Pregnancy update

I'm now 30 weeks pregnant with our baby girl. Things are generally going well. She has been very active, kicking and punching me on a regular basis. My husband can now feel her move, mostly on my left side where she kicks. I've tried to explain to him how it feels- it's not painful at all, but it's certainly disconcerting sometimes. My best comparison for most of the movement is that it feels like the strong gut rumbles that signal trouble down below.

I'm continuing to have elevated blood pressure, so my doctor has put me on modified bed rest. Basically, when I'm not at work, I'm supposed to be taking it easy. This means no shopping trips, no more Jazzercise classes, and more time sitting or lying down.

My husband has made a moderate effort to help, usually helping me make dinner, and doing the dishes every night. It's hard for me not to correct how he puts things away (in the wrong places), and last night I watched him wipe crumbs from the stove onto the floor. I asked him why he did that, and he didn't have a real answer. I just rolled my eyes. He's not a generally messy person, he picks up after himself, and I really appreciate the help, so I'm doing my best to shut my mouth.

I've also now been prescribed blood pressure medication called Aldomet, which is supposed to be safe during pregnancy. They'll probably have to up the dose, since I'm still having elevated pressure after over a week.

The first four nights of this week, I didn't sleep worth a good goddamn. Yesterday morning, I took a few hours off in the morning (which luckily, I can do at my job) and tried to get more rest. I finally figured out that aside from numerous nightly bathroom trips, what was keeping me awake was hip and pelvis pain.

Basically, you're supposed to sleep on your side after a certain point in pregnancy, which I have been doing. The problem was that apparently I'm experiencing a lot of muscle and ligament stretching in my pelvis and hips, which is normal but can be quite painful, especially when lying on your side. The pain was keeping me up and making me toss and turn. So I started sleeping with a pillow between my knees, and last night, I slept fairly well.

I'm also starting to feel like my guts have all been shoved northward. Most of my big belly right now is the upper half, which is not baby, but my innards. I can't eat as much at one sitting before feeling stuffed, and I've had indigestion and heartburn pretty frequently. A bottle of Tums is now my best friend, because although I keep getting heartburn, I still love spicy food and acidic things like juice and tomatoes. Such is life.

All things considered, I really enjoy being pregnant. But I also can't wait for mid-December, when we get to finally meet our tiny daughter and see her precious face. She's pummeling me right now, probably reminding me, "Mama, get back to work!" And so it goes.