Pregnancy musings: week 23

[juliet]

Officially, I'm at 24 weeks today, which is the point of theoretical viability (i.e. if I went into labour today, they'd try to save the baby. Without very good odds, I might add). By my dates, actual theoretical-viability is next week, but it's still a slightly odd moment. (It also means that I'm now past the legal abortion limit.)

The 20 week scan went fine; all measurements still fitting within the relevant population curves, all organs limbs digits etc apparently present & correct & doing what they ought. I cast on for the baby blanket I'm knitting whilst in the waiting room (it's going surprisingly fast right now but previous experience suggests that it will slow down again & I'll be knitting frantically come the start of February).

I'm feeling him move much more often and much more vigorously now -- yesterday could actually see my stomach hopping up and down a bit. Being kicked in the cervix from inside is a particularly bizarre experience.

I'm also looking more pregnant, although only when wearing tight-ish clothes (it doesn't show under a loose T-shirt or jumper). Even then it's not "definitely pregnancy" but more just "looking bigger"; I seem to be growing more upwards than outwards. I can still get into most of my trousers, but really do need the button-on-elastic expandy thing now.

I'm also noticing the effect on my joints more. I had problems with my right sacro-ilial joint last week, and went along to the osteopath, who gently suggested that perhaps building raised beds at the weekend (thus doing quite a bit of sawing) wasn't the best thing for my back right now. I am Unimpressed with this. More generally I'm starting to get lower back achiness, I presume related to the increased weight & related difficulty with keeping my back straight. And yesterday I seem to have pulled two muscles doing basically bugger all. (more DIY, but nothing strenuous!)

On the other hand, I'm still cycling & climbing, although I get tired quicker, and I've mostly stopped having daytime naps as long as I get around 8 hours sleep a night. So in general I guess all is going as smoothly as might be expected. (I can eat sugar again, too, albeit only in limited quantities; it still makes me tired but it's an overstated version of my usual response to sugar, rather than it making me sick.)

It's odd: I feel that everything's going smoothly at this point, and it's not having too big of an impact on my daily life (although certain physical things are harder work), but I wouldn't say that I like being pregnant, as some women do. Nor do I particularly dislike it. It's interesting, certainly, but mostly it's just a thing that is happening.

We have acquired a certain amount of baby stuff (some clothes, newborn-sized cloth nappies, some other useful bits & bobs, including all angelmine's unused cotton-wool!) second-hand on Freecycle/ebay/etc, which seems absurdly organised for this stage of affairs but mostly I think is about some kind of displacement activity. (I have a list! If I have all the things on the list, then I am ready! That is how it works, right?) Mostly I am currently interested in the Christiania cargo trike that we're intending to get to cart the kid around in. You can put a car seat in it & use it from day one! This is clearly awesome! Child as excuse for application of n+1 bike theory! Must clear out the garage some more.

Nine months is a very long time. I have a lot to get done before March, for sure, but still. It is a long time.