oh the pain

so, about two weeks ago I went out shopping for a whole day. Ran many errands and went from place to place getting in and out of the car and walking a lot. I didn't think this would be too much of a problem because I was only 22 weeks at the time, and the second trimester is supposed to be the easy painless one, right? So, I had planned on getting as much done in this trimester as possible before the aches and pains set in.

Well, I am getting a lesson in things not going according to my plan, because that night, I had a ton of pulling, ripping, tight pain just under my big belly. It felt like I had done 10,000 sit ups and every time I took a step, my muscles were ripping.

People keep telling me this is ligament pain from uterus stretching, but I had always thought that ligament pain was a sporadic type of pain that only lasted a few minutes at a time. But this pain has not gone away. It's constant and makes walking agonizing. It is worse at times more than others, so about a week after it started, it was a beautiful day and I was feeling pretty good, so I thought it would be fun to take a walk to the local ice cream shop. BAD DECISION. Once we were home, not only were my ligaments killing me, but now my whole pelvis, tailbone and lower back were so painful that I couldn't find a comfortable position that didn't make my muscles seize up.

Then, I had to work two twelve hour shifts back to back and by the end of the second shift, I was ready to kill someone. Every time I took a step, I could feel my tailbone pop. I wanted to steal the new moms' wheelchairs and push myself around in them.

I had really been looking forward to being pregnant in the summer and taking walks every night, but it looks like my body has other plans.

I did buy a maternity support band and wore it all day at work yesterday and last night and today, my ligaments feel about 75% better. I can actually get up from the couch on my own and don't have a problem finding a comfortable position in bed. So, I'm hoping this band is my answer to get me through the next 16 weeks.

I really thought I had about 10 more weeks before I started feeling pains, but I have a very short waste and there's no place for this baby to go but out in front, so I think it's causing me a little extra pulling. But, I know it will be worth it in July.