Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday, October 7, 2007

I hate bedrest....

But, then again, who has ever said they loved it? I love the fact that it is keeping me pregnant until I start labor naturally, giving me a chance at a "normal" birth, but that is about it. This hypertension is crazy. I am laying down, my bp is 100/60-all the time. I sit up for more than 2 minutes, it jumps back up to 140/90 or more. I have been good thus far. I do cheat a little. Part of the reason I hate bedrest is that so much of my life is in the hands of others right now. The meals part not a big deal. I am easy going, and if someone else wants to feed me, that's fine. But the house maintenance part, errrr. I am VERY picky about my laundry. I labeled the way they should be separated in the laundry room. I am not a lights/darks person. I am a down-to-the-color-group separator. I am also very picky about how Pony Gal's diapers and wipes are washed. This has lead to my potty breaks being potty/laundry breaks. I figure an extra 2 minutes to move things about won't kill me. I also have a fairly large kitchen, which seems to confuse people. Rather than look around and see, "ah, yes, this goes here as there are other items here exactly like it" they guess. And then I am left doing a speed rearrange in the morning while I get my giant glass of water and tea for the couch. And I don't use nasty cleaners. I have one multipurpose I use for everything. This throws everyone off as they look for 409, or bleach or whatever else. I direct them to what is to be used and they look at me like I'm crazy. We haven't died of any filth related disease yet, so I must know what I am doing to some extent. Rather than have to rearrange the closests once this is all through (and have my husband ask me twice a day where his underwear is...) all our clothes are simply getting sorted into laundry baskets on the floor of the bedroom-something I can do laying down. It is also frustrating to have EVERY person who walks through the door ask me what my blood pressure is. It's fine. I am following the rules. I feel like I have freakin' bruises on my hips from laying around like a bum. I hate watching people work around me. I enjoy maintaining my home. But health is important and so long as I need to lie down in order to keep me and baby healthy, I will. It just sucks in the meantime. Oh and Pony Gal is going nuts. She has been so whiny. I did not realize how much we actually do until we couldn't do it. She is going to turn into a little tv addict if this baby doesn't come soon. She asked me the other day if the baby "broked" me. I had to reassure her that he did not, but that mommy just has trouble sometimes. That's what I need. Pony Gal to already dislike her brother because he broke her mom. She is also upset because our dog, Mr. Deeds, is staying at my in-laws until the baby comes so he does not go stir crazy as well. I think letting him out for potty time several times a day would have been against my bedrest rules. But she is not sure he is coming home, so we have to keep reminding her he is just getting a haircut at Grandma's (which he is, conveniently, that just wasn't the reason for his temporary move). It is also frustrating for people to think I am totally helpless. I can still walk. I can still lift. By golly, I can even feed myself and go to the bathroom by myself. I just need to lay down most the day. I can also drive to my dr.s appointsments, all by myself. This seems crazy to my father in law who freaks out everytime I leave and don't check in or ask him to take me. His driving is more dangerous than if I was driving asleep. Like h*ll I am going to put my life, my daughter's life and my unborn son's life in his hands. Um, no. Until the doc says I can't drive, I will drive myself. And if he restricts me, then I will make appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays when my sister can drive me. I am very picky about who drives me places. I drive a certain way. I am very careful with the lives of those in the car with me, and I am afraid most others I have ridden with are not so. It's only 30 minutes. I sit in the office waiting to see a doc longer than that, though they do make me lay down as soon as I get into the examining room. So that's my rant on bedrest...may this baby come soon!

5 comments:

  1. Sarah said...

    The three or four days I was in bed with this latest miscarriage (getting up only for bathroom breaks) were miserable. I had plenty to do with the laptop (what did bedrest mamas do before laptops?), knitting, reading, and TV/movies. But dang, it was still boring and I hated being stuck in one room, and my back hurt and my neck and my hips and I couldn't get comfortable.

    PS - I hope you're getting regular adjustments even with the bedrest. It would suck to be all out of alignment going into childbirth!

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  2. Anonymous said...

    You mentioned that you are going to start your labor naturally. What method you are going to use? I have heard good about maternity acupressure. Are you going to to that?
    I hope that you'll feel ok for last days of your pregnancy.

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  3. Abby said...

    Sarah-I missed last week's appt with Dr Heather, but have one once a week from here on out. And I DEFINITELY need one. My neck and back and hips are killing me. I did cheat a little last night to try to alleviate the pain, as I figured out if I am down before the 15 minute mark, my bp won't rise too much. I still need to stay down, but the pressure I feel down low when I am up tells me walking around some will help move things along.
    Which leads to the other comment...we are using evening primrose oil to ripen my cervix, 3000 mg a day, and also as a lubricant in the bedroom as for the last month things haven't been working like they used to. Bedroom action is another way to help ensure a nice ripe cervix. Walking around a little-as I am on bedrest- definitely helps. I plan on eating a lot of Italian as basil and oregano have been linked to contractions. My doula is bringing more ideas tomorrow. I know that all this does very little if he isn't quite ready to come out, but I can ensure that as soon as he is that everything goes quickly and smoothly. I know castor oil works, but unless I have definite signs that something is going to happen soon, which I currently do not besides his position, there isn't a point in trying.

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  4. Abby said...

    Oh, and the acupressure. We have been working with both that and nipple stimulation. Just not too diligently, as he is just barely full term, and my due dates are difficult to pin down, so I wouldn't want him to come out too early, especially when my bp is so normal as long as I stay down.

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  5. Wheelchair Mama said...

    I will pray for this little guy to come soon. Not fun to have people waiting on you. I hate that feeling! Oh, and I need some eggs. I missed you last week (obviously) so if your sister is going to be here Thurs., let me know where/when.

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