No pictures for this post- mostly because I look like a zombie. More pictures soon, I promise.
The last couple of weeks have been a bit extreme in terms of range of feelings. First, I finally felt some of the magical energy that all of the baby books (curse those things, seriously) tell a woman to expect in the second trimester. I waited and waited for this burst of energy throughout the second tri, but it never arrived. Then, during finals and Christmas, I felt so good, but it could have been because I was almost done with school or because of the holidays. Either way, it was nice.
Fast forward a few weeks and the energy has already been dwindling. I've been having trouble sleeping when I'm supposed to and then wanting to sleep all of the rest of the time. Lying awake at 4 AM recently, I tried to figure out what I was feeling and why I could not sleep. I realized that I was really hungry! So, now I get up sometime in the wee hours of the morning to eat something and then usually go back to bed. Even though it is far from ideal in other terms, I am so lucky to be out of school and unemployed right now so that I have one or two less things to juggle! Seriously moms, how do you do this with a full time job? The baby isn't even here yet!
Then, Brent and I went to our midwifery appointment today. The midwife was able to discern the baby's position with her hands, showed her assistant how to feel it, and then let Brent try it out. The baby is already head-down, which is fantastic. It could change in the next few weeks, but it is still a good sign! Although, I'm slightly concerned that this kid has 8 legs because there is no other explanation for the crazy sensations I've been feeling...
The baby's heartbeat sounded great, my labs were all normal (Thank God I don't have gestational diabetes after all.), and we were going over the next few weeks. All of the sudden, everybody sounded far away and I had the spins. Mid-sentence, I just blurted out, "Uh, I feel really dizzy." I felt myself fading fast. The midwife and her assistant sprang into action. They gave me water, opened a window (it was really warm in their office), and had me put my head between my legs while the midwife vigorously rubbed my back. Has anyone ever tried to put her head between her legs while 29 weeks pregnant? Ha! Not geometrically possible.
When I sat up, I still felt awful and my vision was blurry. I have never, ever felt like this in my entire life. I was a bit freaked out and apologetic for being a hassle. We walked into the waiting room to get more air. It all started spinning again and we repeated the bending forward. The midwife brought me a snack but I was suddenly nauseous and couldn't even think about eating. Brent started fanning me and my blood pressure was taken- it was normal for me. So, a blood pressure spike was ruled out, as was anemia thanks to my recent labs. I was likely overheated. Plus, I only slept 5-6 hours last night with a break for a bowl of cereal at 6 AM.
The midwife had me smell an alcohol pad, which was surprisingly effective. She also brought out smelling salts and showed Brent how to activate them. But, she told him to spare me unless I truly fainted, since apparently they are awful. I joked that Brent may need them too. He was so worried and completely freaked out, but very supportive as always.
I perked up a bit and decided that going outside into the cool misty air seemed like it would feel good. Really, I just wanted to get home and lie down on the couch with Fry pup. Once we all got down the stairs and outside, I felt much, much better. I felt even better when we got home. Eventually, I was able to eat lunch and called the midwives in the afternoon to check in and let them know I was feeling better. I still feel really weak, so I have been taking it easy.
Hopefully, it doesn't happen again. Just in case, those smelling salts are on the kitchen counter.
