05:00

I feel like I'm remiss in providing some kind of take-home here for the post-pregnancy (that is, Welcome Home Baby!) period of time. There's a lot to say, but I think I can boil it down to a few top points.The first two weeks with the new baby are one of the hardest things/times I've ever been through. You're simultaneously recovering from the physical trauma of labor (and, really, from the

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-82164432397668518492008-03-10T19:12:00.002-04:002008-03-10T22:00:12.651-04:00

Ok, here's how it went:Check in (Tuesday evening) around 7:30, sit around for an hour, then get set up for an I.V. (heparin lock), visited by various low-level doctors, given an internal exam, etc. Finally released to go up to Labor and Delivery at, say, 10pm.In delivery suite, hooked up to an IV (lactated ringers), more visits, finally given Cervidil (to soften cervix) around 11-something.

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-26614763848266367862008-02-19T14:58:00.002-05:002008-02-19T15:02:55.932-05:00

Week 40: Well, this week is when I'm due, and this week is when I'll be induced. (For those who don't know, both my age and my gestational diabetes increase risks of trouble if you go past your due date, largely due to the possibility that the placenta will stop doing its job. So no such option.) In fact, contingent on hospital bed availability, I'll be going in tonight for the first step ("

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-60572154593331178192008-02-15T10:37:00.002-05:002008-02-15T10:48:35.599-05:00

(Still Week 39) Went to a "Babycare basics" class last night, which was useful -- got advice on sponge baths, practice with swaddling and diapers on dolls, and various other tips. However, right in the middle of it I started to have a visual disturbance. It started as a small blurry spot (kind of like the after-effect of a bright light can cause a grey spot briefly) right where I was looking,

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-64396653296253723552008-02-13T09:15:00.002-05:002008-02-13T09:30:53.844-05:00

Week 39: Well, I may have been lucky with aches and pains up until now, but the various discomforts that I described in week 38 have all become quite painful and are starting to switch my mood from amusement with my unweildiness back toward a put-upon morosity. The doctor suggested that my between-belly-and-hip pain might be a hernia, but didn't really advise any intervention other than a

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-78623757415650448062008-02-08T14:12:00.000-05:002008-02-08T14:15:33.491-05:00

I feel really big, but trying to compare pictures from multi-week intervals, it's hard to see. Anyway, here's the bulge for public admiration...37.5 weeks when this was taken; 38 weeks today! Doesn't look like this should make it hard for me to walk . . .

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-77943264486284144702008-02-05T14:55:00.001-05:002008-02-05T15:02:22.443-05:00

Weeks 37-38: Generally this period has been more of the same, but in the last 5 days or so (end of wk 37 into wk 38), I've become consistently uncomfortable. Standing up is now a matter of a pained unfolding, walking only partly unkinks that below-belly muscle, and my joints et al. make even a couple of blocks feel like a major undertaking. This may wreak havoc with my commute to work. Also,

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-36022596022914594572008-01-29T12:12:00.000-05:002008-02-04T14:56:47.572-05:00

I just thought that, amid all the grumping and recording of symptoms, I should take a moment to recognize that, in fact, I've been pretty lucky on some fronts. In addition to my and Speck's general good health, I've been spared the following common ailments of pregnancy:Morning sickness! This one should count twice, since queasiness really affects your whole life outlook, and I've known people

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-50307828458064350442008-01-25T10:11:00.000-05:002008-01-25T10:19:10.001-05:00

Week 36: Well, this is it; anything from here on out is "full term." That means that my busywork doctor appointments now include an internal exam to see whether any dilation or effacement is occuring (no, and a tiny bit), and next week we'll talk about a date for induction, should such be necessary. Meantime, am trying to get one literary project done and out the door, and we're having some

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-83025904835731071822008-01-23T13:07:00.000-05:002008-01-23T14:15:48.642-05:00

Weeks 34-35: Most of my experience now is More of the Same from the last couple posts -- unwieldy belly, very challenging to roll over in bed, lots of kicking at night when I'm trying to get back to sleep after a bathroom trip, chewing ice most of the day. Have had some new belly discomfort -- some feels like a renewal of round ligament stretching, other more achey muscle stuff -- and a couple

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-76515478022575737872008-01-04T13:44:00.000-05:002008-01-04T14:32:03.058-05:00

Week 32: Well, my bellybutton is essentially gone -- it's flat, with a little bruising below (part of stretching, or did I just bang it into something?). This comes close to grossing me out, irrationally. Additionally I've had some periods of mild nausea -- out come the sea bands again -- and the heartburn is a constant friend to the tune of some half-dozen Tums per day (and into the night),

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-69601322272667697312007-12-18T10:32:00.000-05:002007-12-18T10:38:04.774-05:00

Week 31: Well, the belly is definitely becoming the defining aspect of my experience now. I struggle to roll over in bed at night, am awakened by discomfort in abdomen and hips, get out of breath doing simple things, find it increasingly difficult to work my shoes and socks. (And, you know, find my tiny line of belly fat, way down there almost out of sight, when insulin time rolls around.)

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-63025775973794206482007-12-14T16:44:00.001-05:002008-01-23T14:14:55.187-05:00

(Still Week 30) Looks like it's insulin for me, three times per day for the duration. Somewhat a relief, as I don't like the idea of following this for another week (we're already two past the test) without doing something to spare Speck the sugar overload and consequent risks (not to mention the prospect of delivering a linebacker). Will take some tweaking, based on my ongoing finger-pricks,

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-29677043543655689652007-12-10T11:12:00.001-05:002008-01-23T14:14:24.425-05:00

Weeks 29-30: Well. I knew that this eye-of-the-hurricane period couldn't last, that the transition into the final weeks' growth spurt and other physical changes would mean some kind of shift in my experience again. But I wasn't really expecting the big news to be this: gestational diabetes. My weight gain is in the target range, my belly is the right size, I'm active (in a lumbering but regular

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-72309620889957255402007-11-28T13:12:00.000-05:002007-11-28T13:20:15.743-05:00

Week 28: Man, when I first felt Speck kicking, it was a faint flutter that I only gradually learned to distinguish from gas bubbles or other internal shenanigans. Well, no longer! It seems like any time I'm sitting down (i.e., most of the day), she's flipping around in there, sometimes giving me a two-foot rabbit kick, and generally constantly active. Much of this is mighty enough that you

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-43863335413131586772007-11-19T13:29:00.000-05:002007-11-19T13:37:53.093-05:00

Week 27: Making an entry now with what I forecast will be the increasing theme of the months ahead: my belly taking over my life. It's not that it's so much bigger than a few weeks ago, but it's starting to be a tangible presence in ways that are a little hard to put a finger on. Yes, I'm losing a few more shirts from my repertoire, but a it's more a steady feeling of tightness at the muscle

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-60224189068075781902007-11-19T12:54:00.000-05:002007-11-19T13:37:02.099-05:00

Weeks 25-26: Despite having a flu shot the month before, I have some kind of a bad cold or a mild flu that has me coughing incessantly. Sadly, I am Forbidden (again) from many familiar remedies, and Spouse spent some time stalking the obscure back corners of the pharmacy to find drugs from the Allowed list that might provide some relief. (It got bad enough that I had to sleep on the couch where

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-44854978624996213142007-11-13T19:07:00.000-05:002007-11-13T19:21:35.340-05:00

Weeks 22-23: I'm starting to feel better on the hunger front (less urgency less often), ok on energy (although the joint arrival of a contractor and two houseguests threatens that). On the down side, I'm starting to develop more belly, with the result that it gets ever harder to bend over, tie my shoes, etc. On the wacky side, I feel my first kicks, which it takes me a little while to recognize

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-52148401811371597312007-11-05T09:54:00.000-05:002007-11-13T19:21:35.341-05:00

Weeks 18-20: This appears to be a transitional period. On the one hand, my reward-response structure is normalizing, with the return of my desire to play my online game, slight decrease in the frequency/urgency of snacking, return of more energy, etc. On the other hand, foot swelling continuing, and in week 19 I find I'm having trouble crossing my legs -- some combination of the larger stomach

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-32949091169441621512007-10-30T19:23:00.000-04:002008-01-02T10:06:03.506-05:00

Weeks 15-16: Lots of the same from recent weeks -- eating a ton, have to take things slower, up several times per night to pee. Also, I've been walking like a sailor for several weeks (again, without really having any change in center of gravity to justify it, leading one to think this is about joint relaxation, etc.) -- can't remember precisely when that started.Two new things:My feet have

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-76372063680629709752007-10-22T22:24:00.000-04:002007-11-13T19:20:36.249-05:00

Week 12: I tried to put my hands on my hips, but I didn't have any hips! (Actually, I guess the hips are still there, but the waist has somehow disappeared.) I have correspondingly few pairs of pants I can still get into -- starting to rely on the first pair of maternity pants (although a couple of looser-waisted regular pants stil in rotation)...Week 13: The feeling that I'm starting to get a

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-791351874297129492007-10-22T21:57:00.000-04:002007-11-13T19:20:36.249-05:00

Weeks 8-9: Settling into a major eating routine -- probably 15 min out of every hour are spent snacking, and I'm already tired of all my initial snack foods, since the food aversion is ramping up. Sometimes the only way I can get myself to eat is to read something while I'm doing it . . .At the same time, my lack of energy and general weekend listnessness continue, but now I note that I haven't

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-6216994312909494582007-10-22T21:33:00.000-04:002007-11-13T19:20:01.715-05:00

Weeks 6-7: Ohmygoodness! the hunger! I've been hungry before, but this is an entirely different scale -- like when you put off a meal for long enough that you start to feel almost nauseated at the same time as you're desperately hungry. I started taking snacks to work -- a whole grocery bag full! In addition to my usual breakfast, a hearty lunch, and dinner, I easily polish off an apple, a

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-59908661624155367182007-10-08T18:14:00.000-04:002007-11-13T19:19:34.918-05:00

Weeks 4-5: Speck is barely pea-sized, but already commandeering much of my body, including all kinds of systems and side-effects that nobody tells you to expect (or that you think may track with being big and unweildy). For example, my nose now runs steadily, leaving me feeling stuffed in the night, irritating my throat, etc. (And most of my best hopes for decongestants are Forbidden!)

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3781391979897173215.post-5310691888430541232007-10-08T18:03:00.000-04:002007-11-19T10:35:06.081-05:00

Week 1: no really. No idea I was pregnant yet, but during our visit to the in-laws on the Cape, I could barely motivate myself to do anything other than flop on a comfortable couch with a book. (Tour? Beaches? whazzat?) Signs of things to come...[On the flip side, I had cramps and even some spotting, so became convinced that we weren't pregnant.]Weeks 2-3: positive test! holy moly! Really

ACMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05150889888692992746noreply@blogger.com0