April 6, 2011

I’m snoring.    I had started not too long before Ashlin was born.  I totally blame the pregnancy.  I always had the nasal congestion, even in the beginning.  Would wake up and have to blow my nose every morning.  I also thought that maybe it was due to the baby weight and extra pregnancy fluid floating around my body. 

I (and Stu too, I’m sure,) had hoped it would go away once I was no longer pregnant. 

Well, it hasn’t. <sigh>

Maybe it’s because I still have the baby weight on, or because I’m only a week postpartum.  It could be due to the anesthesia – Stu said he had heard of some connection to post-operative snoring.

Last night was the first night I’ve been able to sleep on my left side*.  It was still a bit uncomfortable, not due to my hip, but due to my healing abdominal surgery.  Up until last night, I still had to sleep slightly inclined, on my back.

I still snored.

For the second night in a row, Stu went down stairs in the middle of the night to sleep on the couch.

I want this to stop :(

~~~

*  Yay!!  I actually slept on my left hip!  For the first time in months I was able to sleep on my left side.  I think the hip is still not right, but as the Chiro said, it is better without the extra weight in front.

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March 17, 2011

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

I usually find a nice Irish quote to share, but this year, I just don’t have the strength.  Well, ok, maybe a small one:

“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.  Aim at earth and you get neither.”  – C.S. Lewis

We’re still aiming for heaven – that the placenta moves, the hip straightens out, the baby (who we think is oblique) goes to a better position.  I think she’s got her butt up in my right ribs…

Sleep wasn’t too bad last night, still was on the sofa and up every two hours or so, needing to stretch.  But again, better than the night before, which was better than the night before.

Anyway, I’m tired.  tomorrow is the chiro visit at the different office, where he has a drop-away table.  Maybe this time, the hip will go.  Fingers crossed.

In some “green” thoughts, here’s Teagan with her St. Paddy‘s leis:

She looks happy, doesn’t she?  LOL!

March 16, 2011

So, the Chiro thinks I’m right… the baby has turned.  She’s not in a good position, she really can’t be with the torsion that hasn’t released yet.  She’s sort of lying at a 45° angle.  But at least she’s head down and trying to get in the right position.  Encouraging.  Just need to pop that hip and get the placenta to move!

So, another trip to the Chiro, with little joy.  My hip is being very stubborn.  I had to stop the session at least twice, because the stabby pain was just too intense.  He’s going to have me come to a different office, where he as a drop away table.  He thinks this will be better to adjust me on, than the cut out pillows.  We’ll see.  Right now, I just want the pain to stop.  Sleep would be nice too.

I did get a bit more sleep last night though, which was nice.  Maybe it was the mix of a bit of beer, (yeah, I had some beer), some benedryl and tylenol.  And 4-5 nights in a row of no more than 1 hour of sleep followed by 40 minutes of stretching, tossing and turning on the sofa.

I can’t sleep on my left side (the twisted hip), nor on my back (inclined, of course, flat is out of the question now).  The recliner that was such a lovely thing with Teagan has become a cushioned Judas Chair.  I have this small window of slight comfort on my right side, that I can’t seem to find in bed.  The sofa seems to be the only place I get any sleep.

I want to get as much sleep now as I can.  It’s going to be in short supply soon enough.

March 15, 2011

I think I’m in love.  With my new yoga ball.  I hope Stu doesn’t think I’m cheating.  It feels fantastic to sit on the yoga ball.  No, not like that!  But when I do sit on it, my back doesn’t hurt.  The pain melts away.

It was something the Chiro suggested doing two visits ago.  When I mentioned I didn’t have one, he said I could use the kitchen counter – hello lovely island! – instead.  The ball is better.  Much better.

At the end of this morning’s adjustment session he had me sit on one for a few minutes before I left.  The session was quite painful, actually.  I had to have him stop three times, my hip was throbbing so badly. 

Again, my hip didn’t pop.  After almost 30 minutes he apologized a bit, saying that he couldn’t keep pounding on me.  I know.  I’m frustrated about it as well.  The hip that has the torsion is the one that will usually pop at the drop of a hat, when I’m not pregnant. 

He’s asked me to come in every day this week – probably until we get the torsion out.  Hopefully tomorrow and the rest of the week won’t be quite as painful.  But after the ball, and 20 minutes of heat – have I mentioned how I LOVE the heated seats in my car? – everything was much better.  

I went out and got me a yoga ball as soon as I could.

March 14, 2011

So, last night was not a fun night.  I fell asleep on the sofa – yay, almost a nightly occurrence though – and moved up to bed around 11.  I slept about 40 minutes, but  woke up again, thanks to my back.  Stupid SPD and torked hip are throbbing.  I get up, get a pillow to put between my knees to see if that helps.  It doesn’t really.  I try a rolled towel.  That doesn’t work either.  Stretches, nope.  Eventually Stu came up and suggested I see if I could take an Alieve.  Nope.  Can’t take them.  I did take two Tylenol though, and was able to get back to sleep until about 2:30am. 

So, I go downstairs to see if watching TV will distract me enough from my back pain to go back to sleep.  I watched two Top Gear episodes.  LOL.  (Last time, it was Gordon Ramsey Kitchen Nightmares).  Weekend late night TV sucks.  Not having WTNH sucks.* 

So, up this morning at 6am, and watch some news.  Put Teagan’s blankie back on hoping she sleeps at least another hour.  Try to fall asleep in bed as I’m upstairs.  Nope.  Doesn’t work.  Get up just before the alarm and shower.

Stu gets himself up and goes down and makes me some coffee – sweetheart he is.  I dash out to my Chiro appointment – I was late for it :(  I called to let him know I’d be late.  We go through all the adjustments – left hip, no crack.  Right hip, crack.  Midback – crack.  Upper back – crack!  Neck left – Crack!  Neck right – Crack crack crack!  Pubic symphysis – OUCH!  I don’t think that cracked.  Chiro has me go back to my right side so he can try to crack and straighten my left hip.  Again, no luck.  By then, I’m nearly in tears.  I try to tell him it’s not him, just me, overtired, in pain, ready to be done with it all.

He asked if I could come back tomorrow.  I said yes.  I hope he can fix my hips.

~~~

I spent quite a bit of tonight leaning against a heating pad.  I really enjoyed having the heated seats this morning/early afternoon in the car.  Stu hunted down the heating pad for me.  Most of this afternoon I spent doing Cow/Cat stretches, tilts, open knees chest and then the crazy eight hip thing.  Trying to prep my hip for being popped.  I couldn’t sit once I got home from dropping off Stu at the car place, and our taxes off at the accountant.  We had lunch at our favorite pizza place, where we haven’t eaten since we’ve moved.  We can’t find good pizza at the new house. 

I really want my back to feel better.

———

* PS.  It’s BACK!!!  WTNH is back on Dish!  Woo Woo!!!

March 10, 2011

Last night was a long night.  Started off watching Bubba Ho-Tep with Bruce Campbell.  I had heard/read that it was good, and it has Bruce – how could it be It was horrible.  Then the head cold that just won’t go away, that I’ve had since Sunday, doesn’t seem to respond to Benedryl any more.  (Yes, I had to take something, anything, it was so bad).  Eventually,  the Benedryl finally knocked me out.  Knocked me out so much I didn’t hear Teagan wake to a night terror or something.  Stu said she was sobbing horribly.  I didn’t hear her.  I may have noticed (a little) when he came to bed.

Around 1:45 I did wake up, in pain.  My back was throbbing.  First thought I had was that it was contractions.  I’ve been having Braxton Hicks and random contractions for three weeks or so already *.  It wasn’t that though, thankfully.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get back to sleep, I couldn’t find a position in bed that would make it go away.  Down to the sofa, where I sat up for a while, as even reclining hurt.

As as aside, I’m pissed at Dish TV right now.  They’ve stopped carrying WTNH, which was the only station that had any sort of news at 3am.  Other than the cable news stations, of course.  So, there’s nothing to watch at 2:30, other than The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and then 1000 Ways to Die.

Sometime around 4am I finally fall asleep again.  The alarm went off way too early today.

I had another Chiropractor appointment this morning.  I told him about the pain.  He gave me some exercises to do that may help – one to stretch my lower back, one for my legs and one for the SPD.

So, again, left hip joint whatever doesn’t crack, but almost!  There was movement today, right one does.  Mid-back cracked, and that felt good.  Neck was uncomfortable, but feels better now.  My lower back is still bothering me, I’ve been sitting up most of the day, doing some cat/cow stretches as well, they just feel so good.

I have another appointment for Saturday morning.  Fingers crossed that my back is ok until then.

~~~~

* The Braxton Hicks are getting more and more painful.  I can’t walk fast or I’ll contract.  Sometimes just bending over will start one up.  Sometimes they’re 4 minutes apart, sometimes as much as 30 minutes.  They’re not real contractions that the midwives are worried about.  I haven’t needed to breathe through them, so, it’s just practice.  I’m tired of practice.

March 8, 2011

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It seems that I have a rotated sacrum.  Off center.  Twisted.  I went to the chiropractor today, to see if he could help with my lower back pain, and to see if there was anything to help turn the baby.  Many of the sites I’ve been reading about turning breech babies mention one reason for the upside down baby is due to a misalignment of the hips/pubic bones/uterus.  Also, my insurance covers it :)

Turns out, the guy the midwife suggested had an opening this afternoon.  It was a long visit, he was a bit chatty, which was just fine.  I’ve never been to a chiropractor before.  He was gentle.  Explained everything he did while assessing things.  So, thanks to the second pregnancy and all the lovely relaxin, I have a bit of SPD, and sacroiliac joint dysfunction.  So, uterus is a bit off kilter, and the baby doesn’t have enough room to be happy turned.  Ok.  goes along with what I’ve read.

It’s my left side.  Which makes sense, that’s where most of the pain is.  To find this out, the Chiropractor pushed down on my hip and raised my leg.  Left would go up about 40°, right leg around 65°.  It was amazing the difference in range of motion.

After a long assessment and discussion of issues and potential problems (Yay placenta!  You gotta love talking about your placenta with a complete stranger,) he said he was going to start doing the adjustments.  Basically popping my hip into place.  He had me lie on my right side, lower leg straight, upper bent.  Arms sort of crossed, but not quite.  He then tried to twist my left hip back while holding my shoulder straight.  It wouldn’t crack.  He tried three times, I think.  Then we went to the other side.  Small neck adjustment, left side needed some help, right side cracked three times almost on its own.

After getting home, I could feel my hips move – was I just more aware? – as I walked.  Almost a grinding feeling.  But my back felt a little bit better.  And a little bit better is good.

I have another appointment Thursday.