A Bump in the Front & A Backpack on My Back by Vi

I remember that day when I found out I was pregnant, it was during my 5th semester in Medical School and my husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for about a year. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. "How can you think about having a baby now?" and "Wow, I don't know how you do it, but good luck!" were among the comments I received, in addition to "Congrats!" of course. How was I going to handle everything, indeed. My first daughter was 5 years old and I was really feeling the baby vibes and I didn't want my children to be too far apart, so we had no choice but to try while I'm in school. I also figured I had braved the whole "going to school while pregnant" act before so this time it shouldn't be so bad, and for the most part, it's not, so far.

So 5th semester for me meant doing rounds at various clinics throughout the city, seeing patients and writing reports, going to classes, and studying. Well the whole "going to classes & studying" thing I had down, it's pretty routine now after so many years of school, but the clinic visits & patients were a different story. Most of the clinics had that "clean/antibactierial" smell which, at the beginning of my pregnancy, made me want to either pass out or vomit what little food I had in me! We all know the first trimester can be, to put it bluntly, a pain in the rear, what with the nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, acid reflux, & the raging hormones; add that to staying on your feet all day trying to be nice and polite to patients, well that doesn't make for a very happy mom-to-be. And just my luck, when I say I get every pregnancy symptom in the book, I mean every one. I could barely eat anything because everything made me sick and what little I could hold down went right back up whenever possible. Not to mention the highly annoying acid reflux which would make me burp LOUDLY at very inappropriate moments (not to mention the indigestion and nasty taste in my throat)! Most of the time I'd have to excuse myself and sit down somewhere and take a breath, luckily I had a partner with me so he gladly took over when he could and helped me out a lot. I managed to make it through the semester, and my first trimester, with a queasy, but adjusted stomach and a new sense of accomplishment.

Now I'm in my full study mode in preparation for my board exams, which wouldn't be so bad except I feel like I have major Pregnancy Brain and I'm barely absorbing anything I learn. It definitely takes me longer to focus and to remember something I was just reading. I'm still managing to get through things okay, just not up to par with how I used to be, which is such a bummer. I'm hoping since I still have a few months I can study what I need to do well. What sucks even more is that my feet have begun to swell, another "joy of pregnancy", and it doesn't help that I'm sitting at my desk all day reading books. By the end of the day my feet look like elephant feet, when I walk I feel like I'm waddling and my feet feel all squishy that it's extra awkward to walk around, and the skin at the tops of my feet feel like it's about to rip apart (definitely not a pretty picture). As bad as it sounds now, it's nothing compared to how my feet were when I was pregnant with my first daughter, boy did they look like whales! But don't get me wrong, it's not all bad, I'm just taking the bad with the good. I am happily enjoying all the kicks and movements that Baby Girl #2 is doing inside me, she really doesn't like it when I hunch over to read stuff, which is pretty funny to me, so she kicks up a storm.

I should be good to go in study mode until I deliver this little bundle of joy in March, after which I'll be (hopefully) starting my clinical rotations in various hospitals, which I have waited so long for. I definitely can't wait for that day, but also, I can't wait for labor day and finally getting to meet this little girl. I'm also a little scared and worried about how I'm going to juggle it all because it's a whole other ballgame when it comes to raising a new baby and starting rotations. I'm pretty blessed though because I have an amazing husband and a great support system through my mother and family. The hardest part, I'm sure, will be having to leave her every now and then while I'm doing rotations, which will most likely be in NYC (thank goodness for Skype!). I'm thinking happy, positive thoughts though and trying to enjoy pregnancy, while battling the woes of school. Let's hope I make it through in one piece!