Day 73: The Joys of Pregnancy

I've had some more contractions this afternoon and evening, and those are no fun, especially since they're still not regular.  They're more annoying than anything.  I also have been having back pain and it's getting difficult to bend over.  But the worst thing about the last few days is the edema (water retention/swelling) in my feet, ankles, legs, hands, and even my face. The doctor noticed on Tuesday that I've gained a lot of water weight in the past week.  Swelling of the limbs in pregnancy is quite common, and it's especially common in women who have been taken off of bed rest and Procardia/Nifedipine (which also treats high blood pressure/swelling).  It's definitely annoying though, as my joints hurt and the extra weight is hard on my feet.  I've been elevating my feet, controlling my salt intake, drinking cranberry juice and water to flush out the retained water, soaking my feet in cold water, applying cold compresses, and wearing compression socks, but it hasn't helped as much as I would have hoped.  Now I know firsthand about the "joys" of the last weeks of pregnancy that so many women complain about (I only got to 35 weeks with B).   I am getting more and more uncomfortable by the day, but as I've been saying a lot lately, I'm still glad to be pregnant and able to give Baby Boy more time to grow and develop.