Gripe

[bronwynrh]

I'm only able to sleep for 1.5 to 2 hours at a stretch. Not only is my bladder waking me, but my hips and arms and legs - alright, my whole body - gets sore if I'm in one position for this long. So every hour and a half or so, I awaken and try to roll over, which causes massive hernia pain, which wakes me up fully so I can't fall right back to sleep once I manage to whimper and cry my way from one side to the other. It's pathetic.

I've been told that I'm snoring now, too. Great.

We've fashioned a wedge so I can sleep with my legs elevated. A full night's (after a fashion) sleep on my side was no longer enough to shrink my elephant ankles, so we tried a wedge. It works, but it makes rolling over just that much more difficult. It's also rather large.

So between the whimpering and crying out in hernia pain, the snoring and the wedge - not to mention the occasional yelp from some random contraction pain - I'm keeping myself awake, and am making Jeff's sleep restless, too. If someone handed me a pillow right now, I would curl up under this desk and fall asleep.

We're not entirely prepared, materials-wise, for this baby to arrive, but I am ready. I am so ready for my body to act normally again. I may never have my life back, but dagnabbit, I want my body back.

I'm having contractions all the time, of varying severity, so I know my body is practicing for The Big Day. Samuel Patrick is also regularly engaging in judo practice. The little darling particularly enjoys working out between the hours of 3 and 6 am. We've spoken about this, but as of yet, he has not respected mah authoritah.

We've sent invitations for the shower, and the list of guests was limited to family and my female coworkers. It will be small and simple, which is probably wise, considering we couldn't do it until the 17th, and my distantly scattered circle of friends would be better served by a visit after the baby is born. The shower is scheduled in the middle of my 38th week, so we may even have to cancel if Sam Patrick decides to make an early entrance. O_o

/shameless beggary
We need all the help we can get on the Viacord front, so if any of you feel particularly flush or if you have some spare change in your couch, please consider our gift registry for your investment.

As an aside, I just realized the registry is only open for 21 days after the baby is born. Eeks.
/end shameless beggary

I can't imagine putting up with 5 more weeks of this, so if he comes a little early, it's fine by me. There are people at my company and a few collaborating associates who would prefer he come later rather than sooner, but fie on them. I have some out-of-state visitors coming to talk test development on the 16th. I hope to have my plans and thoughts written out and in duplicate so that my colleagues can do the talking if I'm absent. I suspect I'll be present, but that my brain will not be.

Lots else going on, but I will maintain radio silence on such topics for now.

Comments

[microbie.livejournal.com]

My friend Christa had a maternity pillow. It looked like a giant U-shaped body pillow. Would that help?

My friends who've gone through pregnancy all feel just as you do when they were in their last month or so- ready for the baby to come out!

[msmichelle.livejournal.com]

I second the body pillow! It forms to whatever your body requires and provides some relief. I always needed a cushion between my legs in those last weeks.

[bramey.livejournal.com]

I do have a body pillow - it's an extra-long straight model.
I'm tangled up in it every night, and have learned that, to roll over, it's best to pass the pillow over my body, rather than try to lift myself over it :)

Although it helps with the comfort while I'm in position, it makes disentangling myself (particularly my legs) more difficult and painful.

Can't win fer losing!

:)

[kendokamel.livejournal.com]

*hugs and mojo*

I third the body pillow suggestion. I'll pour through my doula resources to see if there's something else that's glaringly obvious that I've somehow managed to forget...

[bramey.livejournal.com]

I've got one - it's of the long and straight variety. . . extra-long, in fact. I spend my nights wrapped around it.

[thatthingido.livejournal.com]

*hug*
Wish I could help you out with Viacord but they discriminate against Canadians they're not set up to take Canadian transactions. Would it help if I sent you money directly?

[bramey.livejournal.com]

If you'd like to contribute, you can send the money to me and I will set it aside until our first payment is due.

Thanks so much for considering it!

[adaon.livejournal.com]

When is this baby due?

[bramey.livejournal.com]

April 2

5 weeks away, so I need to be patient for at least another week. Doc says if I go into labor anytime after 36 weeks, he won't stop it.

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

I know just how you feel! Ugh. My sympathies. Nothing helped me toward the end. But, rest assured, your body will feel normal again and all this will seem like a distant memory.

No matter how hard things are now, I'm thankful, every day, I'm not still pregnant! Seriously, I find myself thinking, "At least I'm not pregnant anymore."

Thinking of you.

[bramey.livejournal.com]

Tired and needy and pained and pathetic and frustrated at all of the above.

Then I read those stupid Parenting and Baby magazines, with their "Isn't Pregnancy Wonderful!" articles and I want to throttle somebody.

Still, masochist that I am, I want to do it again.

[journalismgirl.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I'm sorry.

Do the BreatheRight strips do anything to help the snoring?

And for those of us that are idiots and can't remember your name to find it in the registry and make a donation, how should we help?

(Where us = me, and we = I)