As of today, I am 37 weeks pregnant. That means I'm offically full-term and could have this baby aaaaaany time now. I keep saying that out loud in hopes she'll hear me and get the message, but so far nothing much is happening. Mind you, it would be fine with me if she decides to wait until at least one of our doulas has arrived, as well.
So, I didn't do too well on the bedrest thing this past weekend. I think part of the problem was that I was getting mixed messages from different care providers. When Lillian checked my BP on Thursday afternoon and it was still high, she had to consult with an OB about what to do next (which is how I came to be in the hospital having a non-stress test). When the OB (Dr. Mitchell) discharged me, he told me that a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon of resting with my feet up ought to be enough to keep me well. But when Lillian came by the next day to drop off a loaner BP cuff, she told me that I really ought to be getting off the couch *only* for bathroom breaks.
I figured I would split the difference. I rested all afternoon Thursday and all day on Friday and most of the day on Saturday. When my mom arrived at about 2:30 Saturday, we headed out for a couple hours of shopping.
By 6pm that evening I was feeling the difference. I felt hot and really tired and my hands and feet were very puffy and uncomfortable. I had often felt this way before, while slogging through my work day, but I didn't know that I had an option to *not* feel that way - so I tolerated it. Now I know the difference. I really do feel healthier if I spend a great deal of the day with my feet elevated - and people have even told me I look healthier.
Still, it was a little too late to try and stop the shopping train, now that my mom had arrived in town. On Saturday I bought red raspberry leaf tea and a Mother's Day gift for my mother-in-law. On Sunday, I bought a bunch of storage/organizational stuff for the nursery, a bunch of cheap summer clothes for me (since all my maternity stuff is for winter, and all my summer stuff doesn't fit, so the instant the sun finally appeared I became completely incapable of dressing appropriately), a Father's Day gift for Chris, a laundry hamper for the nursery, and a few other random items. This morning, we went to Costco and I bought a bunch of stuff to stock up the freezer and the pantry. Soon - very soon - I am going to write Chris a list of all the meals we have on hand, and abdicate all responsibility for grocery shopping and cooking. It will be very liberating.
After Costco my mom headed up-Island to catch the ferry home, and I headed home to put my feet up for the rest of the day. Now that I know what a difference the resting makes, I'm going to be more diligent about actually doing it. I figure I can get away with about an hour a day of activity (such as making some meals to freeze, or doing a load of laundry). I can't possibly expect Chris to keep up with working full-time, doing the chores he usually does, PLUS taking on anything I would be doing if I weren't sitting on my cute pregnant ass. On the other hand, I know not to overdo it, so the hour-a-day plan will help me prioritize.
PS: a link my yoga instructor sent me. It's a UBC survey aimed at women pregnant with their first babies.
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