You'd think at baby #3 I'd have this whole being pregnant thing down pat and it would be easy.
Turns out baby boy Byrne has had his own thoughts on the matter.
The last 2 were relatively easy. I carried out front, I had plenty of energy, I gained weight well, morning sickness and acid reflux were only an issue in the first trimester, and birth and labor were relatively normal. The most tiring parts were labor and delivery, but I bounced back pretty quickly.
This time I'm carrying right in the middle of my body, forcing all of my internal organs (including lungs and diaphragm) into smaller spaces. It took until the 3rd trimester to gain weight and somewhat get the morning sickness and acid reflux under control (still struggling there). The little one has sucked up all of my body fat and requires far more calories than either of his sisters. I have no idea what labor and delivery will be like, other than I'm already exhausted all the time.
For weeks now I've been struggling with getting enough air because my lungs and diaphragm were unable to move properly. I couldn't take deep enough breaths. Because of this, getting enough oxygen has been difficult.
This is after becoming the fittest and strongest I've ever been. This is also after years of being Chris's legs (in both a metaphorical and physical sense) due to his widely variable mobility due to being sick and in pain.
I'm used to being able to do a full Costco run with a full cart, do Wal-Mart, run a few other errands, put away all of the purchases, carry a 50 lb bag of dog food into the house, and still cook dinner at the end of the day.
Now, with the lack of energy and lack of oxygen, not so much.
Today I got winded walking into the post office and checking the PO box. Then I struggled to stay awake driving home after dropping a friend off at work.
Seriously.
This is not me. I feel very crippled at the moment.
Today I lucked out and my uterus dropped a noticeable amount.
Thank fucking God.
I still can't draw a full deep breath, but I have more room for my lungs and diaphragm now. It's not all back, but enough back that I may finally be somewhat useful again.
Which is good, considering we only have 7 weeks left before the due date.
For those of you who are permanently crippled, or live with diseases or conditions that impact your ability to get as much done as you need to... I understand.
Mel
