Diary of a Real Pregnancy - Week 25: Heartburn, hobbling, and denial

Alright peeps... I am back! I crawled out of the sick hole like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Waaa-laaaa! Holy heck I hope I don't get sick like that again....

Again with the Gaviscon love!

Heartburn

Now at 25 weeks, and a full 6 months pregnant (whut!), I am left dealing with the awful, awful burning of the heart. Heartburn may not be the worst pregnancy symptom (not by a long shot), but it's so, so annoying. It's just always there. Not bad enough to require actual medication -- and I know some preggos do have to go that route -- but just... always.... THERE. Lurking. Brewing. Burning.

Before this point in pregnancy I could count on a few things that would lead to heartburn (chocolate, garlic, coffee...), but now it doesn't matter what I eat or drink or do, it's there. Annoying. Thank goodness Gaviscon still seems to be working, for now at least. Though when the heartburn went up into my ears this morning, I did have to push aside my half-full coffee. I repeat: I could not finish my coffee. Fair warning: it's about to get bitchy up in this place. (More-so than usual, I mean.) I feel twitchy.


Hobbling

Hey guess what? A huge belly throws off your center of gravity. Heck even a medium-sized belly (*cough*denial*cough*) throws things off. Your back curves in ways that it just shouldn't in order to compensate for the shift. You can't lift things in quite the same way, you move funny. And doing things the way you normally would have before pregnancy means you're in for some pain. I know these things. Everyone knows these things. And yet, either in denial *cough* about my size or just ignoring it because let's face it, crap just needs to get done, I find myself in pain, hobbling around with a sore back once again.

Sigh. I think I really am starting to look like a pregnant lady. No no, not those beautiful glowy upright with-child goddesses. Haaaa hahaha, no. I mean the ones waddling or holding their back and wincing. Yep. That's me.

Which brings me to my next point.


Denial

I guess it's not so much denial but... okay it's denial. I sort of forget that other people can tell I'm pregnant. I work under the general assumption that strangers don't know / can't tell, until they make a comment indicating that they CAN, and then I'm like, Wha-aa? It's not like I'm trying to hide it, just that I try not to look in the mirror much. Or when I do, I think I'm seeing something others can't. What's that called? Body polymorphism? Just plain forgetfulness? Denial?

Case in point: we were at the pool for swimming lessons, I'm sitting by the side. (Thank-you swimming lesson gods for lessons where parents do NOT have to put on a torture bathing suit and parade their lumpy bodies around a damn pool at yuck-o'clock on a Sunday morning! But I digress.) Another parent strikes up a conversation, as they do:
Other Parent: "blah blah my kids blah"
Me: "blah blah kid one, kid two, blah blah"
OP: "Oh so you are having your third?"
Me: HOW DOES HE KNOW? Oh right. Belly. "Yup."

I took a belly picture this week just so I could see for myself what others see.

Bazinga.

Previous: Week 24 - Sick...
Next: Week 26: Doctor's Appointment and Baby To-Do List