Pregnancy update: 38+1

Well, here I am at the tail end of my second (and final!) pregnancy... just under two weeks to go (until the official due date that is - Thumper may of course choose a different birthdate). I am now 38 weeks pregnant.

Measurements at 38 weeks pregnant:

• Waist: 116 cm
  
• Hips: 108 cm
  
• Weight gain: 11 kg
  

Current aches and pains:

• Pelvic instability still present, although weekly chiropractic treatments seems to help a lot.
  
• Still have the deep muscle soreness in my right gluteal muscle and a sore sacroiliac joint.
• Sciatica (as was the case when I was pregnant with BallFiend, it has started up in the last 2 - 3 weeks of pregnancy); thankfully I have only had one or two really severe bouts - mostly it has been mild
  
• big squirming movements by Thumper (but not getting kicked much anymore - must have run out of room in there!)
• a little bit of reflux again (something I haven't had for many weeks)
• some serious 'pre-labour' symptoms. I have had two really major bouts, on Thursday 12th and Saturday 15th August. Starting from about 10 am and lasting all day until I went to bed at night, I had cramps like period pain, low back ache, nausea and braxton hicks contractions. Thought I might really be in labour! But since then, nothing so dramatic. A bit more of the same now and then, but thankfully to a much lesser extent!

Pros and Cons of late pregnancy

A friend, who has two kids, said to me a few weeks back "third trimester pregnancy has very little to recommend it" and whilst I am very much inclined to agree, the thought of life with a demanding newborn that reminds me that "fourth trimester pregnancy" (ie. the 6-week post-partum period) also has its cons! So here is my list of pros and cons of late pregnancy:

Cons of having a baby in utero:

• a big, uncomfortable belly that gets in the way of everything!
• numerous bodily aches and pains (see above)
  
• toilet breaks 2 - 3 times a night and even more than this during the day
• constipation
• various other bodily functions and events that I won't spell out in detail as that would be TMI
  
• limited wardrobe - have worn the same 5 - 10 items of clothing for months on end now
• can't trim my toenails
• can't tie my shoelaces
• extremely hard to get up from the floor if I squat down to pick something up
  
• extremely hard to sit up from a lying down position
• can't sleep on my back
• can't sleep on my tummy
• can't sleep on my side for long periods as this creates pressure soreness in my hip
• can't sleep, full stop (due to discomforts, the need to wee three times a night and waking up hungry at 4.00 am)
  
• need mountains of pillows in bed to prop up my belly and legs which makes turning over a nuisance
  
• can't sit, can't stand, can't kneel; no position is comfortable for any length of time. (I reckon this equates to torture - constantly suffering discomfort or pain!)
• can't eat favourite foods, such as smoked salmon and brie, due to risk of listeria
• no drinking alcohol
• suppressed immune system = frequent colds, sore throats, etc.
• always feeling tired and often very crabby
  
• the nesting instinct kicks in and I want to clean, tidy, declutter and organise, but am too tired to do so and can't shift the furniture anyway
• increasingly more frequent interactions with hospital and related health care providers: visits to midwives, pathology, chiropractor, etc.
• driving is awkward (and increasing dangerous as I feel more and more vague)
• being the subject of speculation and often a target for 'well-intentioned' advice (though thankfully much less so because Thumper is my second baby)

Pros of having a baby in utero:

• in the uterus no one can hear you the baby scream cry
• minimal sleep deprivation (the sleep deprivation due to pregnancy aches and pains is nothing compared to that caused by a newborn baby!)
• there are no nappies to change
• no need to spend hours settling baby to sleep
• can eat a meal without having to hold baby on my lap at the same time
• can eat a meal without having to get up throughout it to attend to baby's needs
• can do lots of other things with out being interrupted - drink a hot cup of tea, read a newspaper, have a conversation with DeepSpice, etc. (well, in reality I do get interrupted by BallFiend quite a lot, but not nearly as much as he used to do when he was a baby)
• feeding Thumper is easy - no breastfeeding related aches and pains (such as sore shoulders, cracked nipples, blocked ducts, etc.) and (down the track) no 'solids' to prepare, spoon feed then clean off the walls and floor
  
• don't have to cart baby off to the maternal health nurse for frequent weigh-ins and check ups, which then lead to worries about weight gains
• can leave the house without having to pack a nappy bag (still have to pack one for BallFiend of course, but this is easy these days - he doesn't need much stuff compared with what a baby requires)
  
• can go on an outing with minimal planning - just up and go
  
• only have to load one child into the car (and BallFiend can climb in himself now)
• can devote my full attention to BallFiend when we are spending time together - he doesn't have to compete with another child for my attention
• no post-partum aches and pains (my nether-regions are yet to undergo the rigours of childbirth)
• have an excuse to eat as many chocolate biscuits as I want (ie. I am storing fat which will get used up when I breastfeed!)
• I look pregnant because I am pregnant; as compared with those first few months post-partum when women look pregnant because their bodies as slowing returning back to normal after 9 months of carrying a baby. (Except for celebrities of course, who seem to have a strange desire to erase any evidence that their body has just carried a baby for nine months and who have a team of personal trainers, chefs and nannies at their disposal.)
• I am still the centre of attention as those around me ponder the miracle of life evident in my ever-expanding belly; they are concerned about my welfare and wonder about what Thumper will be like. Once on the outside, Thumper will be the centre of attention, and I will merely be Thumper's mobile life-support device.
  

There is one more thing, which is both a pro and a con: being pregnant puts life into perspective. Things that used to matter a lot don't seem so important (like getting projects at work done on time, having a career, keeping up with news and current affairs) but conversely things that shouldn't matter so much tend to get blown out of proportion (little things, like staying on top of housework and having everything 'ready' for when the baby comes).

So, as uncomfortable as I am right now, I am not wishing for this pregnancy to end. I don't not want Thumper to make a rush for the exit, because I know that no matter how hard things seem now, they are going to be much harder once I am a suffering sleep deprivation that only a newborn baby can create!
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