I think that motherhood is like a secret society.
There are so many strange and frightening things that happen to a woman’s body during pregnancy and the postpartum period that I never knew about until I actually got pregnant and started doing some reading. If the stuff that’s hidden in those pregnancy books was common knowledge, I think there would be a lot more people thinking twice about having a baby. (Again, I stress that I know that all the pain and yuckiness will be worth it a thousand times over. But still.)
Life is messy.
Growing a baby inside of you, pushing it out, the aftermath of delivery, the trials of nursing, the constant flow of baby spit-up and poo are all things that remind me just how messy life truly can be.
I wonder, why the mess?
Perhaps those painful, stinky, bloody moments make us appreciate the quiet, blissful, beautiful ones all the more.
The most recent development in my big ol’ pregnant body is that I have developed a (hopefully minor) case of sciatica. I was out for a walk on Saturday and from the onset of my first step, my left butt cheek began to throb. The pain worsened with each stride. Ugh. I told Christy about the pain and she said that I have sciatica.
Awesome!
It’s not too bad at this point and I am hoping to keep it in check by continuing to stay moderately active (yay for Aquasize). I walked to work today and it’s about 4.5 km. I think that was a shade too far for me at six months along now, as I was getting some pelvic pain near the end. I had to stop and take a little rest, which is new for me. It’s just hard to know what’s safe and when I need to tone it down.
That makes me sound like a driven athlete, doesn’t it? “I so long to do my 14 mile sprint today but I fear my heart rate would rise above 140 and that would put the baby in danger. Drat! I suppose I’ll only go for 10 miles.”
In my dreams.
8 Comments
haha man i can barely think about doing 14 miles when i’m not pregnant!
Make sure you tell Lebel – I had sciatica with Nathan & she sent me for physio.
And put me on medical leave (I couldn’t sit at a desk). Maybe you’ll be off even earlier :)
Hmmmm, sciatica eh. That might explain why my left bum cheek and thigh feel like they were run over by a bus……..
I totally agree that life is messy. Belle is learning to use utensils, let’s just say I’m thinking of investing in indoor sprinklers in the kitchen!
I had sciatica as well and i went for prenatal massages! they really helped!!! and she taught me some stretches as well to help with the pain. and i didn’t know about the period after birth until my nurse in recovery told me about it!! i was really ticked that no one told me. but i dealt.
I have something similar, but it’s in my hips, and I’ve had it basically the whole pregnancy. When get up from sleeping or laying down, laying down, my hips are all numb, and pins and needles. This is caused by the “new” weight of the uterus and it is pressing on my pelvis, which causing this in my hips. It’s rather annoying, but it’s not ALL the time, so it’s fine.
Anyways good luck with the whole bum problem, most of the changes have to be endured, they are just a part of our bodies adjusting to the rapid changes and growth in our bodies. :) Like my sight, I use to have perfect sight and somedays now I feel I shouldn’t be driving it’s so bad. All that extra blood in our bods.
Yay for Babies!!!
Good job on keeping up with the exersize!
I agree, that Pre/post partum and motherhood are like a secret society. There are so many unheard of things that become reality. Instead of discussing long gangly chin hairs and back pimples, you’ll be discussing BM’s, Barfies, and Boobies.
I had such bad sciatic pain in my last pregnancy I could barely walk and I did what I swore I would never do…I saw a chiropractor. And it was the best thing ever. In preg the weight of the uterus throws your whole body alignment off and my chiropractor said that he sees alot of women for the first time ever during pregnancy. Try it! Even one of our obgyn’s recommends it. Good Luck!
I have a solution for your sciatica as well as a good yoga pose for making childbirth easier. Sit against a wall or the couch. Bring the soles of your feet together. Keep your spine erect and pull you feet as close to the perinium as possible. Relax your hip flexors. Grasp your feet and slightly open them up like a book. Cobblers pose. Ask Jen, she can help you.
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