Raine: Patchwork Girl

Well, I suppose it's all downhill, or uphill... or whatever from here on out. We aren't quite to countdown stage, but I'm sure we'll be there before we know it.

20 Weeks was sort of a turning point in some ways, and somewhat uneventful in others. Bending continues to get more difficult all the time. I am often surprised by the reduction in my mobility considering that I don't think I'm really all that big yet. I'm definitely bigger and my shape is changing, but I still don't expect that I look really pregnant so much as I expect that I look mostly fat. I wish that would change. Perhaps that is changing.

This past week has actually been pretty painful. The first few days (last Mon through Wed) were characterized by painful stretching, I suppose it was. I have felt 'round ligament pain' on my left side since fairly early on, but this week it's been both sides at once and actually to the point where it was nearly impossible to stand fully upright for periods of time. Fortunately as the week has worn on that pain has subsided, but only to be replaced by excruciating back pain, again, on the ride side for a change. It feels like my sciatic or something near it on that side suddenly 'slips out' of where it should be and is aggravated by moving in certain directs and by supporting any weight. My hips have been very sore as well. Sleeping on my side is very painful, but I cannot sleep on my back or stomach. Stephen bought a pregnancy pillow for me that seems to have helped somewhat after its first night of use, though I still need to flip over to alleviate pain in one hip until the other one becomes too painful and the pillow makes that more awkward.

Our midwife explained that the round ligament pain can be extremely painful and there is really not much to be done for it. The back pain, however, I can't handle as well. I quite literally cannot move at times, occasionally relegated to the floor experimenting with certain movements and directions until I find one that allows me to stretch enough to get my back to release a little bit. I'm worried about going in for anything but Bowen treatments as I have found that, after going to the acupuncturist earlier in pregnancy, over activating my lower back only aggravates it further (though perhaps that has changed). I really need to get back on my yoga routine, it seems to help a lot. Also, I have purchased Pregnancy Tea which contains some very good things including Raspberry Leaf which is said to do all sorts of wonderful things for pregnancy and may actually reduce complications making for better labour. What I do know is that it tastes yummy and keeps my tummy happy. Now that uni is out for the summer I have had time to start making improvements again. I hope I can keep that up.

We have spent the bank holiday weekend exhausting ourselves in rearranging the upstairs- switching offices basically. Stephen has generously given the baby and myself the bigger room to share (nursery/office now) and himself taken the smaller room which I previously occupied. He has set up and new and improved geek command center and though the room is smaller, it's nice to see him in a clean, fresh space and I hope he'll take the opportunity to make it something he uses and enjoys more than this room. As for me, I've got things into a preliminary state of organization and will soon be fine tuning. The baby gets almost half of the room in terms or wall space. We do have a large amount of baby kit already, now it's time to distribute it to the drawers and things I have ready. My aunt is sending over the crib used by my cousins and we should be seeing that in a few weeks I believe. I'm really looking forward to the arrival of the crib and to get the room painted. At that point, I believe the room will feel much more 'done.'

Today we mostly took the day off to go and see Pirates of the Caribbean and play Guitar Hero II with kevbonium for a little while. I beat Stonehenge. May fingers are tired. And so is the rest of me.

One of the biggest improvements I need to make is to get back on my sleep schedule. Tonight is definitely not the start of that... but it's definitely time for sleeping...
even though the baby is happily (I hope) kicking away.