Tuesday, June 03, 2014

False alarm and exhaustion

I had a little bit of a scare this past weekend. On Saturday night, after a nap, I got out of bed a little too quickly because The Bun was calling me. I felt like a little ol' biddy because as soon as I got up, My side really hurt. I didn't think I could actually hurt myself getting out of bed (I thought I had decades before that would be my reality) but it happened. The pain, while still there, did subside and I was able to fall asleep a couple of hours later.
On Sunday morning, my side was sore but I got up before The Man and The Bun. I attempted to do the laundry but my left side hurt even more. Enough that I had to stop and lie back down. But the pain didn't go away, in fact, lying down made it worse. The Man heard my sounds of discomfort and asked me in a whispered voice if I was OK. I told him that it really hurt to move. He looked concerned and asked if I thought the baby was OK. I decided to call my health plan's advice line rather than tough it out because if the baby wasn't OK, I would feel terrible.
I went into The Bun's room around 7:00 AM and spoke to the advice line nurses. They thought everything was probably fine because the pain was on my side and not my front but because I hadn't felt the baby move since I woke up, it was best I go to Labor & Delivery Triage to make sure I was OK.
I do not have the fondest memories of L&D Triage. It's where I went when my doctor (on my FIRST day of maternity leave w/ The Bun!) told me that I would have to be admitted because I had preeclampsia. The hospital, in general, has been a tough place to go to given my visits in 2012. But when else do you go to the hospital except when you feel crummy? Can't fault them for the bad experiences. I was hoping, though, this wouldn't be another one added to the bunch.
In the end, all was well. Phew. They hooked me up to a machine to monitor The Bean's heart beat which we heard, loud and strong. The nurse chastised me after hearing that I hadn't eaten. I was a bit defense, saying it was 6-7 AM when I called and I wasn't hungry at the time. After I got juice and crackers, I felt regular movement from the Bean. (Duly noted that if I want to kick baby's bum in gear, I have to eat!)
They said that I could take Tylenol but that rest would be the best for my side pain. The doctor suspected I strained a ligament and said that I have to remember to take it easy. She said it could take up to 48 hours to feel back to normal. But after a day of rest, I felt great. Big thanks to The Man and The Bun for giving me that day to stay in bed!
I thought it would be smooth sailing since my first and second trimesters were pretty much cake. But once I hit the 30 week mark, I really slowed down. I'm tired all the time and feel a lot bigger (I've maybe gained a pound in the past two weeks.) On my last appointment, my doctor said my test results were normal and suggested I take more iron. She also said that, if possible, I should try to go on leave earlier than I intended. She suggests at the end of June rather than mid-July. I have to talk to HR because I'm not sure if that affects my benefits. See, my one year anniversary is July 15th and to qualify for full maternity benefits, I have to be at my job for a year:/
I hope I qualify because I am exhausted. I finally told my boss because it was really getting to me. I admit I was a little afraid to say something but it helped that there was another pregnant person in my department who altered her schedule mid-way through her second trimester. I asked to do the same but I'm well in my third. My boss said I could work up until 3 PM (instead of 5 PM) and work from home one day a week. I hope this helps.
Other than that, I cant really complain. I feel very fortunate to have an all-around good pregnancy and pray every day that I'll be blessed enough to have a good labor and delivery, too.

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