"I Need Help"

These have to be the three hardest words I've ever uttered in my whole life.  And lately, I've been saying them a lot.  Yes, I know I'm 39 weeks pregnant and yes I know I should want people to help me.  But for this self-sufficient, independent girl ..... that's a hard thing to do.  Here's what complicates things.

Last Thursday after sweeping & mopping the downstairs floors (see? independant and stubborn!) my back was really achy.  No big deal.  I worked hard so now I deserve to kick my feet up, read my latest birth book and let my back rest and heal.  Well, rest I did.  Heal I did not.  Throughout the evening that "ache" in my back turned to sharp, shooting pains in my lower back and right hip.  Well, thank goodness for my chiropractor who can fix this, right?  WRONG!  This was Thursday night and I found out via Facebook that their office was closed on Friday.  CLOSED!!!  Now is not the time for them to be closed.  This means I have to wait until Monday!

So Chris massaged my back, we prayed and went to bed.  Friday the ache was still there but not the shooting pain.  And Saturday was more of the same.  Ok ... maybe I can make it 'till Monday.  Oh, so wrong again.  Saturday night we attended a BBQ at a friend's house and because we forgot to bring chairs along (thank you pregnancy brain), I ended up sitting on their picnic bench for a few hours.  A hard, wooden, non-forgiving picnic bench.  Re-enter sharp, shooting pain.  Except this time it was worse!  Way way worse!  I informed Chris we needed to leave and as I literally limped to the van I prayed one prayer.  "Dear Lord, please don't let me go into labor!"

Chris again massaged my back, applied heat, we prayed and went to bed in hopes that it would again feel better in the morning.  But apparently I'd really done it this time and those delightful shooting pains were still present Sunday morning, reminding me again and again that I should NEVER mop the floor when I'm 38 weeks pregnant!  Hear that pregnant mamas??  DON'T MOP THE FLOOR!!!  You can live with the dirt!

So I limped through the house eating what breakfast I could and getting myself ready for church.  And the whole drive there I'm just praying no one asks me "How are you feeling?" because they definitely would have gotten a whole sob story they never wanted to hear!  Fortunately we made it through the morning without any comments on how big I was was or questions on how I felt.  This is rare, my friends.  Rare.

I limped back to the van, drove home and pretty much sat on my rump the whole rest of the day.  And here's where the whole "I need help" thing comes in.  I asked for help with everything from cooking meals, to caring for my son to getting out of the chair.  And I asked not because I wanted to.  I NEEDED to.  I physically couldn't do the tasks that I so commonly do every day.  Very very frustrating.  But I am so thankful for an amazing husband who willingly changes diapers, cooks supper and rubs my back.  I seriously couldn't do this without him!!

So today I went to see my chiropractor.  He scolded me for mopping the floor.  I scolded him for being closed on Friday.  And he half-adjusted me.  Because my back has been so "jacked up" for this many days, it barely budged.  Fantastic.  So although I feel somewhat better, my lower back is still achy and sore.  I go back in later this week to have him work on it again.  And I'm still praying I don't go into labor until this is resolved.