My biggest complaint right now (entering my 7th month) is that it’s mildly uncomfortable, meaning I have to press my belly against the counter, to reach the kitchen faucet when I want to turn it on or off. It’s not a big problem, but it’s somewhat annoying.
Also, I’ve gotten to the point where I run the risk of knocking things over with my stomach in small spaces, which my husband and co-workers find absolutely hilarious.
Other than that, I think my toddler has kept me pretty spry…so far. But I can already feel some signs of impending discomfort. For example, rolling over in bed might cause a small shooting pain in my groin. Or I’ll get a random, shooting pain down there just sitting around. Or when I stand up from a sitting or laying position, my stomach is just beginning to feel like a light bowling ball dropped toward my knees. It’s interesting – you spend the first six or seven months not noticing that your stomach is a separate entity until all of a sudden, one day, it’s like a bag full of rocks that happens to be attached to the rest of your body.
Shoes have posed little problem so far, but it’s summer so most of the shoes I’m wearing right now are sandals. But tying my workout shoes hasn’t been too hard.
Edited to add that I have noticed a slight issue putting on my pants in the morning. I think it’s a combination tiredness/awkwardness, but sometimes I almost fall over.
Honestly, the only two times where maneuvering was a problem was due to the need to slide through a narrow spot. One was at my office; there was a narrow passageway along one row of cubicles, and someone was standing in it, and I had to wiggle a bit to get past whoever it was. Another time was at a restaurant with booth seating - had to ask for a different table.
Oh, and if I sat on any cushiony surface that let my rump sink below the level of my knees, my tummy and lap collided, so I had to sit with my knees apart. I think this was only an issue sitting on the edge of the bed, really.
No trouble with shoes, or not being able to see my feet. Then again, I’m tall, and very long in the torso, so the baby bump wasn’t as large, percentage-wise, so it didn’t get in the way as much as with a shorter-torso’ed woman. That’s my theory anyway.
No troubles with getting out of chairs. No trouble with the waterbed. I’m pretty sure I never waddled. Really, except for the whole life-threatening complications the second time around, my pregnancies were pretty comfortable.
My wife never had any particular problem maneuvering during any of her three pregnancies, fortunately. Our cat liked to sit on her belly, though, enjoying both the warmth and the elevated view while she was lying down.
My mom once got a very nasty bruise when she was pregnant with my sister. She was leaning lightly against a kitchen counter and my sister-to-be kicked hard against it. Not fun.
I have, more than once, sat on the floor and been unable to get up without help. That extra weight, distributed so oddly, really messed with my center of gravity and my balance. The VP of the company had to help hoist me up once when I was at work – funny, but a tad embarrassing.
I couldn’t drive for about the last two months of each pregnancy; I’m 5’2", and need the seat pretty close to the steering wheel to be able to reach the gas and brake pedals, and my belly didn’t allow that. Other people were quite amused; I wasn’t, so much.
Four babies, four looooong pregnancies. I got so big that by five months, strangers usually thought I was due to give birth any second. Everyone speculated on twins, maybe triplets. Well, on three of the four pregnancies, anyway. My second one was all “normal” sized. Add to that a broken ankle during my last pregnancy, when I was also going to school. Imagine an enormous woman, huge belly in front, over sized backpack to the rear, in a cast and on crutches.
For all I know, they BASED all those sitcom situations on me.
