Bear with a Sore Paw

WARNING OVERDUE PREGNANT WOMAN'S RANT AHEAD...


How am I feeling? Usually people don't want to hear the real answer, they are just making polite conversation. Here's the real goods. I've hit a new level of uncomfortable, and am grumpy like a bear with a sore paw. My energy and motivation to do things is dropping. My belly button is so taut it feels like it might split in two. My pelvis feels loose and sore, and the pressure of the baby's head on my girl bits is increasingly intense. It hurts to walk, hurts to sit, and hurts to lie down for too long in the same position and if I lie totally flat I get reflux and heartburn. Uninterupted sleep is a distant memory (pre fertility drugs I think). My feet and hands are swollen. The only thing I haven't had since Christmas Eve is any good pain of pre/false labour to let me believe that the end is in sight. I am cranky. Even to get out of the house requires relying on someone else because I'm not able to drive.

We get several phone calls/ messages every day from people wondering what's up, why the baby hasn't come yet, and when the baby is coming. This is starting to drive me crazy. No matter how many times we say -we don't know, we'll be in touch when there is news, they don't seem to understand. I've stopped answering the phone and let DH intercept the calls, but he's even getting frustrated. Yesterday I posted a link on Facebook about 10 things not to say to an overdue pregnant woman after I heard all 10 of them yesterday. Mostly it's the stupid advice on how to spur on labour, suggesting that our dates are off, or the worst -a horror story of someone they know who had to be induced causing a terrible complicated labour or lost their baby because they left it too long. I am well aware of the stillbirth rates of post-term babies, and of course this is my biggest fear. The other one is to get my sleep now, and enjoy being pregnant because life won't be the same once the baby come. Of course it won't be the same, isn't that the whole point of this exercise?

While I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being pregnant, anyone who runs this late knows that at this stage of the game pregnancy is no longer overly enjoyable. When you include all the TTC time, it honestly feels more like being years overdue than days. Anyway, sorry for the rant, but chipper Silverdollar has taken a vacay for the time being. Off to the OB at 3:45 this afternoon to see what he has to say. I'll keep you posted.

Here is the link I posted on Facebook:

10 Things Not to Say to an Over Due Pregnant Woman

By Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, About.com Guide

At 41 weeks, this over due mom is enjoying the beach!Photo © J. Bock

Over due pregnancy is not a disease. It is also very common. In fact, as many as half of babies will go past their due dates. This is something many women don't adequately prepare for during pregnancy. So when their due date comes and goes...it's annoying. On top of being annoyed that the baby is incapable of reading a calendar, they have to deal with most well meaning people who say things to them that are likely to get them in trouble. Here is what you don't say:

1. Now, when was your due date?
   If someone says this to you, try not to bite their heads off. This may actually be valid. So many times, the due date is thrown off by a late ultrasound or how your baby is measuring, which are the least accurate ways to determine when your baby is due.
2. Your belly sure is huge.
   Ouch. The size and or shape of a pregnant abdomen has nothing to do with when the baby is due and may not have anything to do with the size of the baby.
3. Are you sure it isn't twins?
   Of course you're sure. Now please don't hurt them...
4. Have you tried...
   Insert a long list of comments and old wives tales on induction methods to be used at home. These, like their medical counterparts, are as great as they sound, particularly in how well they work.
5. When will you be induced?
   The general answer from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is 42 weeks into pregnancy. There are medical reasons for induction of labor prior to this date.
6. Don't sit there, your water might break!
   The good news is that over 75% of the time your water won't break until labor is well established. In fact it only breaks before labor about 12-13% of the time. Sit wherever you like...
7. Doesn't the placenta have an expiration date?
   Nope. While the placenta is the only disposable organ that our bodies make, they aren't ticking time bombs. If your pregnancy goes to 41 weeks, you will likely have special testing to make sure that baby is doing well and so is the placenta, called a biophysical profile (BPP), complete with a non-stress test.
8. Maybe they got your dates wrong.
   Argh, see #1.
9. When I was pregnant...
   Regaling you with stories of their pregnancy may be entertaining. If it's helpful or entertaining, let them continue. If not, fake a contraction and leave.
10. Oh, being over due isn't that bad...
    It can be nice, but when you've got someone reminding you of it or asking why you haven't had the baby yet, it's annoying. The fun guessing game of when will I have the baby does eventually get old. I personally like to remind myself that no matter what I think during pregnancy, postpartum isn't exactly a picnic!