We have passed the 24-week mark, a big milestone, the earliest age of viability. It means that if this little Passenger was for some reason (God forbid) born now, s/he would have a chance of surviving. It also means, more practically, that should something threaten the pregnancy at this point, doctors will do everything in their power to fix it and save the baby. (There seems to be a sliding scale here, from the early days when they tell you, "Yep, you're going to have a miscarriage, might as well go home and be comfortable" to performing life-saving heroics-- in-utero surgeries, major drugs to stop contractions, things like that-- based on the baby's viability. We're on the good side of that scale now.) I am now pregnant enough to have total strangers ask me when I'm due, if I know what I'm having. I am also now wider front-to-back than I am from side-to-side, for the first time ever. I found this out in a narrow corridor in a restaurant; I was exiting the bathroom as a waitress was coming by with an armload of dishes... I did that instinctive thing where you turn sideways to let someone pass by, only to find that it made the situation worse, not better. Whoops. I discovered this weekend that the problem with a normally very active fetus is that, occasionally, it will try to freak you out by taking a few really long naps. I'm so used to this constant, reassuring tumble-kick-slam, that when my little rugby player wouldn't move for what felt like hours at a time on Sunday, I panicked. Then Sunday night s/he started right back up again. Stop messing with mommy's mind, little one. All I want is for you to be alive, is that so much to ask? Speaking of my mind, I'm losing it. I didn't believe in "pregnancy brain" until today... maybe I still don't, since I can also blame the never-ending insomnia. But I accidentally left my purse at work, the work that is a 1/4-mile walk from the bank where we park. I had to walk back and forth, again, to get it.
Things I thought wouldn't happen to me that I was wrong about:
pregnancy brain
urinary incontinence AKA sneeze-pee-damn!
waddling (not yet but I can feel it coming, my walk is changing)
constantly touching belly
I'm wondering what else is going to make that list...
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For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This persective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. (Souza)
5 comments:
I'm not sure you can help the waddling. I mean you can try but all that extra weight pulling your spine and hips out of their normal alignment is going to make you walk funny. We'll try not to point and laugh :)
Sneeze pee . . . my phrase du jour. Thanks!
It's not even the extra weight that makes you waddle, as much as it is the relaxin loosening up all your ligaments. You're more flexible now, which means that you're not as stable, really. The waddle is to make up for the fact that your joints aren't as efficient.
I venomously denied that I waddled - to the point where I threatened people on the pains of death if they even mentioned it...until I saw a video of me walking shortly before Z was born.
Don't let those long naps freak you out, the bigger s/he gets, the less room they have to move around. So once they get comfy they'll tend to stay there until the just HAVE to move again. Zephyr did that to me a few times, but the first time I was having a total melt down. Jordan was at work and I was watching Grey's Anatomy where they had this "pregnant" character who had some complications. Needless to say, at 7 months my emotions where everywhere and I had no need to watch that kind of crap. By the time he got home, I was on the couch in a pile of tears because I hadn't felt him move for an hour and thought something was wrong. Jordan was livid once Zephyr finally did move because I scared him so badly with my talking that something was wrong!!! Trust me, just take a deep breath and if you can, join your little one in the nap time - they won't let you do it too much once they're born!!
And thanks again for the talk the other day. It sucked that my miscarriage actually happened, but somehow it made it easier to accept after venting. You call me anytime, even if it's pregnancy brain kicking in and I'll nod my head in remembrance!!
Congrats on making it to 24 weeks. That is a huge milestone! WOOT!
Re: pregnancy brain. I still haven't recovered...4.5 years later. :)
LOL at the things you thought wouldn't happen to you. I have become intimately familiar with at least three of those things, although I don't think I'm waddling...yet.
I am quite familiar with the sneeze-pee-damn!! routine by now, too. My husband teases me because he always knows when it's happened because he hears, "Aaaaaachooooooodammmmmmit!!!Shit."
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