24 weeks - this week I have been mostly...

…putting on weight…
After not putting on any weight for the first 20 weeks or so, I’m making up for it now! I think this is a good thing, although it’s still quite weird to let go and acknowledge that you have no control. I actually had not weighed myself since I had to (to put on my blade after bumping in Torpids in 2000…) It’s a bit like when you first realise that your shape is changing. It may be good and healthy, but it's still a bit hard to get used to.

…getting a bit of a phobia about ultrasounds…
I passed out during a scan in November, then when the dr doppler’d me in the UK I went v faint, and again at my scan last week I had to stop early before I passed out. I think it’s a combo of the pressure of the babies on my vena cava (thanks for telling me about that Liz!) and my squeamishness. Apart from which, it’s pretty blooming painful. And since the last scan was for all sorts of measurements, and they need to measure 2 babies, it lasted quite a long time. Anyway, I am sad that something I looked forward to at the beginning has now become something a bit traumatic.

…thinking about hypno-birthing…
I am under no illusion that this labour business is going to be pain-free. However, I reason that it can’t hurt to have some official relaxation and visualization techniques to help cope. So Ross has “acquired” the Maggie Howell CDs from the Interweb, and I’ll be giving them a go soon. I’ll let you know. I chose this particular one because it’s English, and as you need to listen to it 30+ times, I didn’t really want an American one.


...getting annoyed with the disorganization of the Tsan Yuk hospital…
The Queen Mary (and associated clinic and Tsan Yuk) is the (public) hospital that is popular with Westerners, although that is not to say that most of the signs / announcements are in English. All medical appointments in HK go like this: Arrive. Hand over HKID card. Sit down. Get weighed. Sit down. Do pee test. Get told to sit somewhere else. Get called to room 1. Answer questions re: family history, general health and due dates for the 5th time. Sit down. Get called to room 2….you get the picture. After they mucked up my scan appt the other day (actually it turned out to be yet another appointment to answer those questions again) we insisted on having a scan then and there. It worked. They may be disorganized and unclear, but if you threaten to make a fuss the staff are usually pretty helpful. Feel a bit guilty about that though.

…not retching every time I brush my teeth…
Which is nice. About bloomin’ time.


…wondering about my back…
I have heard that when you are pregnant, you shouldn’t twist your torso – on the other hand, I have read that a good exercise to open up your back is to lie on your side, then sweep your top arm up and around your head (snow angel-stylee. What’s the deal? I am getting serious back pain, and massages help a bit, but still v sore in the mornings. Cat stretch and opposite-of-cat stretch seem to help.