My first piece of advice: don't try to travel to warm places by airplane after your second trimester. Ben and I are back in Vancouver, after our fun-filled trip to Texas.The visit itself was wonderful -- and it was more than full of love and gifts, good food and family, friends and laughter. The weather, however, was really hard on me. The longer we were there, the more swollen my face, hands, and feet became. I think that was mostly due to the weather, but it might also be due to the fact that I was waking up earlier, staying up later, and skipping my afternoon naps in order to meet with friends and family. I think I'd make the same choices again, but they really took their toll on me.
On the airplane to Houston I experienced my first real discomfort -- my calves started feeling achy and stiff, and when I tried to get my feet up, there was no room -- and I noticed that my feet were swollen -- my previously not-tight shoes had left imprints in the tops of my feet. I had a really hard time getting comfortable in my seat, so I never really slept. My shoulders felt squished and tense, my lower back ached, Sophia was poking out of my sides (a new trick for her!), my ears wouldn't pop, and my fingers were getting fatter and fatter. That was bad, but what was worse was that I never really got any better -- i think the heat and lack of sleep just killed me. Oh, and Sophia started waking up at 7am (Houston time -- that's 5 am in Vancouver) every morning to do a little dance. Oh, and my belly must have grown a lot on the plane, too, because when I put on the new dress I'd gotten for our party, it was much tighter on me than it had been just 6 days before the party! Oh well... And my belly was really itchy the whole time I was there, but I was never alone for long enough to put on my thick, anti-stretchmark belly cream and let it dry before dressing. It's really hard to be a guest when you're also hosting a little baby.
Our last day in Texas we had Fathers' Day lunch with friends who are like family to me. It was great, but it was outside, and I think I got over-heated. I snapped at Ben, slowly was able to hear less and less pf the conversations at the table, and did other delerious things. We drove from there to the airport, where I felt like I was going to pass out. I sat down with my feet up, and Ben got me water and gatorade, but we were sitting there for at least 4 5minutes hoping that I'd make it. For a minute or two everything was blurry and I felt too weak to keep my mouth closed. But eventually I revived and we took things really slowly. That was really scary.
I feel much better now that we're home, it's 65 degrees outside, and I'm getting more sleep and naps. But I've been having lots of gas lately, and my ears keep popping. I also have found it really hard to bend down anymore -- I can't breathe while bent over, and if I bend to the side at all -- or twist much -- everything starts aching. I've even had to change how I wipe after using the toilet! Every time I get into bed I hear and feel my hips popping, and I definitely need a pillow between my knees and and one under my belly to sleep now. Even with pillows, though, my ribs hurt, or hips get tingly, or my shoulders get spastic. I hope it's not like this for the next 3 months! I visited a friend today who has a one-month-old baby, and she says that she LOVES not being pregnant anymore. I bet!
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