John decided that we should buy new bicycles because it is an activity that we can do as a family now and after the baby comes when the weather gets nice again. We have a lot of nice paved bike paths in our area. He actually went so far as to sell one of his guns to give us extra cash to pay for one bike too, so I knew he was serious. [Yes, he has guns. Yes we have a locked gun cabinet, and yes we also have a trigger lock for the remaining handgun. He was a police officer for a time and had to have handguns.] So we bought new bikes this week. They are nice recreational bikes and you sit upright, which is different from the bikes I've had in the past, where you had to lean down some to reach the handlebars.
This morning we went for a short ride on one of the nearby paths with my parents. My dad was just cleared to ride a bike again after his viral cardiomyopathy diagnosis back in January. He is doing really well and has lost a lot of weight since then. We used an old bike carrier that my mom had. We made it there fine, and enjoyed the ride before it got too hot. My mom patted my little bump for the first time. On the way home is where the trouble started. The bike carrier broke and our bikes almost came off. Thankfully John had seen the strap go and pulled over immediate. We quick-released the front wheels and put the bikes in the back of my Jeep.
We stopped to eat lunch and John began calling around to see if any place could install a hitch on the Jeep today, as the hitch bike racks are most secure for SUV's. He found a place that had one in stock and an opening at 1:30. We went there. Let me tell you this place was out in the middle of nowhere and older than dirt. It was like a mini-junk yard that looked like it hadn't been touched since 1940, with the exception of modern tools. They had no place for customers to sit and wait. They had no air conditioning and these 3 poorly cared for dogs roamed loose.
What should have taken an hour, took 2 and 1/2 hours. I was so hot and so uncomfortable. Then the moment came where my bladder was about to burst. I absolutely could not wait any longer to pee. I had a feeling based on the look and smell of this dump, that the bathroom was not going to be a place I wanted to go into. I had no other choice though. I asked where the bathroom was. I wound my way through the cramped, musty corridors of the shop to the bathroom. It was the most disgusting place. The inside of the while toilet bowl was actually dark brown with spoil and grime. Someone hadn't flushed. I honestly think a port-o-john would have been less traumatic and cleaner. If I had not been pregnant and about to burst, I would have held it. I crouched and peed as fast as I could and then to my horror found there was no soap. I hoped and prayed I had hand sanitizer left in the Jeep as I ran out of that hole.
At the end of the ordeal, we had a hitch and a place to secure our bikes, but I was sunburnt and way too hot. I drank a liter of water after we were back in the Jeep with the a/c blasting. I couldn't wait to get home and take a nap.
Speaking of naps, I guess I should report on my snoogle experience. I did go buy a snoogle pillow at BRU on Friday. It really is extremely comfortable, and I did sleep in it's cuddle all night long, but it was not effective in keeping me on my side the whole night, though I probably spent more time on my side than in recent nights. Some how I ended up laying on my back with one end of the pillow curled under my head, the other end curled under my legs and the long part running beside me.
I'm waiting with extreme anticipation to feel Squirt move. I know it may be several more weeks before that happens, but I can hardly wait.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Here it comes ... the unsolicited advice from me that i just can't seem to stop it flowing out of my mouth. I apologize in advance. You can tell me to shove it all out of my ass if you'd like :)
1) bike riding is a no-no for pregnant girls. Yes, even if you ride on on nice paths and are extra slow. pregnancy throws off your center of balance and *if* you fall, a fall from a bike can be bad for the baby. *especially* once the baby is moving out of the pelvic area, which is happening to squirt now. So please, save if until after the baby is born. Sure, lots of people are going to say "I rode a bike throughout my pregnancy" and it's true, riding a bike is safe as can be. But IF you fall and something happened, you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself.
2) Back sleeping isn't always "bad" when pregnant. Per my OB - you can sleep on your belly as long as your body allows you to. When it's too uncomfortable, that's when you have to stop - but just because your body won't allow it. Side sleeping is of course the best - sleeping on your left side is the better of the sides. Back sleeping is only "bad" for someo women who when they sleep on their back, the weight of the baby cuts off the circulation to one of the main blood flows. If you are one of these women, you will *know* it. You will get dizzy and light headed and you will know without a doubt. Of course, try to sleep on your side, but if you wake up on your back, it's okay.
(again, i'm so sorry i just took up so much comment space. I'm a big inconsiderate jerk. but i thought it was important)
About your story - that bathroom description gave me chills! eeewwww!!! how horrible! And I'm glad you like your snoogle!!!!
Well I did talk to my OB at my visit last week before the bike purchase. She said gentle cycling on flatter surfaces was fine at this point in my pregnancy. I've been a bike rider and a rollerblader my whole life and I've never fallen as an adult. I have given up rollerblading this year though, as the risk for falling is higher of course.
I'm going to pay close attention to my balance and once it has seemed to shift, I'll stop for the year.
And here comes the non-preggo with some info gleaned from friends. :)
Follow your own doc's advice. She'll let you know what you can and can't do. As for sleeping...I don't know how your bed is set up, or if you can move it, but I had a friend who just slept with the bed against the wall. She slept on that side, with a body pillow in front of her - it kept her from rolling to her back because she couldn't! And another one had the same problem you do - but once her baby got big enough to start cutting off the circulation her body stopped letting her sleep on her back. Remember, your body will tell you what it can and can't do. :) I think you'll be fine!
WHEE! I've been following your blog religously - I can't wait for the next installments!
sorry krista - it's just all the things my own doctor told me, so thought i'd pass it along. i promise, no more advice from me.
Nancy, please don't feel bad. OB's often give different advice on the same topics. I wasn't offended by your advice. Check your email my friend!
Post a Comment