I think my new year's resolution is to blog at least once a week. Hrumph. We will see if that really happens lol.
Well, for the most part, this pregnancy has been very Pollyanna-esque. It has been awesome and I have enjoyed every second of it.
I know my mama friends and fellow preggos who have had/or currently struggling with rough pregnancies are one post away from murdering me. Well, take heart, not everything can be easy and perfect for this preggo!
A few weeks ago, in the beginning of December, I woke up with awful cramping, in my pelvis and lower abdominal area. I had no clue what it was but I wasn't spotting or bleeding (sorry for the tmi) so I plowed on with my school day. I was busy, running around and the whole time I was cramping.
As the day went on, it got progressively worse. The pain was non stop. I called Kaiser, went on the scary internet (LOL), and came up with the conclusion as long as I wasn't bleeding, I should be fine, make sure I'm chugging tons of water. The next day the pain was unbearable. Again, the pain was non-stop. Like literally, there was no reprieve at all. It wouldn't go away. To describe it accurately, imagine someone punching you in the stomach and at the same exact time, imagine someone squeezing your insides. Now, some of you might scoff and think I'm exaggerating, but sadly, I'm not. It hurt that bad, and it was way worse than period cramps, that's for sure!
I tried to be very warrior woman about the pain. I would try and breathe through it. I figured this was a dress rehearsal for contractions and I tried to just deal with it. However by day 2 and a half, I had enough. I was in the middle of teaching and I happened to be sitting. As I got up, the pain was so intense it literally took my breath away and I doubled over. My students grew very alarmed and I knew I had to get my booty to Kaiser.
Long story short, I was fine, thankfully! We saw Muggle on an ultrasound, and he/she was happy as a little clam, jumping around and flipping over. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen! I checked out completely fine, but the pain was thanks to round ligament and uterus stretching. The only thing to "cure" it is tons of water, and putting up your feet. The next day I wisely took the day off, and did just that. Thankfully, it went away!
Fast forward to yesterday.....
I had been dying to get outdoors and do a nice walk/hike. We hiked yesterday right near the water. The hike wasn't crazy at all. If anything, the trail was flat and smooth. There were some stairs but I was very careful, went very slowly, had my water with me.
About an hour later, the amazing and fabulous cramping I felt a few weeks ago came with a vengeance. On our 2 hour ride home, the pain was unbearable again. I tried again to just breathe through it and stay calm. After almost 3 hours of agony I called Kaiser again. The sweet nurse that I spoke to confirmed with ER doc to make sure I didn't need to come in. The good doctor recommended that within a 1 hour period, chug 2 liters of water and lay on my left side. If it wasn't gone, I needed to come in.
I followed the instructions to a T, and again, it worked! Ladies, if you deal with round ligament, try these instructions. It definitely worked!
So, what's my take away from this? Words of wisdom to impart?
1. DON'T OVERDO IT! That's the obvious one. Being on your feet, running around,
overdoing it with exercise makes round ligament worse.
2. Round ligament is totally normal! This is extremely normal in the 2nd trimester, especially for first timers like me. If you are bleeding, hightail it to your doc. Otherwise, its normal. Our bodies need to grow and accommodate our precious babies.
3. Don't suffer in pain if it gets too bad! I went almost 3 days in agony. Why did I do that to myself? I think I just wanted to be tough, but I was so miserable!
4. Truly, putting your feet up, laying down on your left side, and drinking TONS of water truly helps. It seems silly, but really, it works! Warm (not hot) showers feel really good too!
So, while this pregnancy has been great, round ligament truly has kicked my arse. I feel more knowledgeable of what it all means and I am proud myself staying calm through the pain. Hope this means I can handle contractions calmly, LOL! Well, we shall see about that one...
Happy Friday all,
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