Oh Cankles

My first 18 weeks of pregnancy were miserable, but since then, I'd say I've been pretty lucky. No complications, no trips to the hospital or unexpected doctor visits. I've been able to get out and travel and exercise and play without too much difficulty. But now, in my last month, all things have changed. Wow, is being pregnant uncomfortable! Heartburn is back, I can't move smoothly (in fact, I bump into things), I'm super slow at everything, my clothes don't fit and I don't want to buy more with so little time left, and the biggest change, my feet are swelling. Really swelling.

I don't recognize my lower legs, ankles, and feet. They aren't mine. I've burst into uncontrollable, delirious laughter looking at them. I feel detached from the foreign objects and yet I can feel every inch of the painful skin stretching and tissue ballooning. Today my flip-flop got stuck on my foot. I finally tugged it off to get some relief and then struggled to get it back on. I have trouble walking sometimes, just because my feet feel like they will explode.

Not to worry, I don't have toxemia or some other complication. I have no other red flag symptoms - just major water retention in that area and the possibility that baby's head is now blocking vessels that have aided in the swelling. I've been lucky that pregnancy hasn't taken me off my feet so far so if I only have to deal with it in the last two weeks, I'm ok with that.

Usually I slip into a double knotted shoe, no problem. Now I have to untie, loosen a lot, and watch my ankles spread out over the side of my shoe. This walk didn't last very long.