Can you believe I can’t tell the difference?

I am starting to feel uncomfortable when sitting down. Which is fine when I have a manic Monday in the office that involves running from one meeting to another. It’s not so fine when I’m trying to write Thank You cards during Blobette’s gymboree class (Time: between 9.00pm and 1.00am. Venue: my rib cage). I get a calculated and well-aimed foot-shove every time I try to bend even a teeny bit.

Thankfully, typing is more comfortable for both of us. The fact remains that there ain’t ’nuff space for the two of us no more. Even when she’s perfectly content to lie still and quiet, lulled to sleep by movement or the singing of silly songs, I still feel really, really full. To the brim. Bloated like an overblown zeppelin. With 7 weeks to go.

In amongst all this newfound discomfort lies heartburn.

Had a quick read and basically, preggy heartburn is brought about by

  • oodles of progesterone relaxing muscles that need to be relaxed, but also allowing fluids to travel where they shouldn’t, and altogether slowing digestion down. Which is a bummer because by now, you’ve learnt to eat like a horse. And now you have to eat like a bird eleventeen times a day. Who has the time between meetings!
  • growing, cramped baby pushing your organs this way and that, and again slowing the whole digestion process down.

There is method to the madness, by the way. Because apparently,

the same process that causes (me) discomfort may benefit (my) baby because nutrients that linger in (my) bloodstream can be absorbed more fully into (my) baby’s system.

Yuh. Glad I can help out.

So naturally, it follows that one tries to find out how to eliminate such discomfort. And it turns out that I have to refrain from

  • rich, spicy dishes
  • chocolate
  • citrus fruit or juices
  • coffee (and I take it, tea as well)

So I get to choose between heartburn and eating bird food eleventeen times a day. I choose heartburn.