Aches & Pains

One of the biggest pregnancy complaints you hear about is all the aches and pains that go along with it.........  There are many other um, unpleasant things that go along with most pregnancies, but unless you are Jenny Garth you probably won't discuss them in a casual setting.  If you do, it will be amongst your closest friends!

So what happens to your body during the pregnancy?

Well, after the gas stage passes and the puking stage passes you are left with a tiny human that is growing and taking over your midsection.  Your balance is thrown off, you might be a bit more clumsy.  Might not be able to put on your socks or your shoes very easily.   When you drop something on the floor you hope you are talented enough to pick it up with your toes or have a child close by to ask them for assistance.   They are closer to the floor as it is, right?

Now that I am in my 35th week I can say that I have definitely experience some aches and pains along the way.   For the most part, unless is *bad* I don't complain a whole lot.   Really, how can your body go through such drastic changes and NOT shift, move, tweak, hurt, etc?

 So what hurts?  For me personally; this time around I haven't had too many problems.  My biggest complaint has to be that I have had a couple days that my crotch is KILLING me!!  I feel like I need to just push it all back together.   The worst was probably after I sat on a {not very cushy} bar stool for 7 hours wrapping Christmas presents!   Oh - OUCH!   My back was also bothering me a bit that time too.   I know that my pelvis widens up and my hips tweak themselves out a bit too and that is probably part of the migration....  Nothing like a soft squishy couch to relax on when it was all said and done!!

My second biggest complaint that I don't talk a whole lot about is a spot on my right side that I have pains at.  I truly believe I have needle tract endometriosis.  After a whole lot of research it is the only thing I have come up with that can be causing me pain.  With my second surrogacy I had an amino done and in each pregnancy since then I have had pain where the needle went in for the amino.  Even with this pregnancy I had a shooting pain before I even knew I was pregnant and I thought "Wow, that was weird, I normally only get pain there when I am pregnant."   {Duh.}   Anyway, I am not sure all the details, but it just feels like my uterus is attached to my side by a string somehow and if I move too much, took quickly or stretch funny it hurts.   When I am not pregnant it has never bothered me.    I actually called the doctor that did my amnio and he told me how many thousands of patients he had had and had never had a complaint.......  Kind of coincidental dontcha think?  

OK - I am sparing you the pictures on the next topic that I hear a lot of complaints about.... hemorrhoids.    Yeah, those nasty things.   Now since I have had *way* more children than most of my friends (kidding.... Kind of) I get a lot of people that ask me for my opinions or thoughts on certain pregnancy topics.  I *totally* don't mind this at all!!   However it seems like more times than not I get people that ask me about hemorrhoids.   When I tell them that that is one topic I have NO idea about, they sometimes get mad at me!  "How can you have had "x" amount of babies and NOT had hemorrhoids?!?!?"   *shrug* 
I have no idea - how did you get them???   So I thank my lucky stars that while my butt might be getting fatter, it doesn't have those.  For those of you that get them, have them or might get them - I am really sorry, but I have no suggestions for you.  

The thing keeping me up most nights is heartburn.   Stupid thing.   Another symptom that ONLY happens when I am pregnant!   Now I know that TUMS would be the nice simple answer, but too many can actually cause your placenta to start to calcify which then in turn makes your placenta have 'dead' spots which can no longer filter and provide nutrients to your baby.   So - I have tried the papaya enzymes that were suggested to me, but I can't seem to get those to work.   I really don't want to drink the apple cider vinegar, so I suffer or break down and have ONE antacid and try to go back to sleep.

I get tired and out of breath a lot.  If I have to go upstairs I normally sit and rest once I get up there.   I am lucky that my shower has a seat in it - 'cuz I have to sit in the middle of my shower.   Today I took my kids to to the store and had to get really low to look at the price tag on something and just decided to sit and rest while I was down there.   Unfortunately I scared one of the workers when she saw this huge preggo sitting on the floor...... next time I'll try hiding better!

So yes, I could whine and complain a lot or I can suck it up and say - your know what, it isn't easy growing a small child!   I don't like to complain.  I don't want to sound like a crotchety old lady.   :)  My body is doing the BEST job that it can do and I am happy with that!   Sure, if I had quit after 2 kids I wouldn't be complaining at all, but this way one family has 2 kids and my family is working on number 4!   

That is pretty awesome!   My body was made to have babies!!!  


Being pregnant isn't always easy but then -  take a minute to think about all the women that would trade places with you and all your aches and pains in a heartbeat just to have ONE child......... 

I know I am blessed!