Friday, January 15, 2010

Massage Therapy Rx

I got back to Austin on Wednesday in enough time to sit down for dinner with my boys and snuggle with Landon in his big boy bed (a transition which could NOT have been easier- we just stuck him in there about a week ago and he's taken all his naps and 12 hours at night ever since- I still have such residual fear from his "not-easy" days that I totally dreaded this switch to a new room and new bed). I got to hear all about his two days with daddy and daycare then received lot of kisses, including two from his pound puppy. It was great to be home.

Thursday morning wasn't quite so good - when I was heading out the door to work Landon cried and begged me to "no go to Dallas". I tried to explain that I was only going to my office and I would be back for dinner, but to no avail. I was able to pick him up from daycare early and we played together all night, so he now seems to believe that I will be sticking around.

The judge moved up our trial to March 1st. This is bad in that we will be very busy until then, but good in that I will be 25 weeks pregnant rather than 30, and we were probably going to be busy until trial started regardless of whether it was March or April - at least now the prep ends sooner. I'm still very conscious of all the specialist told me about pre-term labor, and by the end of my fast-paced, high-stress emergency hearing, I was doubting whether I could (or really, should) be on the trial team. To that end, I'm doing what I can during the prep time to take care of myself. I will be receiving the weekly progesterone shots, which from my research are highly effective in delaying pre-term labor, especially in people like me with no other risk factors (i.e. no multiples, no diabetes, not overweight, not over 35 -- just labor probably caused by stress or other environmental factors). I was cognizant of the tension in my body as I sat in court or at the computer until the wee hours of the morning and took breaks to walk around or stretch. I ate well. I drank a lot.

And today I treated myself to a 60-minute prenatal massage. By mid-massage I had worked out the financials to allow myself one every two weeks, with the option of going weekly once we get in to the trial. I'm not shopping, I have no time to run errands, and I haven't bought new clothes or shoes in weeks - this will be my "fun" expense until I am no longer pregnant. Due to a membership program at the wonderful massage place near our house, my first hour-long massage of the month is $49 and any additional are $39. My therapist was very experienced with prenatal massage and was perfect for me - no talking and a firm touch. I think this will greatly help my headaches, back aches (we sit on a wooden bench in court), and whatever other stress I don't think I have but my body apparently holds on to. And they're open till 10 at night and on weekends so I can schedule them outside of work.

I feel good. I feel like I'm doing what I can to be healthy while still working in this job that I love on a case that is very important to me (and to the firm, which in turn, is great for me). If I need to step back more I will - each of the partners is well aware that I'm pregnant and that I am being monitored for early labor, but I'm hoping that won't be necessary.

I'm 19 weeks and everything is going well. I still don't think much about the pregnancy- it just sort of "is." Last time I was constantly reading message boards and articles about pregnancy and fetal development- this time I periodically rest my hands on the beginnings of my belly and smile. Then I turn back to my work or my Landon. My biggest problem has been finding enough clothes that fit to wear to court- I'm going to have to invest in a maternity suit soon...

8 comments:

  1. I got a weekly massage while pregnant the second time, and it was wonderful.

    Sounds as though you've got everything under control and will be able to get done what you need to get done while still taking care of yourself.

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  2. Sounds fantastic! I couldn't believe how much better I felt after getting a recent massage (my first). Our bodies really do retain a lot of stress. Good luck in court!

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  3. I just giggled at "I drank a lot".

    Water, I presume, but it still gave me a chuckle.;o)

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  5. Sounds silly but check out Target online for maternity suits - I was really happy with my basic black combo one (dress, skirt, jacket, that i could mix and match).

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  6. You continue to amaze me with your balance and graceful handling of all that life brings your way. Keep it up LL, you're doing great!

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  7. Massage therapy is an awesome idea. But I am still in shock that you sit on a wooden bench in court! And I thought our 70s-ish padded chairs were uncomfortable.

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  8. occasional poster, frequent lurker piping up to recommend Ann Taylor/LOFT for professional maternity stuff. I'm not sure where in Austin you are but I think they have a maternity section in the store out in the Hill Country Galleria. That's nowhere near where I am though, so I actually went to the one at the Quarry in San Antonio, while visiting my SIL who lives there. Decent selection of maternity in person, plus then you have a feel for how they fit so you could order online. Or just order online -- from what you've said before I think we're built similarly (I wear a 2 and non-preggo A.T. fits me well; perfect length when I buy the Long and wear my usual heels) and my biggest problem was finding *any* maternity clothes built for thin women who aren't really short. Seems like most major retailers start at what corresponds to a sz 8 so I was swimming in the bottom half of what was available, even when I got the belly.

    And the other place I got lots of maternity was actually Ross Dress for Less. Unlike the other discount stores like Marshalls and TJMaxx, Ross actually has a small maternity section in most stores. The selection varies wildly but I found cheap jeans (like $12 cheap) that were my favorite pair, plus several tops that worked for me when I had to dress for work. And again, cheap! You've got the additional challenge I had of having to bridge seasons, even more than I did (my son was born in March so I started to need maternity in Oct. when it was still warm here, and then it was warming up again before he was born, but in the intervening months I needed winter clothes).

    And you may already know this, but a friend who had to dress up for work cautioned me against the Pea Pod/Mimi Maternity stores as their return policy is very stringent and basically the moment you walk out the door you'll only get store credit. This was a couple years ago though so maybe it's changed. I avoided them though as my I ended up buying a ton of stuff one weekend at different stores, taking it home to "make outfits" from what I had found, and then returning some stuff when I realized that certain pants/shirts didn't coordinate well with much.

    And, although I don't *actually* know you, I am local so if you'd like to borrow any of my maternity clothes they're just sitting in my closet. I think you can email me from this posting without me actually including my email address here.

    squeezes to Landon -- my guy is just 10mos old so it's fun to see what I have to look forward to! he's going to be an awesome big brother.

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