my first *ouch" prenatal massage and a little visit to L&D

I am lucky enough to get some great benefits through my job

that allow me to get massages pretty regularly

 

I was beyond excited for my first prenatal massage

I have had a super sore lower back and legs recently, and im holding onto quite a bit of water already.

 

I got in and excitedly undressed and lay down on the bed as instructed.

oh wow what a nice bed!

as a pregnant woman, you cant lay directly on your back very long, or on your tummy (duh)

so what they did is made the table almost like a water bed!

then they have you lay on your side and give you three pillows

one for your head

one for you to hug and support your belly with

and one for between your legs.

 

this is pretty a standard sleep position for a lot of pregnant women, I think.

 

I was SO COMFY!

 

The woman asked me if I had any problem areas

 

I described to her my lumbar pain and my shoulder tightness and she nodded her head and got started.

 

YEEEOUCH!

 

I guess I didn't know what to expect, but It was a DEEP massage. she would find a tight spot, lay her forearm into my hip/bum area and then simply leeeeean her (very large and strong) body onto me with all her weight.

 

and hold it

 

for like, such a long time.

 

I spent the whole hour  gritting my teeth, afraid to say anything because... maybe it would feel better later?

wrong.

I spent the next day sore beyond belief!
my hips especially. I know they are very tight, but seriously? I could hardly walk.

Don't get me wrong

I'm going to go back...

but maybe next time I will ask for just a simple, relaxing massage?

Friday, the day after my massage

I was feeling crummy.

tired, sore, and had a weird pain and tightness in my abdomen.

something kind of concerning as a preggo lady.

I chalked it up to my post massage pain and went about my day.

but by the afternoon, I knew something wasn't right. I called my OB to see if she could guide me in the right direction

but her office was already closed for the long weekend.

I waited another hour, and then, noticing that I was having quite a few braxton hicks contractions (false contractions where your tummy gets really tight)

I called labour and delivery at the hospital and spoke to a nurse.

she told me I was a bit early for ligament pain, and that tightness was sometimes normal, but what I was explaining could be a few things.

 I told her I didn't want to waste anyone's time coming into the hospital if it wasn't necessary.

she simply answered "don't worry about whats going on here. worry about whats going on with you - come in if you feel like something is wrong." 

I finished out the afternoon at work, and while driving home, went into the hospital

When you go into the hospital as a pregnant woman with any concerns, they send you right up to labour and delivery for a non-stress test. Basically you pee into a cup to make sure your not leaking any fluid or anything, then they hook your belly up to a monitor to track the baby's heartbeat, and give you a little wand with a button to press every time you feel the baby move.

after a few minutes of this, A doctor came in to do an exam. he poked around my stomach a little and when he got to my lower abdomen I cringed in pain. He decided to get another urine sample (no problem for a pregnant lady) and evaluate it for an infection.

So after 3 hours in the hospital on a Friday night, I walked out with an antibiotic for a pretty serious UTI that was getting worse fast.

long story short?

When something doesn't feel right, ACT ON IT.

They take UTI's very seriously for pregnant women, as immuno-compromised beings, we are very prone to infections getting bad, very fast.

A few days later now, and im still not 100% to be honest. I feel like this baby is riding very low. Im feeling a lot more pressure in my lower abdomen than I maybe should. I wonder if it could be from a few things, between having babies so close together, sore hips and back, and a lot more weight gain this time around (im already up 30 pounds!) this pregnancy EVERYTHING is different.

I dont feel like that adorable preggo thats all out front and looks so pleased and healthy and glowing with the little human shes growing.

I feel tired and sore and cranky and dull and acne-prone and... heavy.

dont get me wrong, I am still thrilled to be pregnant, and will do anything for a healthy baby. but my earlier statements about loving myself the whole time are starting to wear on me a bit. Hey, I can be honest right? with 3 months left, im anxious to see where the next little bit takes me.

here's to 25 weeks!

-r