Having a Hard Pregnancy? Surviving a Physically Difficult Pregnancy Is Easier With Friends by Carrie Watts

Any woman who has “brewed a baby,” as my husband says, knows it isn’t easy. It’s a pretty crazy rollercoaster right from day one. Even more when your body struggles under pregnancy’s demands.

By the end of my first pregnancy, I had debilitating carpal tunnel syndrome and severe pelvic girdle pain (PGP). I stopped work four weeks before my due date because I couldn’t brush my hair, climb stairs or walk from my car to my desk without agony. Then I developed preeclampsia. My plans for a quiet water birth dissolved. I watched with jealousy as other women enjoyed their pregnancies.

And the birth? Well, that’s another story! Needless to say, I was afraid to do it again, but then my doctor told me it never goes the same way twice. Important note: that doesn’t mean it will be better! The second time round, the PGP advanced into extreme symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD). I was on crutches at 18 weeks and fully house bound week 20 through delivery. It was a very low time.

So how did I survive? My online community of mothers and friends saved me. Talking with them helped me process everything and to remember that, though I was immobile, I wasn’t alone. Being connected to others, day or night, kept me sane.

What a gift we have in our online tribes.

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