February Symptoms

lucygracelaluz · February 2023

The final month!

justkp · February 2023

Ah. Heartburn has improved. This evening I tried playing tennis for an hour, did that last week no problem. Now I can't turn in bed from the pain, and also the pattern on my bed linen seems to be moving/flickering. I can't fit my gloves anymore and it's freakin' freezing outside. Not loving' february so far 😅

ttc3y · February 2023

Yup. I can relate. Lots of discomfort over here too. I haven’t even exercised today and just doing mundane errands. I have achy hips and low back. Some leg cramps in spite of my best efforts to stay well hydrated and taking electrolytes. And baby is definitely pushing in all sorts of directions. I get it kiddo, we are both uncomfortable. At least I’m sleeping decently through the night but still hurting walls of fatigue. I need to be grateful that at least I’m getting decent sleep!

amccurls · February 2023

Same here. Lots of discomfort! Pelvic pressure, cramps, back pain, and tightening has started again. Hoping they’re real and amp up instead of Braxton hicks.

Except it’s 80 degrees in south GA today, so I can’t relate to the cold. I’m sweating 🤣

kamays54 · February 2023

I've been having some good nights sleeping even though I am still getting heartburn. It's not waking me up as much. Definitely feeling the discomfort and soreness as well. Nesting has slowly kicked in so I may have been overdoing it the last few days...

@amccurls 80! I'm sweating and it's only 67 here in AZ 😆 JK it's only because they like to keep it hot in our office. I really should have a fan at my desk.

lucygracelaluz · February 2023

I'm having pretty sharp pains in my back when walking after sitting for a while and when changing directions. Baby must be settling in down low!

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

I'm ready to go to bed at 4 pm every day. I usually last until at least 8:30.

amccurls · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy same here!

Also, super stiff fingers in the morning.

justkp · February 2023

I'm a bit jealous of your beautiful warm weather, you gals! I spend as much time as possible in the heat (head pads, shower, under my warm duvet), it's just around the freezing point here. Although I am sure if we swapped I would be uncomfortably warm 😅

@seeds_of_joy With you on this! 😬 And then I wake up at like 4 am unable to sleep any more. Until right before noon. Sleep pattern just shot to pieces altogether.

@amccurls Yes!!!! Stiff fingers all the time!!! I also managed to hit three of my fingers and I think they may be sprained or something as well (on car steering wheel 🙄) so one side is slightly sore from the stiffness and swelling and the other side just straight up hurts 😅

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

What's up with the stiff fingers? I wonder if I don't get that because I'm taking magnesium. I got leg cramps in most other pregnancies but haven't this time, probably due to the magnesium. I'm in my 40s and surprised I'm not getting stiff fingers...not that I want them. 😆

amccurls · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy I did some googling (the best doctor 🤪) and everything kept popping up as pregnancy related carpal tunnel due to fluid build up at the end of pregnancy. Made sense to me so I’m going with it 🤷🏻‍♀️ my fingers have turned to sausages

justkp · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy Think it's just fluids in hands/fingers in my case. And then maybe worse in the morning because it drains a bit during the day when I use my hands/fingers. I think I'd have preferred swollen ankles, my ankles are absolutely normal but I have not been able to wear rings for months 😅

amccurls · February 2023

@justkp last pregnancy my legs and ankles were so swollen I had to wear compression socks and could fit inside any shoes except flip flops. I’m much happier fitting my shoes and not my rings. Haha

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@justkp @amccurls my ring is falling off!! But I think it's my ridiculous diet restrictions. I think I'm going to have to get it adjusted after I lose the baby weight.

justkp · February 2023

@amccurls In fairness not being able to fit any shoes would have been slightly problematic in Denmark in february ;-)

@seeds_of_joy Really?! That's wild, I would have thought that hands were super late to be affected by diet restrictions! But nice to not have sausage fingers, hope you can get it to fit again once your baby is out 🥰

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@justkp I've been wearing a slightly smaller ring to hold on my wedding band before pregnancy. For some reason the ring has made my finger skinnier than the rest over the last 13 years. It actually looks very weird. 😂 I'm not sure if that's a normal occurrence or not.

justkp · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy Never heard of this, bodies are weird 😁

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

I live on the toilet. I don't know what's going on but I have to pee every 2 minutes. I don't know how I'm going to sleep. I started wearing a thin pad tonight because I feel like I'm constantly leaking. This is absolutely ridiculos. Anyone else have this issue? I think my peeing might be excessive because of the amount of pregnancies I've had. 🤷‍♀️

cpk3535 · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy I totally feel your pain! Especially at night, such a pain. Plus some coughs and sneezes trigger more pee. My youngest doesn’t understand why I’m always on the toilet, particularly at bedtime. Sometimes it feels like baby shifts enough to let my entire bladder empty, but most of the time I feel like I’m just getting a trickle. 🤦‍♀️ annoying!!

ttc3y · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy Even with the help of pelvic floor physical therapy, I’ve had leakage particularly when coughing or sneezing. It has gotten worse in the last few days. Sometimes it’s so bad, that I have to change my underwear and pants because I have essentially peed on myself. Luckily I was home and could wash and change right away. One time over a month ago, i accidentally peed on myself (my muscles couldn’t stop it) in a grocery store. That was so embarrassing! 😬

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@ttc3y oh no!! That's what I'm afraid of and why I'm now wearing a pad. I was having to change my cloth pantyliner halfway through the day but last night we watched a movie and I had to pee 10 times...just a trickle. Sometimes I would sit on the toilet for 10 minutes just to not have to get up again.

ttc3y · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy yeah, it doesn’t help that the baby is moving lower and lower and pressing against the bladder and pelvic floor. Fortunately, this is a phase and I’ll have to rehabilitate my pelvic floor after the labor and delivery. So many women deal with stress urinary incontinence postpartum and with the help of pelvic physical therapy, I believe I can make a full recovery afterwards.

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@ttc3y I hope so too. I struggle with stress incontinence on and off since having babies. It comes and goes out of nowhere. My midwife really stresses staying in bed a lot the first few days after birth. The hospital never told me that with my first 2 and I felt so great after the birth of #2, that I was carrying laundry baskets down the stairs right after birth and probably damaging my pelvic floor further. I'm glad to now have a care provider that would scold me for that and educated both my husband and myself on how important it is to rest.

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

My poop is increasing 💩💩💩 and softening!! 🙌 Maybe I won't have to wait until Saturday!

itsjess627 · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy & @ttc3y did you have to get a referral for pelvic floor therapy or did you seek it out on your own? I had no choice but to get up and moving after and have not rested as much as I should. I’ll probably need the PF therapy after things settle out 😬

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@itsjess627 I didn't have pelvic floor therapy and probably will be wearing depends on 10 years 😝

ttc3y · February 2023

@itsjess627 I sought pelvic floor therapy on my own and paid out of pocket. I’m really glad that I did it. I did ballet for 10 years as a child and my pelvic floor was incredibly tight even decades later. All of the pelvic floor exercises I read in books would not have helped my situation and actually prepare me for a worse vaginal birthing experience. You need pelvic floor strength and mobility/ flexibility when preparing for birth. My last Pelvic PT appointment was last week and we even did some biofeedback work to find out which labor and delivery positions would be the most effective for me to deliver the baby.

For whatever reason, the US insurance system does not cover pelvic floor therapy for pregnancy but other countries like Germany will cover it prenatally and postpartum. My doula gave me the recommendation of where to go. If you have urinary incontinence after the labor and delivery, your ob, midwife, or primary care provider can write an order/ referral and insurance may cover it.

So many women believe they need to put up with urinary incontinence and prolapse uteruses for the rest of their lives when there are non invasive treatments like pelvic physical therapy that can help rehabilitate your pelvic floor back to normal function. That really should be first line therapy and should be done for every prenatal and postpartum mama. I’ve seen so many women in my practice who suffered for years and then they are recommend by another provider to a urogynecologist for injections and surgical procedures. Pelvic floor therapy was not even mentioned to them as an option!

Sorry for the long response. The US healthcare system has a higher threshold and tolerance for female suffering and will gaslight and dismiss our health issues. Sometimes we need to empower ourselves, stay persistent to get the help we need, and demand better care. Urinary incontinence is one of those conditions that no one seems to talk about except behind closed doors in the healthcare provider’s offices but the condition so prevalent particularly after giving birth.

ttc3y · February 2023

Random non sequitur question: Is anyone else feeling like they have to do a 5-point turn every time they roll in bed now? 😂😂😂 I’m looking forward to having my core strength back after this pregnancy!

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@ttc3y yup! 😆

I could probably get pelvic floor therapy covered if I can find a source. Instead of insurance we have a medical sharing system that we're part of. I love it because we can choose our own healthcare (like home birth) and we know exactly where our monthly payments are going and why (directly to others with medical bills).

kamays54 · February 2023

@ttc3y 🤣 yes! Best description ever!

angbaby83 · February 2023

@ttcy3 that was me for the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy. And then I had a c section so my core strength is shot at this point 🥴

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

I'm so warn out, I just want to cry.😭 My husband thinks I'm pooping because I have a cold. I really just want to have this baby and take a week off of homeschooling already but I feel so drained.

ttc3y · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy (Hug) I hope you can find a way to cut down on household tasks or delegate. Rest is so important right now to prepare for the labor and delivery. ❤️

@angbaby83 c-sections take time to heal. You’ll get your core back. But for now, rest and heal ❤️ honestly, I don’t think my core will be back right away even if I have a vaginal birth. It took 9 months to gestate this baby. I’m expecting at least 9 months for my body to get back to a new normal.

@itsjess627 and @seeds_of_joy As for resources for finding a pelvic physical therapist, I found these websites that might help:

https://aptapelvichealth.org/ptlocator/

https://pelvicrehab.com/

Pelvic PTs need to do additional training and certification after getting their degree.

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@ttc3y I have cut way back. Everything seems like too much.

It looks there is someone who isn't too far from where I live. Thanks!

itsjess627 · February 2023

@ttc3y I appreciate the long post and all the info! The US medical system definitely does not listen to women and could use quite a bit of work. I’d be curious what my OB would say. They seem more willing to listen here than in other medical settings I’ve been in previously. The hospital we’re currently at really does take patients as individuals into consideration.

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

I was having some irregular contractions yesterday and then they stopped.

lucygracelaluz · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy you're almost there!!

ttc3y · February 2023

@seeds_of_joy Last Thursday I started having mild irregular contractions. I did the eat, drink, move, shower, sleep to figure out if these were real labor and delivery contractions and after the shower and sleep, things calmed down and stopped. At the time, I was ok with that because I had one more patient to see the next day and I really didn’t want to cancel on her.

So now my excuse for not being ready yet for labor and delivery is we have to finish taxes and do thank you cards for the baby shower gifts 😂. I’m enjoying the last bits of my life with no kids.

I think it’s the fear of the unknown that is holding me back with fully embracing the next step and knowing that I have sleep deprivation ahead of me. But I do look forward to holding my baby on my chest immediately after the birth. I visualize that all the time. 🥰

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

@ttc3y sometimes I wish I could enjoy the "no kids" before delivery 😂 but I do love my children. This is the first pregnancy since my first where I don't have to tend to any really little ones so I do get a break too. I'm glad that you're visualizing that moment of first holding your baby. It is the best high on this earth and no matter how many times you do it, it always is that wonderful!

kbmt · February 2023

@ttc3y, I’ve already delivered and I keep pushing back my task to do taxes! I really need to find the time and energy to do them. 😩

seeds_of_joy · February 2023

Good motivation for taxes is having a lot of kids on one income. 😆 Ours are done.

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