Down and out

I am still pregnant. Go me! Better late than early, I think. Today's potential pre-labor sign was being really nauseated. It was not a pre-labor sign. And to think I missed going into labor on Labor Day! Apparently, we are waiting for Trouble's birthday?

My belly continues to sink downward. The size of my uterus has been the same for the past 6 or 7 weeks - baby has grown but the amount of fluid has gone down - but the shape has changed. It used to be a nicely distributed, all the way up to my ribcage curve. Now, it has settled down lower and out farther. This makes it harder to wash dishes in the sink. I never really had problems breathing, I presume from all the swimming, so I don't feel like I gained the ability to breath with these changes.

Overall, this Pregnancy Experience (if you ignore the anxiety provoking fetal issues part) has been much better than the first time around. A lot of things were shockingly the same - sciatica, reflux, thrombosed hemmohroid, drooling while napping, weird fascination with violent deaths during the fourth month. But there were also a lot of things better about this pregnancy. I never really got swollen, unlike last time where swimming felt like a really nice massage getting the fluid out of my feet. I don't know if it was just that I am more active (running around after a toddler) or that I turned on the air conditioner as soon as it hit 80 degrees in the house or that I have much better shoes this time around. I also didn't have any foot pain, unlike last round where I needed Trouble to massage my feet most days. And I didn't need to do a ton of yoga, either, to keep my back from killing me. Even now, while I am achy and sore, it isn't nearly as bad as the first time around.

I am astounded that I did not get carpal tunnel symptom flairs during either pregnancy. This may have just been because I have had the surgery or just amazing luck. Either way, I feel lucky. What would I have done if I couldn't knit while waiting for all those doctor's appointments? Probably chewed my cuticles. A lot.