My second pregnancy hit me hard. Sickness, anaemia and a toddler do not mix well. It was hard to distinguish whether what I was feeling was a symptom of pregnancy or CFS/ME. The pregnancy bloom wasn't as apparent in my second pregnancy. This was probably due to exhausting myself trying to entertain and tire out my son everyday. I did have the bloom though, as I was able to do more with my son than previously possible. I worried that after my pregnancy my condition would deteriorate again, but my Perrin practitioner said that I was doing so well in my recovery that if I deteriorated it would not be back to where I was before treatment. This knowledge was a big relief. The last trimester of pregnancy was hard as I was much bigger so struggled to carry the extra weight, and I experienced all the uncomfortable aches and pains that are common in the latter stage of pregnancy. I was ready to not be pregnant any more, yet worried about how I would manage with two young children.
Sooner than expected, my second son was on his way. After 4 hours of regular contractions my body began to weaken. As I walked upstairs to the bathroom I could feel my legs getting heavier and I started to panic. If my body was feeling like this now how would it cope when the proper contractions kicked in? I rang the hospital and explained my condition. As expected they were reluctant to let me go. I was in no mood to be ignored so we drove down to the hospital. At the hospital my contractions were getting stronger, my body was getting weaker and I was panicking. My husband had to find a nurse to examine me. She did and told me I wasn't far enough along for them to do anything. I was very weak and felt as heavy as lead. I told the nurse that I either had to have an epidural to allow my body some rest, or I would be forced to have a cesarean section because I was not strong enough to give birth. She went to find a doctor. After 30 mins the doctor came. Within that time the proper contractions had started and my body shook uncontrollably with each one. Between contractions I was left feeling lifeless. I didn't know what was happening with my body and I was very scared. The doctor told me they would keep an eye on me, but do nothing for the moment. My husband demanded they examine me as my contractions had been so strong. I was so fortunate to have someone to fight my corner as I was not in a fit state to do so. Sure enough, when examined I was much more advanced. She finally agreed to move me to a ward and give me an epidural. The epidural had a wonderful relaxing effect. I was very worn out and weak, and tried to use the time to rest so I could have enough strength to give birth. Lucas took his time coming and the doctors worried that I would need a cesarean section to get him out. Fortunately, he was eventually ready to come, not without some hard work on my part though. He required lots of pushing, which was extremely taxing on my body. I was blessed with the strength to endure it and our baby boy arrived safe and sound, welcomed by happy tears from mummy and daddy.
After birth it took me a while to recover. My blood pressure shot through the roof and I was very sick. The doctors expressed concern, but I knew all I needed was sufficient time to rest and recover. The staff were good in allowing me that time and Lucas slept the whole time, so I slept and rested regardless of the noise on the ward and by the next day I was suitably recovered to go home(another blessing), although it would take at least a week to gain my strength back. We were then a family of four.
And so resumes the blog of how we manage!
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