THE PELVIC REGION

I haven't thought much about the pelvis, pictured below, since my 12th grade anatomy class. There just hasn't been a need to think of the bony structure that holds my hips in place and allows me to function like a normal human being. That is until NOW...



About a week ago, I felt like I had injured the left side of my pelvic region (possibly my ilium). I thought maybe I had walked into something and bruised myself or maybe my barely-fitting maternity pants were rubbing in the wrong spot and I was chaffing. After some physical investigating (which is hard when your belly is BIG), I determined that there was no evidence of bruising or chaffing. What I did notice was that the pain was spreading across my pelvic region. The epicenter of my pelvic pain was right in the center, on the public symphysis.

In the days following the spread of the pain, my discomfort has grown. Walking hurts, getting out of bed is hard work, and bumping into the dishwasher door or the bathroom sink can bring tears to my eyes. Not knowing what was going on, I talked to my doctor about all my pain. Her response, naturally, was this kind of pain is normal. My body is just preparing itself for the baby to drop and come out. Supposedly, there are ligaments and tendons down there, too, that are stretching and getting ready for the big baby drop and exit. People in the OB/GYN field call this round ligament pain; I call it a pain in the ass.

Apparently there is nothing to do to make the pain stop. I just grunt a lot and try to remind myself that this is what my body was designed to do. WHATEVER...

---------------------------------------------------

Updates: for the girl who has had the easiest unplanned pregnancy known to man, it's been a rough week. I also developed a nasty skin infection on my upper-tummy/rib-cage. I'm medicating topically, washing my clothes separately from David's, using my own towels, and washing my hands frequently (we don't need the nastiness to spread). Who knew you could get yeast infections on your skin?

School: I'm spending a lot of time studying for my comps these days. Working my way through introductions to biostats and epidemiology. I'm hoping to finish another two stats chapters and the rest of epi this weekend.

Dinner tonight: (if David ever gets home) cod wrapped in lettuce and poached in a butter-wine sauce, rice, and sugar-snap peas. We're also having vanilla-strawberry parfaits for dessert.