Uncomfortable.
Yes, uncomfortable is a good word. Sometimes “miserable” is the right word. When I was pregnant with Lily, I was one of those annoying women who loved being pregnant. She was a small baby, I was a smallish pregnant lady, and — after the first trimester nausea — I had a relatively lovely pregnancy. I worked (a pretty physically demanding job) full-time up until the day before I delivered. I felt pretty good, right up until the end (which, granted, came at 37 weeks).
This time? Not so much. A couple of weeks ago, I started having a lot of right-sided rib pain, which corresponded to very localized back pain in my middle back. I attribute this to the good sized baby wedged in my ribcage. He has taken up residence on the right side, just like Lily did, and is very high up. So, I have started spending a lot of time reclined against the heating pad (as I type, in fact), trying to arch my back to expand my ribcage as much as I can and relieve the pressure. I’ve already gained 25 lbs as of this morning, which is five more than I gained TOTAL with Lily. I’m a short person, so that feels like a lot of extra weight to haul around.
To say I am no fun to be around is an understatement. But I think the hardest part right now is just knowing that I still have EIGHT WEEKS until my due date. Nearly two months. It’s just a long time to imagine dealing with this near constant pain. Bill is being so sweet — taking over for a lot of childcare tasks that are hard for me, like getting Lily dressed and putting her down for naps and bedtime (I cannot sit in the rocking chair to read to her anymore, because the pain in my back becomes excruciating within minutes). And my parents even popped over today to entertain Lil for a bit while I was tethered to the heating pad.
So, bah. This is my big whiny pregnant lady post. Not a moment goes by that I am not thankful for a healthy, well-growing baby. But this is not easy, and it’s getting to me just a bit. Would I do it again? Bill asked me (not that we’re planning on a third, necessarily, but out of curiosity, I think). Absolutely, I said. It’s temporary, and one look at Lily is all I need to know that the end result is more than worth the aches and pains.