I recently heard an advertisement for a restaurant that was promoting their “Baby Back Ribs”. I chuckled to myself as I thought about how well “Baby Back Ribs” summarizes where I am currently in this pregnancy. Yeah! Third trimester…I am quickly remembering why this trimester seems to be the longest. Because it HURTS! Pain and discomfort is one thing, but aches and pains that you know are going to last for weeks…now that is fun stuff!! Of course, if you complain about it people will say something like, “in the end it will all be worth it”…I know that….but doesn’t make it any more comfortable in the mean time. I don’t usually like to just complain, but that is where I am right now…seriously uncomfortable! “Baby Back Ribs” basically sums it up.
Baby: She has decided that her new favorite past-time is stretching. She sets her feet against my ribs, pushes her rump against one side of my belly, arches her back, and pushes her head against the other side of my belly. It is reassuring to know that she is active, and it is good to know that she is getting quite strong, but… OH MY GOODNESS! Owww! If there happens to be anything in my bladder…you better get out of the path between me and the bathroom!
Back: I have a spot in the middle of my back (the same spot that bothered me with Dakota) that has tightened into a knot that just won’t let go. I end up spending my day trying to find a way to sit, stand, and walk that doesn’t make it worse, which makes all aspects of teaching a bit of a challenge. And, I spend my evenings sitting with a heating pad. Not to mention a few doses of Tylenol throughout the day. Ugh!
Ribs: I seriously don’t think that any of the baby books warn you about this one. The fact that your rib cage has to expand as the baby starts to take up more than its fair share of the space, isn’t mentioned anywhere. The muscles in between your ribs are fine with expanding and contracting as you breathe…but don’t particularly like being stretched, and stretched further, and stretched even further. And, there isn’t really any way to relieve this or massage these muscles. Who knew that ribs were part of the pregnancy fun?!
Baby Back Ribs…Now is where the serious countdown begins… and the days go by …very …slowly!