3rd trimester rant

Wow, can't believe we theoretically have only 9 weeks to go. Well I guess theoretically we could have a healthy baby here in 6, I hope we don't have any more than 9 because this torso can't handle it...

I hate to whine about my pregnancy, because so far, it's been pretty good. I'd say that I do pretty well being pregnant, but since this 3rd trimester has hit, honestly I haven't been feeling so great. I am happy to report that the Floradix iron supplement has made me feel less like death. I now feel more energetic and less like the couch is my permanent grave that I am stuck in. Although I do still enjoy napping, it's not quite the necessity that it was a couple weeks ago. As far as the non-constipating aspect, I can't say that it's worsened things, but they aren't great. I am drinking pear juice daily, which helps a bit, but I think a stick of dynamite might work better.

This past weekend was pretty rough. I started out strong on Saturday, working, felt pretty good. Then around 11pm, bam, started feeling hellish. Nausea, stabbing upper abdominal pain, vurping up of the salad I ate 4 hours earlier for dinner, pretty unpleasant things. I had hoped that things would improve after a "good" nights rest, but I woke up Sunday feeling even more cruddy. I had to call into work, there was no way I could care for people while I was feeling that bad. I never puked, but I came close a couple times. I had no appetite until today, at which time I woke up ravenous at 8am. I'm glad I'm feeling better, so I have hopes that maybe I caught a little GI bug from the tainted Boston water I came in contact with while at work on Saturday, and that it's not just general pregnancy crapiness.

As I trudge through this last trimester, I am hoping that I can fulfill my plan of working until I go into labor, or at least make it until my due date of July 6th. Not so easy when you work 12 hour shifts in a fairly busy ER, during peak hours of 3pm-3am. But my goal is to spend as much quality time with the peanut as I can before returning (even on a part time basis). So I'm trying to save as much sick time as I can since finding out that short term disability only pays 70% for 4 weeks and not the 6 that I had originally thought. The rest is on me and my earned time. If I continue to ration it (despite this Sunday's sick call), I should be OK to be paid fully for the remaining 8 weeks I will be taking off. I am so excited that 9 of those weeks will be spent with my wonderful wife.

Things about the 3rd trimester that I hate:
*feeling so full and big that it's hard to breathe
*not being able to turn over in bed without a lot of huffing and puffing and waking the wife
every time
*constant back pain
*very frequent reflux
*waddling around at work trying to be productive
*not being able to see anything past my upper abdomen without some sort of mirror
*constipation and frequent urination
*becoming very easily fatigued
*having to repeat my due date over and over again to people whom I've already told a
thousand times and explaining to them that although I seem big, I am measuring exactly
where I should be

Things aren't so terrible now although I am whining like they are. I get to feel Nugget twist and turn all the time, and so does Ros. We can see my belly move, although I haven't noticed any discernible feet or hands trying to escape. It's really nice to have strangers be so nice to me and to see traffic stop about 20 feet away when I cross the street. It's the only time in my life when I don't have to feel guilty about gaining 29 lbs in 31 weeks. It's awesome knowing that we will be meeting our daughter in a few months. I am very excited to be able to watch Ros as a parent and see what a truly awesome mom I know she'll be.

I promise to post some cute nursery pics as soon as we aren't too lazy to take them. Ros did such a nice job nesting and setting the whole thing up, I can't wait to share it.