Dear Diary,
Omg, this is the moment...we're at week 28, which means we're also in our last trimester. Although not much is changing right now, it feels like a huge milestone and I've never seen the end of pregnancy so close (literally and figuratively). I feel like she's almost in my arms and I can't wait. Of course, we're not quite there yet, but this last trimester feels like something final - there's no going back (thank goodness).
However, I feel like my body is also noticing that I've gained weight in the last trimester. I'm gaining weight anyway because I'm getting rounder and my skin is starting to tighten up. The moment I've been nervously looking forward to throughout my pregnancy arrived this week. While I was oiling up, I suddenly noticed: 2 small stretch marks on the underside of my belly. They weren't very big yet, but they were there all at once.
And of course I understand that it's part of the job, that it's absolutely not a problem and doesn't affect a woman's beauty. But still, something that wasn't there before is suddenly permanently on your body, as a permanent sign of your pregnancy. And that's just the thing for me. I'm not very negative or positive about it, but I do oil it up a little every now and then.
Right now I weigh over 10 kilos and I have to say I can't lie awake at night worrying about it. I even eat an extra kid's chocolate and don't give up my daily craving for Starbucks caramel iced coffee. The midwife said if I had a problem with it, I should see a nutritionist so I don't gain too much weight. There are two types of pregnant women: the health freaks who try to get through pregnancy as healthy as possible, and the gluttons. Undisciplined, I shove in whatever I like under the guise of 'I'll think of that later, I can still enjoy something in this pregnancy'. I would never once think of going to the nutritionist to be told that maybe I should eat one less chocolate chip cookie. So much for my story of weight gain and the stretch marks that come with it.
Another part of my body that is really struggling is my pelvis. It wasn't very cooperative throughout the second trimester, but now in the third trimester it seems to be getting really heavy. Sitting, standing, walking - none of that is automatic anymore and certainly not without pain. The joint in my tailbone keeps twisting to the left, causing annoying sitting problems. Faithfully, my husband massages me every evening, I do chores and go to pelvic floor physical therapy. She now gave me the tip to really switch to a wider pelvic band that I can wear while walking. I had tried this model before, but it wasn't as comfortable then. New week, new chance; so let's try it again.
Looking back, I see how exciting I had imagined the beginning of the third trimester to be, and in reality it was just a normal week with nothing happening. But we are almost there.
