Lots of pregnancy niggles

All the minor pregnancy symptoms and complaints seem to have descended on me this week.

The worst one is haemhorroids. This comes with a TMI warning but I've got a really large external haemorrhoid and its really painful. I've got some cream for it and am trying warm baths and ice packs so hopefully it will feel better soon. All the websites and books keep harping on about diet and eating lots of fibre. Well, I'm doing that and its still a problem. I've also been taking the metamucil to stop constipation, which hasn't been too bad, but I've still got them.

The doctor said they won't really resolve until I have the baby, so I just have to live with it I guess. It's caused by the pressure of the uterus, less blood flow in the lower extremities and sitting down all the time, none of which I can do anything about.

The heartburn comes and goes and has been ok the last two days but is bad some days. I take the Losec as sparingly as I can. They are like magic though - instantly banish the heartburn.

I've had symphis pubis pain this week too. The weight of E3 must be causing this to be more of a problem. Its not really an issue though because I'm not spending much time walking around so I don't feel it. I guess that will get worse as time goes on as well.

The thing that is bothering me most though, is that I am really struggling to get to sleep at night. Its a combination of the worry setting in when I am lying there in the dark, the constant urge to pee when I lie down, and the pain I am getting in my hips from lying on my side. For the last one, I've tried to use a pillow between my legs, but it still seems to cause pain. It feels like the top of my femur is bruised.

For the urge to pee, I am trying to cut down on the fluids before bed, which kind of helps. I asked the dr about it and he said that the position of my uterus might mean it pushes more on the bladder when I am lying down than when I am sitting or standing. This certainly seems to be the case because I don't feel it nearly as much during the day.

I really need to try and stop worrying at night in bed though. It won't be doing E3 any good and really, everything is fine so there's no need for concern. Once I do eventually fall asleep, I am fine for the rest of the night. It just takes me ages to drop off.

Oh well, none of these things are serious. I just feel uncomfortable and this will be my lot from now until birth. I can't really complain - I've had a good run until now, and I don't have any of the other nasties like varicose veins, back ache or stretch marks.