Third Trimester-Part 1:
I made it to Christmas break and then to January. Back to work. Ugh...so hard, so heavy, so tired. Slacker teacher. Major swelling. Three pairs of shoes fit. Buy fake Uggs to wear to work. More swelling. Growing belly. Weight tapers off. More swelling. Two pairs of shoes fit. My muffin top of a foot barely fits in my flip flops...thank goodness for warm weather. 1 pair of shoes fit. Compression socks. Carpal tunnel braces...extreme numbness...Can someone cut my fingertips off?? GRRR! Doctor's appointment: your cervix is a little short and it's funneling. Come back next week. Kids at school asking questions and poking belly. "When will the babies be here? Are you okay, Mrs. Rittner? Why is your belly so hard? You are HUGE. What if your water breaks in class? Why do you have to wear that brace? Whoa, look at your feet!" Teaching gets harder. Walking slower and slower. Principal observation-Check. Sleeping--what is that? Husband can't sleep because of me. Wake up every few hours to pee and reposition...can barely get in and out of bed. Can't breathe. Cheeseburgers=delicious. I will eat one every day! (Just kidding.) Making progress on basement renovation and babies' room. Doctor's appointment: Cervix is okay. Come back next week. Late for work. Let teammates do almost everything. Kids sit on the floor and pick things up and bring things to me. Oh the numbness in my hands!!!
Baby Shower--check. Birthing class-check. Baby room--check. Work feels better but walking is still hard and swelling is bad. Painful pelvis and hips. Cheeseburger-mmmm! 50 pounds gained!! Yowzer! Basement almost finished-tile being installed in the bathroom. Doctor's appointment: 30 weeks. Shorter Cervix. Steroid shots for babies just in case. Procardia for contractions. Two weeks of bed rest for now. Next day feeling weird from medicine. Following day increase in contractions. Call into the doctor on Sunday and end up being admitted in the hospital. You must stay the night. Poke, prod, swab, monitor, stick, fluids, medicine. All kinds of meds for contractions, monitoring every few hours, and more blood tests. You must stay another night. Waiting and waiting for results and decisions. One more day of waiting. Boredom sets in. Severe swelling from fluids. I look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy or the Michelin Man! Hospital tour--check. Babies look great, contractions stop. Cervix has lengthened. Phew! But wait-Severely anemic. Iron drip on IV weekly. Bed rest continued...31 weeks down. Hang on babies!
