And so it begins...

I am on bed rest. These are possibly the two worst words to ever come out of my OB's mouth. Bed Rest. Sounds good in theory. Lay in bed, chill out, catch up on your reading. The you get to the fine print. No work, no housework, no driving, no going out, no life. And if you don't you run the risk of having a stroke or losing the baby. Great. Just Great.

So this is baby number 2 for us. I have a wonderful, rambunctious, cute as all get out 2 year old daughter (aka the midget) already. And now she is going to get a little sister. This was an unexpected pleasure. No really planned, but welcomed anyway. I had started a new job, so the prospect of spending my pregnancy indoors instead of running around like I did with the midget (I worked home care PT) was a welcome one. But this pregnancy just wasn't cooperating. You want to make God laugh - tell him your plans. That pretty much sums this whole thing up.

I had started doing Crossfit right before I found out I was pregnant. And it was GREAT! Best workout I ever had. The place was close to my job so I could run over right after work. The people were wonderful and supportive. It was small group format and always something different. Because of Crossfit I ran my first non stop mile in like a decade. I was also finally making headway towards losing the remains of the 50 pounds I had gained when pregnant with the midget. I was down to a new low of 204 pounds.

Then I got the positive pregnancy test. And I immediately went to my OB. I had several miscarriages in the past due to my low hormone levels. It was discovered when I was pregnant with the midget and was successfully treated. So they put me on Progesterone again and I immediately gained 10 pounds. I was discouraged but I was hoping to keep exercising to keep that weight gain to a minimum. I did not want another 50 pound pregnancy, especially since I hadn't gotten rid of the first 50. But it was not to be. The worse summer in forever as far as heat and humidity, plus horrible morning sickness and fatigue, and a Crossfit facility with no A/C meant I reluctantly stopped going to Crossfit. And I barely had to energy to work, much less do anything extra.

I managed to keep my weight gain under control with diet. I did not succumb to my desires for banana ice cream with chocolate chips, marshmallows, walnuts, and rainbow sprinkles. Instead I ate fruit like it was going out of style. I also switched care providers, opting for the local Birth Center so I could have the natural birth I wished for the first time around. The nausea began to subside and I began to walk more as the weather cleared up.

Then it all went south again. My precious midget tried to take out her competition by jumping on my tummy. I end up in the hospital because I started having contractions. I spent the night and found out the baby was okay but I had a small tear in the placenta, and abnormal urine test results. Back to work I went and followup testing reveled the tear had healed and the baby was still doing just fine. But mommy was not. Elevated blood pressure, slight edema in the feet that didn't always go away, and elevated protein in my urine. I end up with another trip to the hospital and a diagnosis of preeclampsia. I was given a course of steroids to speed up the baby's lung development in case she came, or was forced to come, early. And I received the bombshell - BEDREST!

So I am 6 days into my 3 month (finger crossed) sentence. I am supposed to stay home and be still. Which is the single hardest thing for me to do. Especially since I feel just fine. I spend my days running around, talking to people all day. And now I have to sit home alone with my cat and be still. And contemplate life or something. Sigh. I know it is for the best for the baby and myself. The last thing I need is for the pre-e to get worse and have something horrible happen to one or both of us. But that very rational argument doesn't make this any easier. It goes against the grain for me. When I am home I can't help but think of how I have let the house go to hell because I have been to tired to clean properly. I see the baseboards in the bathroom that need to be painted. And the dust that has collected. And the never ending laundry I could be doing. And I have to restrain myself from trying to do it all today. Because I am supposed to be taking it easy. And cleaning the house from top to bottom in one day is definitely NOT taking it easy.

So I sit. I dust one room yesterday and hide the dust mop so I won't start on another room. My husband spends the weekend wrangling a midget and forcing me to lay down and drink some water. And I start a blog.

I have done this blogging thing on and off during the years. Mainly when some new life event has inspired me to record whats happening so I don't forget later. So what better life event to record than the total upheaval of all I know and do by being put on bed rest for the remainder of this pregnancy. Something to occupy my time and thoughts and add structure to my day. And something to help me keep my sanity.