It occurs to me quite a lot that even though I've moaned and complained variously about the discomforts of this process, I'm extremely thankful that that's all they've been: discomforts. I've had no pregnancy-related complications that threaten me or baby Jeanes and that's something to be grateful for!
Pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes are two things I worried about but so far, so good. The diabetes one wouldn't surprise me all that much but my bloodwork has been fine and I'm feeling pretty physically OK (for sickly ol' me.) I definitely need to be getting more exercise. That one is self-inflicted and not the fault of being pregnant, of course.
Last night Andrew and I went out for dinner and after we got home I was reminded of how much I need to start doing some more regular forms of exercise. Man, did my back ever hurt! Andrew is the one who nearly killed his entire self on some stairs while we were out, and I'm the one with the pain afterward. Unfair, I say. I had a bit of a preview at the One Of A Kind Show of the backaches to come, and I guess I'll just have to get Andrew to give me some nice massages or something (especially since La gave me that incredibly awesome Lush massage bar at Christmas.) But yeah; I do think that going for some regular walks will help, even if it makes it hurt a bit more at first.
Time is really flying now. I'm five months along and kind of in disbelief about that. It STILL doesn't seem entirely real that we're going to have a baby, you know. Yes, I feel like there's a human being growing inside of me but that isn't any kind of prep for what it's going to be like to LIVE with a TOTALLY DEPENDENT BABY. All my selfish ways and decisions are going to be secondary to making sure our kid survives each day. As a 34 year old with ingrained habits I think it's going to definitely be a rude kind of awakening! There are a few camps of parent out there. The kind that we have the most contact with, fortunately, are the kind who want to share useful advice and empathy, but there's another kind. The kind that like to maliciously shake their heads and say smugly, "Oh, you have no idea what you're in for. You'll see."
Yeah ... thanks. Does it surprise anyone that the first kid is a challenge? How can it not be? There was a time when I did not want to have children. I knew I could change my mind in the future when I hit my thirties, or encounter a surprise pregnancy and have to deal with that, but I really resented the idea that people saw being childfree as a negative of my personality. When I saw the kind of behaviour, though, where the parents seemed to relish the idea of someone sharing in what seemed to be their misery I felt a bit better about my decision. There are all kinds, of course, and even in the spectrum of the childfree there are wildly varying approaches and feelings about kids in general but I hope I never turn into the kind of parent who treats the role as a negative experience overall. Yes, there will be challenges and times when I question my sanity and the decision to have a child but I fully expect that overall I will like parenting and LOVE our spawn.
Seriously. My cats piss me off regularly (every day!) and I love and forgive them, so how much more am I going to love and care about a human being that's made up of me and Andrew?
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8 comments:
I know others are probably giving you back pain prevention tips, but: How are you sleeping? Pillowing? How is your posture when sitting?
Pregnancy massage is one of the things I do a lot of, so I talk to pregnant women a LOT and pick up tons of tips (plus, you know, I've got educational background in this stuff :p )
Isn't it funny how people assume that wanting to have children is a requisite of some sort of nobility? Odd. I work with kids every day and throw all sorts of energy and love into them, but because I'm not chomping at the bit to have my own, people sometimes take a step back and say, "Really? Whyever not?" If I have 'em, I have 'em. If not, then not.
As for you, you'll be a smashing parent, I'm sure, and if you seem in danger of producing a selfish brat or little princess, I'll be sure to call you on it.
Well, I sleep on a really lumpy uncomfortable mattress and I rest my head on a rather flat, cheap pillow! Do you think that has anything to do with it? :D
I'm not sure about my sitting posture. Probably not great, but I'll keep an eye on that and see if I notice slumpiness. I used to get teased a bit for having really upright, straight posture so I'm really not sure.
Jerome, I'm going to hold you to that promise. One of my greatest fears is raising a spoiled little brat and being in denial about it.
The other day on the CBC they were discussing back and posture problems resulting from laptop use.
Maybe sitting on the sofa using your laptop is a part of the problem. OH no!!!
Well, Mom, I was worried about you because you've been feeling sick but I guess you're well enough for SARCASM.
Jokes, jokes. My back actually hurts a lot more when I use my laptop in bed. I don't notice any pain after I've been on the sofa with it, I swear. No, the small of my back hurts more after I've been sitting up in bed, or laying down on my back for a while. Laying on my side doesn't seem to cause any problems although the baby doesn't like the way I sleep when I'm on my left side. I think Baby Jeanes hangs out more on the left than the right.
I feel the need to remind you that I think you're wonderful.
While I'm at it, your mom's great, and Andrew's very enjoyable, too.
And those cats of yours? Brats, as I recall, but likeable.
Finally, according to the word verification, you're a real "naturan".
I had to have the body pillow while sleeping when I was pregnant, their AWESOME!!!
Jerome: I find bratty cats amusing and adorable, even if it's not quite so funny when I'm trying to sleep. Bratty, spoiled children, on the other hand, impact society more, so I'm not quite as taken with that!
Also, Andrew is the naturan, not me!
Mimi: I have a really crappy body pillow but you've made me want to get a good quality one. I bet it'd help a lot!
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