30 weeks pregnant and fed up!

[Mumtobe193]

Just feeling a bit sorry for myself really, and need to have a vent.

I'm 30 weeks tommorow and I am so over this pregnancy already. My pregnancy with DD was such a breeze compared to this, I never thought I'd be suffering with so many ailments all at once.

To start with, SPD is absolutely crippling me, & is made much worse by the fact my job requires me to be on my feet for 8 hours on end. I am counting down the days to maternity leave. I have 7 weeks left at work. I can't really afford to go any earlier, but may have to at this rate.

I get around 4 hours sleep a night on average. I have terrible restless leg syndrome, my legs are usually twitching away until 3 - 4am then my 3 year old wakens me at the crack of dawn.

Heartburn's driving me nuts, and contributing to keeping me awake. Plus I miss being able to sleep on my tummy terribly, I am finding it impossible to get comfy laying on my side.

And sorry if this is TMI but thrush is driving me insane! I've had 3 episodes of it since Christmas, my down below is so sore and swollen. I've used the pessary and cream on each occasion and it's cleared it for about a week, 2 max, then it's back with a vengeance.

I've had my fair share of potential complications with this pregnancy and have been closely monitored by consultants, it's been a big worry, but luckily baby looks very healthy, and I am so relieved. Wouldn't want anyone to read this and think I am not grateful to be carrying a healthy baby. I am so grateful to be pregnant and really looking forward to meeting my baby boy, but I am really struggling.

I've not spoken to any of my friends, family or colleagues about how I'm feeling as I'm concious of coming off as 'woe is me'. DP doesnt seem really to give 2 sh*ts in all honesty, barely looks up from his phone when I mention anything 'pregnancy related' to him and hasn't so much as offered me a cup of tea when I'm clearly having one of my tougher days.

Plus money is tight, so rather than enjoying picking out cute baby outfits, pushchairs and cribs, I've just got serious anxiety about how we're going to possibly afford everything. We've so much we still need to buy! The thought of it is making my head spin.

Anyone else feeling as rubbish as me? Also, If anyone has any remedies for SPD, restless leg syndrome, heartburn or thrush I'd be really grateful.

I feel better already for being able to have a good moan lol, sorry if this post is a bit negative. Hope you ladies are feeling far better than I am :)

Moan away, pregnancy sucks (IMO anyway!) It's a whole new level of hell when you have to do it with a less-than-sympathic partner and a small person in tow!

I had terrible restless leg syndrome during my pregnancy with DD1 and found eating a banana a day helped. Plus making sure I was drinking enough. It's most commonly caused by dehydration or magnesium deficiency I believe? You can also but magnesium sprays you rub into the skin but they didn't work for me.

Hi OP

I feel for for you! as grateful as you can be, you can still admit when you feel shitty. Nobody tells you about the ‘not so nice’ effects of pregnancy! everyone just talks about that magical glow

I have the suggestion of sipping coconut milk (or any dairy free milk) for heartburn. I’ve just discovered it and it makes it so much easier to sleep without having my head titled up at bizarre angles. The coconut milk is a permanent fixture on the shopping list now.

Thank you ladies, I will definitely try the coconut milk suggestion, right now I'm sleeping with a box of Rennies on my bedside table, which help for all of about half an hour until my throats back to being on fire!

I'll also try the banana suggestion for restless leg syndrome, it's definitely not dehydration, I wouldn't think so anyway? I'm the thirstiest person in the world at the moment, and I'm permanently sipping water or crunching ice cubes.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Vent away! I’m really sorry your partner is unsupportive, that must make it really hard for you.
I had a couple of bouts of thrush- the first treated with pessary and the second seemed to start about a week or so later, and I found that gently inserting (via a Calpol syringe) some plain live yogurt appeared to have headed off the second bout before it got worse (and felt quite soothing). I also now take a chewable acidophilus tablets every day and I haven’t had anything since.

Also if you’re having sex with your partner he might need to be treated in case he keeps passing it back to you?

I’m 30 weeks and my legs were driving me crazy with the twitching. I got some feroglobin iron tablets for £4.50 from Sainsbury’s and by day 2 I started sleeping again so I’ve had a few good nights sleep now, I also find hot water bottle helps to get you to sleep. Good luck x

See the GP for heartburn treatment. I have Omeprazole prescribed and after a few days it makes a big difference.

I had to be signed off work with SPD at 33 weeks as I am on my feet all day so couldn’t manage any longer. I get sick pay until 36 weeks then start my maternity. Have you seen a physio? There are things they can do to help that might keep you mobile for a week more week.

For the heartburn, you might find (possibly in addition to what your doctor prescribes) that Gaviscon Double Action tablets are more effective than Rennies - they’ve got a seaweed thing going on which is supposed to hold things in place, as well as neutralising the acid. I get mine from Home Bargains or Wilkinson’s. (They are more expensive, so a 36-pack on offer is the way forward.)

For baby things, have you looked at eBay (you can get some good bundles of baby clothes) and Facebook Marketplace? The only things you need new are a cot mattress and a car seat. I just got a nursing chair with footstool off eBay for £10, which was nice!

For eBay, you can set up a search and save it. For larger items, such as cot and pushchair, I put a maximum distance from my house of 25 miles so that we should be able to collect them. I also save the search with price + postage sorted low to high, so that the cheapest items are top in the emails I receive.

(I’ve also got all of my pregnancy wardrobe, minus the first two pairs of trousers, bras, and a few hand-me-downs, from there. I tend to put the minimum bid on things that I want and hope for the best. Most things get away, but I’ve only paid more than £6 for trousers once...)

There are also nappy libraries in some places. They let you hire reusable nappies so you can find out which ones suit your baby best. You then hope that the ones you like best come up cheap on your eBay search! This saves money, but obviously you then have to deal with the hassle of reusable nappies.

You might also find that you have a local sling library, if that’s your thing, where you can find out which slings suit you best, and hire them, if that’s your thing.

Good luck! It’s not easy to do this on a tight budget, but it is possible!