No toe-touchie: One pregnant woman's humorous look at the latter stages of pregnancy

It has come... The inevitable stage of what I like to call the "No toe-touchie" stage. It's the stage every pregnant woman dreads. It's the time when the effort of bending at the waist can be compared to the effort it takes to climb Mount Everest. What do you do when you see something on the floor that needs to be picked up, and yet you find yourself wondering if you can get away with just leaving it there (or waiting for your better half to come home and pick it up for you).

I am now at that awkward stage where I can't bend over to pick things up off the floor (yes, I am already there at 26+3 weeks. I am tiny framed, and I'm carrying quite a bit of baby already.) I can't touch my own toes anymore, and last night my hubby had to put my socks on my feet for me.

I look at my toenails and the chipped nail polish and wish, now...if only I could fix that up myself...

Showering is an ordeal. You know you've reached this stage when you get excited over a loofah sponge on a long stick. Yay! You can finally wash your own feet again!

And the housework, lets not forget the housework. Ahh, there's so much housework to be done, and most of it requires stuff being picked up off the floor. You ask yourself, Do I look at it and get depressed?

Or the washing...this is a time when I wish we had a top loader. Instead, I have to get down on the floor (awkward in and of itself), load the clothes into the front-loader washing machine, then find a way to get up without falling flat on my face. Then I have to repeat the process all over again just to get the washing out of the machine when it is done.

What about shopping? You see that really interesting looking item on a bottom shelf, and then realise the effort it will take for you just to get down there. You think...is it really all that interesting, and can I reach it without having to get down on my knees? Do I want it enough to make a fool of myself in order to reach it? So you look around to make sure nobody is watching. You awkwardly lower yourself to the ground, find your item, and then attempt to get off the floor again. Only problem is, now you can't get up, and there is nobody around to help you. Somehow, you manage awkwardly, hilariously, to get yourself up off the floor - hoping nobody has seen your circus act.

Thank goodness for remote controls!! Reaching forward to change the channel on the TV is about the only thing you can do with very little effort!

What to do?

You could try and be superwoman, but you know its not going to happen. Your belly is here to stay, at least for the next few months anyway. You might as well make the most of it.

Some words of advice. Hubbies, paint your partner's toenails once in awhile. It may not matter much to you, but it sure matters to her when she looks down at her swollen feet (if she can still see them). If she can see one bit of beauty, it sure helps bear all of the other things she can no longer do.

Ladies, don't try to be superwoman. Accept your temporary limitations. Sure, the floor may be messier than you would like for a little while, but don't despair. Just accept that your house is not going to be perfect, and everything will be fine. Do what you can, when you can do it.

Anyone else sympathize with the big belly syndrome?

Corallie

 

Reflections: Gently playing with my unborn baby's feet

Esther is such a beautiful little girl. Yesterday I was visiting my mother and we were both feeling the baby's movements. Suddenly this little heel poked out of my belly while I had my hand resting there, and I was able to caress my dear baby's little foot as she stretched out her leg. I played with her heel until she decided to curl up again and withdraw her foot. I am so looking forward to meeting this little treasure in person. I am sure she will be very beautiful. Such special moments are never to be forgotten.

Corallie

 

Pro-choice, or Pro-life? Where do you stand?

Just beautiful... so true. To know I have this little life, completely formed inside of me...

All of her fingers...

...and toes...

...her legs, arms, ears, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, digestive system...its all there and functioning at 24 weeks. 

Her head and facial features are already formed. 

Her eyes, nose, and her mouth, which has already formed little teeth buds in preparation...

 ...and her spine, not to mention her complete skeletal system...

...are already in place.

To think that people could not call her a human being just as much as the rest of us just breaks my heart. How could you not call a living, growing, and functional life form a human being...

After all, isn't a human being someone who grows and matures, whose heart beats, whose limbs move, whose lungs expand and contract, and whose brain sends biological impulses down the nervous system to drive all of the body's functions...

Does your body do all of these things? If so, you are a human being. Does an unborn child's body also do all of these things? Yes, most definitely. If by this definition you call yourself a human being worthy of living, then you have no right to deny that privilege to somebody else whose body functions exactly the same way yours does.

The difference between you and an unborn child is that one is inside the womb and one is outside. The child on the inside is still growing and changing, just as you do now that you are outside the womb. In the womb, the unborn child gets older and more mature. Outside of the womb, the child (or adult) continues to get older and their body matures. The unborn child's organs are all functioning, just as yours are. An unborn child is exactly the same as you, just a few steps behind. Does that make them any more, or any less human? Of course not.

Face it people. There is an inconsistency here. There is no middle position.

Randy Alcorn once said,

"Some imagine that being personally opposed to abortion, while believing others have the right to choose it, is some kind of compromise between the pro-abortion and pro-life positions. It isn't. Pro-choice people vote the same as pro-abortion people. To the baby who dies it makes no difference whether those who refused to protect her were pro-abortion or merely "pro-choice" about abortion....Being personally against abortion but favoring another's right to abortion is self contradictory. It's exactly like saying, 'I'm personally against child abuse, but I defend my neighbour's right to abuse his child if that's his choice'." [Alcorn, R. 2004. Why Pro-life? Caring for the Unborn and their Mothers. Colorado Springs: Authentic Books. pp94-5.]

Think about the consequences very seriously...

Where do you stand today?

***********************************

POSTSCRIPT:
As I was watching the following video, I felt my little baby girl also twitching in her sleep. It felt like I was watching my own baby girl. It was quite a special moment!

Corallie

 

Comfort for those experiencing morning sickness

Severest morning sickness -'Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Excessive Morning Sickness in Pregnancy)'

[Shared on Baby Centre Australia bulletin board]

I'm 24 weeks pregnant with my first baby (little girl), and I wanted to share my experiences with morning sickness, hopefully it will make others out there not feel so bad.

At about 5 weeks I found out I was preg, and not long after that I began to lose my appetite very quickly. By the end of week 5 I could barely manage a sandwich, yet tried as much as possible to eat whatever I could. Well, early Friday morning of the 6th week I had my first experience of nausea. I spent the early hours of the morning throwing up consistently. My husband went to work that day concerned about me, but I said I thought I would be fine.

That night (Friday) we had to go to Bundaberg (4-5hr drive away) for a funeral on Saturday. I have never been so sick in all of my life. I couldn't keep down fluids or even the smallest amount of food. Traditional nausea cures had absolutely no effect. Ginger, vegemite, anything....absolutely USELESS!! Imagine 24-7 extreme nausea with absolutely no relief whatsoever!!!!!

Went to the after hours clinic on Sunday (the only doctors surgery open), doctor prescribed Maxolin. It worked somewhat for maybe about 2 weeks of minor relief (minor at best), and then ceased to work at all. Began experiencing extreme vomiting and nausea again. Got so bad at one point I couldn't even keep down water. Within 10 mins of ANYTHING (including water) hitting my stomach, it was up again. So off it was to emergency. They did blood and urine tests, ultrasound tests, and at first thought I might have had twins because I was incredibly sick and weak. No twins, just extremely high levels of pregnancy hormones. This was at 9 weeks. Spent 4 hours connected to a fluid drip because I was so dehydrated. I was bed ridden for over 2 months.

Sent me home with a prescription for Stemzine, a step up from Maxolin, but with added hormone regulators. Didn't work one bit.

A day of vomiting up whatever hit my stomach, and the morning after that I was back in the ER again. This time they tried a medication that is so expensive they can only give it to you in hospital. Don't know what its called, but its about $20 per tablet. They use it for chemotherapy patients to relieve their nausea. Its the strongest nausea medication on the market. Didn't work at all.

The doctors were at a loss for what to do with me. I didn't respond to ANY medication, nor traditional nausea cures. Another visit to the ER and they said they would make me stay in the hospital. But finally, they decided to try vitamin b6, 25mg 4 times a day (100mg per day, maximum allowable safe dosage for pregnancy), along with Maxolin 3 times a day. This was the only thing that brought some relief. I never went to the hospital again (apart from a minor brown mucus emergency at about 15 weeks, but all was well). At 14 weeks, the nausea finally began to ease. Now I am at the point where the only thing I can't eat is pastries, any later than lunch time, and only feel nauseated if I get overheated or get up too quickly.

I only share this to bring some comfort to those who have had or are experiencing morning sickness. Even though you feel like crap, just remember those of us who have had it much worse, and be thankful you don't have it like that. And if you do, be comforted that it will actually be over eventually. Its okay. I've been sicker than anyone that I ever knew, and yet my baby has survived, and so have I. The midwife actually remarked at how strong and healthy my little girl was, for at 16 weeks I was feeling strong movements already, and was able to physically see my belly change when my baby turned over. I could see her back poking out from my belly like a speedbump, and as I ran my hand along the length of her back, I felt her turn over and settle back into place again.

Ladies, it will all be worth it...trust me! Its gonna be okay, no matter how you feel right now. I have heard stories where people have actually lost the life of their unborn child through this experience. I am so glad that I have not lost my baby through HG, but boy did I have it.  I was amazed at the fact that my baby is now so strong that both the sonographer and midwives have trouble keeping track of her in checkups because she is moving so much. I am so grateful to God that He sustained my little girl while I was going through it, and allowed her to survive it, coming out even stronger than before. When I first saw her on the ultrasound, and heard the sonographer's remarks about her incredible strength, I thought to myself, "How is it possible she survived when for two months straight I could keep practically nothing down?" It is only the grace of God that allowed her to live.

While I can't say I have been there in terms of the loss of my baby, I can offer a shoulder to cry on, and encouragement to let you know there are people out there who are thinking of you. Most importantly, there is a God who loves you and is holding your hand each step of the way, if only you will let Him.

What helped me through? Prayer. Lots of it. Friends and family supporting me. Persistence.

Keep going girls, you can do it!!!




P.S. The day of the ultrasound, Esther was moving so much the sonographer was having a lot of trouble taking pictures, and when she did sit still it was in the wrong position, with her head between her knees scrunched up in a ball in the corner of the uterus. She had to prod quite hard to get her to move, and so consequently we were in there for over half an hour, with me being quite sore at the end of it. The day she had her heartbeat measured was exactly the same. She didnt stop moving, and all we could hear on the doppler machine was her movements. A special thing to be able to hear her moving, but difficult to measure a heartbeat nonetheless. The midwife remarked that she was indeed a strong and healthy baby, and she should have a very good birth. Good news to hear after being so incredibly sick, wondering if my little baby would ever live to see the dawn.

Here are some resources that help support women who are suffering with Hyperemesis:

* Facebook groups: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-with-Hyperemesis-Gravidarum-Excessive-Morning-Sickness-in-Pregnancy/35414738420

* Hyperemesis Education and Research: http://www.helpher.org/

new look website!!

I was getting sick of my old website, so I decided to update it with a new look :-) http://www.wix.com/coralliebuchanan/coralliebuchanan

Corallie

 

22 weeks: Soccer balls and breakfast plates

While attempting to eat breakfast this morning, I had my plate resting on my belly. Soon afterwards it began to jump, at which point I said to my belly: "Esther, mummy's breakfast plate is not a soccer ball." Quite an amusing quote if you ask me!

Corallie

 

Martin Luther and the counter-reformation

Argh... I find this post so annoying. One only has to read Scripture thoroughly and know you can't be saved by doing a bunch of stuff. One reason why I did my master's thesis on Martin Luther and the Reformation...

The Counter-Reformation

March 3

Churches and denominations, like houses and hearts, need periodic cleaning and occasional renovation. Luther’s response to the deterioration of the 16th-century church sparked not only the Protestant Reformation, but the Catholic Counter-Reformation, efforts within the Roman church to repair itself. On December 13, 1545 Pope Paul III convened a council in the northern Italian city of Trent, attended at first by only 34 leaders. The several sessions lasted from 1545 to 1563. Participants included Jesuits and scholars, political leaders desiring reunification with Protestants, and clergymen, some desiring reform, others wanting none of it.

The widespread sale of indulgences (which had inflamed Luther) was modified, and many measures were passed to correct and protect the morality of clergymen and church leaders. The doctrines of the church were also reexamined in light of emerging Protestant theology. In most cases, the council reaffirmed traditional medieval doctrines. Protestant views of the Lord’s Supper were dismissed, and transubstantiation upheld (the belief that the wine and bread of the Lord’s Supper become the very body of Christ). The council affirmed Latin as the proper language for the Mass, and it disagreed with Luther on making the Bible available in the common languages. It also rejected the Reformer’s cry of Scripture Alone. Church tradition, said the council, joins Scripture as a source of divine authority for believers.

On this day in Christian history, March 3, 1547, the council began affirming the seven sacraments of the church, all of them, it said, necessary for salvation: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders, and Matrimony. The Protestant view of two divine ordinances—baptism and the Lord’s Supper—was rejected.

The Council of Trent is one of the most important events in Reformation history, establishing the tone and doctrine of the Catholic Church for the next 400 years, and providing a basis for reformation within the Roman church. Not until the 1960s at Vatican II did another major reexamination take place.

Look deep into my heart, God,

And find out everything I am thinking.

Don’t let me follow evil ways,

But lead me in the way that time has proven true.

Psalm 139:23,24

Morgan, R. J. (2000, c1997). On this day : 265 amazing and inspiring stories about saints, martyrs & heroes (electronic ed.) (March 3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Corallie