is it normal to feel / be completely useless at 30 weeks (and previously)?

[vezzie]

I have SPD and am "working from home" which is great in theory, as the commute is knackering but we have great remote communications at my office so I should just be able to stay practically static and plough through tons of work. I am 30 weeks pg with my first child and have no other children or, let me me brutally frank, much else to worry about.

In practice I keep having weird breathless spells that won't go away unless I move around upright or lie down, flaky failures of concentration, odd tearful fits, strange sharp muscular chest aches that make me feel like I have to lie down, attacks of random ravening hunger / rampant greed, etc etc and I probably get through about 2 hours real work a day. This is making me feel very guilty and also bored as fuck because it's not like I am prancing about having a laugh instead. Is this normal? Am I going to become a functional human again? How do you cope after the baby if not, given that I will actually have some real responsibilities by then?

Please come and kick me up the arse and tell me to get over it. But I feel like achey sicky dizzy pants.

[BonsoirAnna]

Pregnancy affects each woman differently. My best friend, who was pregnant for the first time 6 months before me, worked for as long as legally allowed and then partied and nightclubbed up until the birth .

I, on the other hand, had to sleep for at least 16 hours of every 24 in the last trimester.

It's bad luck if it knackers you - but believe me, the very minute you give birth you will feel better .

[minouminou]

I'm 30 weeks as well, and have very low blood pressure which means i can lie down or walk briskly - nowt in-between or i turn into a limp weed
sounds like yours might be low too, so try upping your water intake and (sounds weird) have something you can paddle or roll your feet over as you sit - milk bottle, ball, whatever...helps to send some blood back upwards (but you look like a loon)
makes me feel pathetic, but what can you do
i hate being up the duff

[vezzie]

Hi Bonsoir and minouminou

Thanks for the advice.
I will try the bottle / foot thing - I have had quite low bp when they have taken it (tho not low enough to have worried anyone) perhaps that is why sitting feels so difficult. I just keep wanting to roll over and get some breath inside me.

Really sore bump today too, don't know why.

[minouminou]

Mine averages 90/50 or 80/40, which is low enough to raise eyebrows if you're not pregnant
also, i absolutely LOATHE salt, and have almost no added salt in my diet, but I've included a bit more (in the form of soy sauce and the odd bag of doritos , which helps to raise my BP a bit
my MW said this was ok, as i have very very little of the stuff to start with - might be an option for you if you don't eat much salt either
the drinking water is important too, as it's means there's more fluid in your bloodstream to plump out those floppy blood vessels!

[vezzie]

thanks - mine is not that low, but was under 100 once and is usually not that much over. I guzzle salt though! I will keep topping up with water. Thanks for the advice.

[ranirani]

Hi Vezzie, I would also check with your midwife for pre- eclampsia; seems like you have these dizzy spells , bettrer to be safe . One of the signs is high blood pressure though, but pre-eclmapsia can happen over night, so it is worth checking.

[SweetPea99]

Hi Vezzie,
I know exactly how you feel - am supposed to be working from home (for myself thankfully), but barely manage more than a couple of hours a day, even though I have nothing more pressing to do. The guilt, and the feeling that I am rubbish at everything when I used to be together and well organised and successful is really getting me down. And I'm only 20 weeks, so clearly I have the rest of my pregancy being useless to look forward to. I feel guilty at wasting all this time, like you say - I'm not even enjoying it, I'm just feeling crap. I hate getting to the end of the day knowing that I have acheived nothing and my DH has worked his arse off. AND I spend far too much time reading threads on Mumsnet when I shoudl be working. I have blood pressure on the lowish side too, although nothing to worry about, and I seem to become more pathetic when I sit down so I will try out Minou's tips as well. Here's hoping we return to normal functioning human beings when the babies are born!

[vezzie]

Hello Sweetpea - no, don't think you will be like this for another 20 weeks because if I have learnt anything about being pg it is that everything changes and there are so many phases you can't think "if I am like this now, I will only get more like this".

Yes, it is the self-loathing that is really bugging me. DP says: if it were me I would enjoy it, get some DVDs, and relax into it. But... you can do that for a day, but then...

[ranirani]

I also work from home, and when I was in the middle of my PG, just like you, sweetpea, I would spend ages reading threads on mumsnet or shopping for baby's stuff on the net.
But then it comes to the point: I have read everything , bought everything, ets get back to work.
The key for me was - sleep, sleep, sleep.
My due date is tomorrow, and am still working; maybe few hours a day, not a full day, but som,ething is better than nothing. Just getting priority work done first.

[minouminou]

Actually, you know what....ranirani's made me think - you're having odd pains in your abdomen and chest....do call your MW, just on the off-chance it could be the start of pre-eclampsia...better safe than sorry
hope you feel better soon