Bone tired

For the past weeks, everyone at work has told me to take things easy. I knew that meant I shouldn't yell at my classes and get worked up. I was also told that I shouldn't walk too fast but that story, I've told already. So, I wondered, what else did I need to take easy? For the past 4 years, I've woken up every morning before 6 and taught all the way till 4 in the evening. I figured by now, I could do it in my sleep, which on occasion, I have come close to doing.

I thought wrong though.

Being pregnant has made it different. By the end of each teaching day over the past week, I've felt as if a cement mixer came round and poured cement all over me and then a bull dozer consequently came by and ran over me. So I would struggle through the half an hour drive home and collapse into a pile and whine till Packrat came and sayanged me. I didn't think much about it though. I just thought it was something I had to get used to and it was part and parcel of working and being pregnant. I even went shopping Friday evening to celebrate completing the first teaching week at school.

Unfortunately, by the time I came home on Friday night, I realised my body and perhaps the offspring I've been carrying were not at all pleased with me. Everytime I've gone to the doctor, one of the questions he would ask would be if I've had any bleeding and would subsequently warn me that if I have any bleeding, to climb into bed and call him straight away. And that was what happened Friday night. It wasn't so much bleeding as it was a slight bit of blood but I figured, blood of any kind, wasn't a good thing. Plus, my belly button and various parts of my tummy had been taking turns poke me with strange pains the entire day.

So then, the question was what to do? It didn't seem serious enough to warrant a midnight trip down to A&E but it did warrant concern on my part. So, heeding common sense, I climbed into bed and went to sleep and figured I'd call the doctor in the morning. When I did, he was pretty stern about it, telling me in no uncertain terms that while it wasn't anything to worry about per se, it was my body's way of saying very loudly "Slow down!!". He also insisted I should spend the weekend doing as little as possible and as much time as possible in bed. He also offered to put me on medical leave for the rest of the week. Even though medical leave sounded divine, especially since it meant not having to get up at 5.50 in the morning, I rejected the offer and explained my predicament. I would take a rain check on the medical leave and see how this week pans out. If it's even more ridulous than last week then the higher ups and the powers that be must be told.

I felt suitably chastised after speaking to him, especially when he put it into context and emphasised that I had waited so long for this and had come this far to jeopardise it by not prioritising the pregnancy. Even though I wasn't not prioritising the pregnancy, I figured it's time to down shift the gears. I spent the whole of yesterday alternating between watching the West Wing and Friends and I think I'll spend this afternoon doing pretty much the same.

Technorati Tags: Pregnancy, bedrest