Life in the Moderately Paced Lane: What It's All About

I'm Shelese, just an ordinary woman married to a wonderful man expecting their first child. We met nearly ten years ago, married two and half years now and enjoying the wonderful company of our 1 1/2 year old pooch, Bosley.

In April of 2010, we suffered through the grief of miscarriage. It was a very challenging time however after several months, we were pregnant again. Now at nearly 18 weeks, this pregnancy seems to be going strong but has not been without its complications. Early on, there was the spotting, so I ended up on progesterone supplements for the first 12 weeks. Less than ideal, with many nauseous, tired, and drunk feeling days, I was overjoyed to be done with the pills at my 12 week appointment. Being a resident in an internal medicine training program meant my days were long and my schedule rather demanding, so returning to my days sans pills and their side effects was like bursting through from under a deep fog. The excitement, though, quickly fizzled as I entered a very difficult rotation in the ER, where 12 hour shifts with nothing but a 20 minute lunch break was the norm. Exhausted and fatigued, I got through nearly all of my shifts before I began feeling pressure and pains from deep in my pelvis. I called in sick for my last ER shift and was fortunate to be heading into vacation time next. I took several days on the couch and then headed out with the hubby to do some last minute Christmas shopping when the pains started getting stronger. I called the doctor and got surprising recommendation to go on bed rest, drink three liters of water a day, and cancel my long anticipated flight home to Kansas for the holidays. Ugh, what frustration - I hadn't seen my family since last May and my older sister, Angela, had a new one month old little boy that I had been looking forward to meeting. But I followed their recommendations until they could see me on the following Monday, where they determined that my cervix was inappropriately short for being only 14 weeks along. I needed to have it stitched close, a procedure called a cerclage. Fortunately, everything else was looking fine. Unfortunately, I was sentenced to modified bed rest for the duration of the rest of my pregnancy - six whole months!

Hence, the blog. After 4 years of furious study to get my bachelor's degree, 2 years of furious study to get through the premed course work in preparation for medical school, one year of full time volunteer work, four years of furious study to get through medical school, and one year of furious and difficult work to get through my intern year of residency, I am now faced with six months of furiously.... sitting on the sofa. Actually, not even sitting - it's reclining on the sofa. Or lying in bed. My daily activity is limited to getting up to go to the bathroom or eat, a 10 minute walk per day, and several simple exercises (which can be done in bed) to improve movement and avoid clots in my legs and arms. I can go for dinner or a movie for an hour or so once a week, as long as I feel well. I've received great advice that the best thing to do to pass the time is keep a schedule, so I've designed one that I have not yet stuck to 100 per cent, but I think is working nonetheless. My hope is that by updating here several times per month I can keep my friends and family updated of the goings on, the laying around, and my initially very hectic life which has suddenly come screeching to a very loud halt. Not everything is stagnant, though, the most active one in life these days is the growing one in my belly who started making himself or herself known through a few big kicks about a week ago. We will find out at our next doctor's appointment (in one week) if we should paint pink or blue. It's an exciting time for our little family, hopefully the wait will go smoothly and quickly, and before we know it quiet time to ourselves on the sofa will be a coveted respite!