We're 39 weeks and I'm still pregnant. For anyone on a 'day' counter, that's 273 days. It's 6552 hours or 393,120 minutes. I think that's about what it feels like, too. Basically, over the past week, I've continued to do nothing (following orders is not my forte--this alone would have been bad enough), had two doctor appointments at both of which I begged a woman to strip me (it's clinical, I swear), I've had a pretty bad sinus infection that no one wanted to treat with drugs (and steamy showers aren't worth much), I've had a few days that even walking has been nearly impossible -- more on this later), and I've resorted to cross-stitching tropical fish onto a baby towel to occupy my hands and mind. This has not been a week to remember.
I did find out that my extreme pelvic pain is not just of the normal variety. Come to find out, those of us fortunate enough to be super flexible in normal, non-pregnant life find our bodies totally out of control in pregnancy because the hormone called relaxin the body produces to help get things loosened up for delivery creates an overload of relaxed ligaments. We become super floppy and start coming apart at the seams. This, for me, has meant that my pelvis literally feels like it's coming undone in the middle every time I step or try to left one leg without the other because the ligaments the hold the pelvis together in the front are separating further than normal. Think walking, climbing stairs, getting in or out of bed, rolling over, getting in or out of a car, the bathtub, ... we do a lot with one leg then the other. This means that NOT everyone puts on her pants one leg at a time. I do that two feet and two legs at a time from a seated position, tray table up.
This has a name that's long. If you look up "Pregnancy SPD" you'll see things about this wonderful 'dysfunction' that can even result in the pelvis actually separating during delivery. A medically interesting possibility, but not one I'm hoping to experience. The good news is, it's NOT my imagination or me just being whiney. Bad news, it might not resolve immediately after birth and I'd be prone to having it again and earlier with subsequent adventures in baby making. (Shake fists, yell: Chickpea!!!)
So, until this baby decides to vacate this property, I'll probably just keep on keeping on. If things get really bad, I may take my things and waddle up to the waiting room of Labor and Delivery. Live off vending machines and 4 channels of TV until he decides to get a move on.
Photo highlights this week: I think he really IS moving down toward the exit, although still positioned off to one side a bit--whatever, upside down is upside down. We're told that we 70% effaced and 2+cm dilated, so I'll take that as progress. And, thanks to my superhuman flexibility combined with pregnancy hormones, I can still palm the floor. Apparently the sympathy hormones haven't kicked in for Ajay... he still can't touch his toes.
