And they've been gentle days for me because I really can't tolerate anything else. It used to be that I spent a lot of time resting and laying on my side for the sake of the babies, trying to give them the best blood flow for growing and developing. But it's become pretty obvious to me over the past week that I now have to spend my time resting and laying on my side for ME. I don't have any stamina or energy to be up nearly as much as I want to. I get short of breath just taking a shower. Here's how I get ready these days to leave the house:
1. Shower and towel dry as best as possible (you try drying off a beached whale- not easy).
2. Sit and catch my breath for a few minutes.
3. Get dressed (sometimes I need Jason's help with this- putting pants on is quite a chore these days).
4. Sit and catch my breath for a few minutes again.
5. Sit in a chair and comb out my hair.
6. Continue sitting and resting for a few minutes because I just had my hands above my shoulders.
7. Sit at my desk to put makeup on.
I can no longer do things as quickly or as efficiently as I used to. I feel so very lucky in that this has all come on gradually, but it is truly ridiculous to think back to what I was physically able to do even just a few weeks ago and compare it with what I can do now. Most of the time it just makes me laugh because it truly is absolutely ridiculous. I used to tell people that I was "pregnant, not feeble" when people said I was doing too much, but now I feel pretty feeble!
I sat down in the shower last week to scrub my feet, and I wasn't able to get myself back up. I literally had to sit there until Jason heard my shouts for help and came to my rescue. This morning, I took a warm bath to relax my aching back a little, and it took me almost five minutes to get up onto the edge of the tub to even be able to reach my towel. I can only use the stove to make dinner if I pull a chair up and actually sit by the stove. I have to sit down to brush my teeth!
It doesn't bother me too much to have to deal with all of this- it's my current reality, and I feel blessed that it has come on so gradually. Lots of triplet mommies have to deal with substantially more physical issues during pregnancy than I have had to. If anything, it makes me feel just so grateful for the fact that when I'm not pregnant, I'm generally physically healthy, something that I think I've unfortunately just taken for granted for way too long.
And let's face it- I love an excuse to laugh at myself, which my current physical limitations definitely are giving me lots of opportunities to do (the new nickname I've given myself is Humpty Dumpty). Alright, so I can't touch my toes right now without a lot of grunting... this too shall pass. :)
And besides, it's all completely worth it to me when you think about what I'm going to be getting in return for all of these discomforts. Three little munchkins to hold and adore- totally worth it. Absolutely and completely worth it.
Thanks to the generosity of both Jason's
and my coworkers, we now have three high
chairs just waiting to be assembled!!
Just a snapshot of my first breakfast this morning-
raisin bran w/ whole milk, 3 hard boiled eggs, blueberry
bagel loaded with butter, lots of grapes, juice, fruit smoothie,
and cheese slices. Yum. Emphasis on FIRST breakfast
(I ate again a few hours later!)
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