Let's Get Real!

WARNING: This post may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

I like to think that I go through pregnancy gracefully. I mean, it's my fourth time. I know what I'm doing by now. I like to do things myself. I try not to waddle. I definitely frown upon whining. I try to be as unobnoxious as possible. Well, I'm blowing that all out of the water today. You see, I've had "the cough" for about a week now. Normally the cough and I don't get along (remember, I'll probably be getting esophageal cancer because of it!) but never has it been so rotten as right now being pregnant with it. So I'm getting real. No sugar coating. And here's where the detested whining begins...

First of all, the darn thing is keeping me up all night. So here I am about to finish up my second trimester and I feel like I'm at the beginning of my first trimester again because I'm so tired during the day. Three hours of sleep a day definitely isn't cutting it. How, exactly, are you supposed to get better when you can't get enough sleep? A couple of nights ago the coughing actually caused me (I think!) to throw up. I ran to the bathroom as fast as I could and barely made it to the toilet before the second heave came. That was a nasty, rotten night.

Second, I guess my back and stomach muscles are stretched out, right? Well, when I normally have "the cough" I just deal with the cough. Right now I'm dealing with evenings full of really, really bad pain in my whole back, my sides and my side stomach muscles. When I wake up in the morning they feel fine, but as the day wears on, all that coughing really does a number on all those muscles from being tightened up so much. By 9 p.m. when I'm sitting at the computer doing my work, I'm in bad shape. The other night I was in complete tears because I couldn't take the pain anymore. Right now I'm wondering if it's worth it to finish this post in this much pain. But, yes, I will persevere. And then I'll get myself the heck into bed!

Last, but certainly not least, and the reason for the disclaimer...the peeing. That's right. Each big cough squeezes from the top of my stomach all the way down to the bottom. And I guess since there's a little boy sitting on my bladder right now and I've had three children, I have little bladder control with that much pressure trying to get out. I have been peeing myself for days. Forget the pantyliners. I got rid of those two days ago. I'm back to my good ol' overnight pads that I was looking forward to not having to use until July! Little did I know that I'd need to use them like a diaper! Yesterday I literally went through 8 overnight pads. That night...four more. Yes, just during the 6 hours I was in bed. It's so frustrating! And you know I love pulling down my pants to go to the bathroom and smelling like urine. Mmm...nice. It's not a wonder I haven't hardly left the house this week. Too tired. Too painful. Too smelly. Embarrassing.

I'm off to bed now. First I'll take my Robitussin (of course it doesn't work but we always hope for the placebo affect, don't we?) then I'll change my pad. Who knows, maybe there will be a miracle (it wouldn't be the first Easter miracle!) and I will wake up well-rested and DRY in the morning!! :-)