Monday, May 6, 2013

Not so much fun. . .

I have really tried not to bitch, whine, and complain too much about the ailments of pregnancy. I know they are temporary and WELL worth the outcome of a healthy baby and the resulting love and joy. I also am just incredibly grateful that I can conceive and carry a child to begin with- it's often something to be taken for granted.

Having a good attitude has definitely helped me with all of my ailments, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

And so I need to vent. Recently I've heard comments about how "Lucky" I am to sit around at home, taking my daughter to the pool, sitting in the sun, and not having to work full time. Honestly there's not much else I can do, here's why:

I realized the other day how much worse this pregnancy has been than my pregnancy with our daughter. Technically I FEEL better- mentally, spiritually- and that has made a huge difference. But physically? The pain I feel on a daily basis is much, much worse by comparison.

Once again I find myself anemic- I have low hemoglobin and low red blood cell count. This happens because the baby requires a lot of nourishment/support from my body which can leave my body depleted of certain resources. Basically this translates into fatigue- my blood cannot effectively get oxygen around my body and so my energy levels are extremely low. The cure? Iron supplements/food with high iron levels. And if only it were that easy.

Iron supplements cause nausea and extreme constipation. Iron rich food can be difficult to make into a meal, especially since it is useless if consumed with calcium. Apparently calcium makes it so your body doesn't absorb the iron- so it cannot be consumed within an hour of ingesting iron supplements/iron rich food. Trust me, it's not easy finding iron rich foods and preparing them with foods that contain little to no calcium, so mostly I'm stuck with the nasty supplements and their wonderful side-effects.

Extreme pelvic pain. . . in preparation for birth, the body releases hormones to help loosen and relax joints and bones so that the baby can more easily be delivered. It's really a good thing and since this is not my first pregnancy my body has already been "loosened up" quite a bit.

Unfortunately this translates into low back pain, hip pain, and general pelvic pain. This makes it difficult to walk, get dressed, stand up, sit down. . . basically it makes it difficult to move. Especially being on the more petite side, my small "loosened" pelvis cannot fully support my body the way it normally can. Add on some extra weight and concentrate that weight right above the front of my pelvis- you've got a recipe for some major pain.

The cure? Child birth. What I can do to help? the exercises my dr. provided and "staying off my feet". I've also been told this condition is much worse in subsequent pregnancies, which is why I did not experience this level of pain previously.

As much I wanted to believe that "sitting is worse than standing!" I can now testify to the fact that my pelvis literally SCREAMS at me when I stand for too long.

Yesterday I worked for a mere 6 hours and I WASN'T EVEN STANDING THE ENTIRE TIME. . . when I got home I could literally barely walk. To the point where my husband scolded me for working too hard and begged me not to continue pushing myself to work shifts beyond my comfort level.

This is frustrating for me as I enjoy my job and I enjoy working full time. I like to make as much money as I can and usually despise shifts of less than 8 hours. I happily stay late if it's busy and have no problem putting in a 9 or 10 hour day- those days are the most profitable for me as I usually make a lot of tip money and some overtime as well. It's not uncommon for me to have some overtime on almost every paycheck. I like this. I LIKE working hard. I LIKE being proud of myself for making as much money as I possibly can. This means I have the funds to do the things that I like and go places with my family.

But right now, I can't. And actually- it really sucks and isn't so "fun" and "lucky".

Pregnancy is different for every woman, not everyone suffers the same ailments or to the same degree. This does not mean one pregnant woman is more "wimpy" than another. For instance, I don't really have a huge problem with morning sickness- I feel very nauseated and have no appetite, but I am not constantly throwing up. It's not fun, but it's nothing I can't manage or endure.

Does this mean the women who are constantly throwing up and violently ill are just wimps? Or am I just tougher than they are- I can keep it down! I have a stomach of steel! What's THEIR problem?

No. Our bodies handle the hormones and physical changes of pregnancy differently. Some of us suffer more in various areas than others and to greater degrees. It's highly individual and it would do everyone a lot of good to realize this and perhaps mull it over in their brains a few times before opening their mouths.

:-)

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