The uncomfortable count down

Just over 5 weeks left until d-day, and I'm growing more uncomfortable by the day. I thought the 2nd time around was supposed to be easier! Clearly I was misinformed.

Looking back at pictures when I was pregnant with Lyla, I was much bigger. Although me weight gain in lbs is similar, the big difference is that I gained the weight with Lyla all over, where this time I'm strictly all belly. My mother is convinced this is the reason for all my discomfort, exclaiming "you have nothing to you to hold up that big belly!" which may be true, since I was never this uncomfortable with my previous pregnancy. We're also both pretty convinced that this baby will be much bigger than Lyla, already estimated over 5lbs and expected to gain 1/2lb a week for the next 5 weeks. Great.

So, to add another "waa-ambulance" post, I'll share my most recent discomforts.

Weeks ago, I began walking with a serious waddle, causing me to walk with my feet turned slightly outward. Now, my feet constantly feel like they're on fire, and no shoe (or lack of) helps. Knowing (or hoping, rather) that my walking-form will return to "normal" after the baby is born, it's a pain I've been able to put up with to keep my exercise somewhat on track. A good foot soak & rub from hubby helps, too :)

Back pain back pain back pain. The only time I've ever experienced back pain previously was when I was 17 and sprained my ankle so badly on a trampoline that it actually damaged my sciatic nerve and traveled right up my leg and into my back. I'll take that any day over the aches, spasms and pain I've been experiencing for the past several days. With my belly growing by the day and the baby getting lower, the strain on my back has made the couch and heating pad my best friend. Luckily, I've been able to take my daily walks with little added discomfort to my back, but the gym has been a struggle. All pregnancy work out plans I had for myself have been foiled! "I'm going to run up until my water breaks" ...fail after 5 months. "I'm going to go to the gym at least every other day" and now, this has been diminished to once or twice a week, if that.

The veins in my leg seemed to have fallen in love and reproduced, and have grown so uncomfortable that standing for long periods of time causes an incredible amount of aches & pressure. So then, I begin to walk funny to comfort my legs, making me turn my feet even more funny, which causes my back to ache. The never ending cycle. Add carting a 25lb toddler around on your hip and its a recipe for disaster.

Everyone seems to think this little (or not so little) girl is going to come early, and I'm starting to think that it wouldn't be such a bad thing. As much as I want to soak up these remaining 5 weeks with my big girl, I haven't been able to be the most adventurous mother with all this pain. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if it gets worse as she grows, which is likely. I won't be able to leave bed! I'm actually looking forward to the rainy weather expected this week, so I can spend days in my pajamas, watching movies and doing crafts with my girl. She's convinced that with her new doctors kit, she can fix mommy's back with a pretend shot and plastic band-aid. It's quite adorable.

Bittersweet, the ending of this pregnancy. I cannot wait to meet Hannah and have all this discomfort come to an end, but I also am enjoying each and every day I have left with life just a bit easier now than it will be in a few weeks. Although at this point, those sleepless nights and non-stop nursing sessions sound pretty good to me right about now.