Incubator Me

The only possible explanation for the last three days of my life is that miniature aliens have invaded my body, moved into my digestive system, hated the current decorating scheme, and as such, cleared everything out in the most expeditious way possible. Attention all lurking nourishment: Head towards the nearest available orifice immediately. You are no longer welcome. Hey you…teaspoon of water! Yeah, we see you hiding down there in that dark corner of the lower intestine. Out you go. And don’t even think about coming back.

Oh I know this is shaping up to be simple faaaaascinating. The only thing people care less about than what you had for lunch is what you failed at having for lunch.

There’s something incredibly humbling about being sick when you’re pregnant, especially for those of us type A’s who believe we can push through any obstacle, accomplish any bit of work if we just focus hard enough on it. And so, with laptop on shaky knees over the blanket in bed, as sweaty palms grease the bottom of the keyboard, I try my damndest to focus on the gibberish in front of me on the computer screen. And fail.

Suddenly that sense of pride and martyrdom I might have otherwise felt turns to regret as I realize this isn’t just about me anymore. I have this 25 week old fetus (oh, so that’s who’s been knocking around my uterus these days), who needs me to get some sleep and some liquids into my system more than she needs me to crank out ad copy at this very minute.

And so I drop the laptop to the floor and resume shivering in bed, tormented, torn between the worker bee me and the incubator me.

Incubator me is hard. Even the second time around, it’s hard.

{31 Comments}

31 thoughts on “Incubator Me”

  1. Oh, oh. At least there is a lovely baby girl on the other side of this. My boys have had the most violent stomach flus, and what do *they* have to show for it?Feel better.

  2. I’m sending you chicken-noodle soup hugs hoping it’ll help ya feel better (and not worse!). Hang in there and I hope you get to eat something sooooon!

  3. I second the chicken-noodle soup hugs, unless they make you feel worse. I hope you get better soon.

  4. I was in a similar situation just a few weeks ago. Stomach bugs are no fun at all, and ten times worse when pregnant. Get some rest and focus on gestating and less on work. 🙂

  5. Feel better soon, hon. It sucks to be sick. It sucks even harder when you’re responsible for nourishing another life. Like I’m telling you anything that you don’t already know.

  6. Feel better soon. I did not have the double issue of illness AND pregnancy, but I was down with something yucky and it was no fun.Maybe a few sips of ginger ale?

  7. With so many of my favorite bloggers expecting precious wee bundles of joy, it’s good to read the realities of pregnancy. Otherwise the baby fever would contagious.I hope you feel better.

  8. It was actually harder, I thought, the second time. I think my body agreed.On the up side, L&D, I thought, was easier. My body, and my husband, agreed. Although my husband said it will never cease to amaze him that a person—me—can push a *baby* out of *there.* LOLAnyway, I’m getting ahead of yourself.I hope you feel better very soon. Hang in there.

  9. I was given ginger candy to battle the nausea, but that just made it worse. I hope you get over this heaving-hump. It’s the pits.

  10. At 25 weeks, the nausea should end soon. You poor thing! Hope you feel better soon.

  11. Please take care of yourself!! Pregnant women can become dehydrated VERY quickly. Sip some Gatorade, small sips, as frequently as you can manage. Ginger Ale or Ginger Tea are good too, and really do ease nausea quite a bit. Eat 47 popsicles or 26 bowls of Jello if you have to, but it’s imperative that you take in plenty of fluids. It really does stink to be sick when you’re pregnant, I know firsthand. Be nice to yourself and don’t try to be Supermom. Hope you’re feeling better soon!

  12. Hope you’re feeling better!I didn’t get a chance to comment on your previous post… but wanted to put my two cents in. My sister is currently pregnant with her third child. Her first and second are one year and three days apart, and her third will be 19 months younger than her second. All three are boys. The comments she gets range from unwanted to hurtful. “Trying for a girl?”“Are you crazy?”“Better you than me!”“Have you lost your mind?”Mind you, all three of her kids have been planned, and she is thrilled just to have healthy babies – she doesn’t care if she has 10 boys!It’s just a topic that irks me… people should keep their mouths shut!

  13. I hate being an incubator too. It is so hard to not be able to accomplish the things you want to but feel guilty for not being more focussed on the fetus.Sounds like you have something quite miserable though. I hope you had a good nap

  14. Sorry to hear you’ve got the bleughs, old bean. Is it Winter Vomiting Disease or is it the babbie chucking up everything you chuck down at her? I guess it hardly matters really, in terms of how you feel. If it’s all bleughy, it’s just all sodding bleughy and that’s all there is to it. It’s no fun and I hope you feel better soon.Maybe try sipping on something cool and lovely and refreshing like a mint julep sans the bourbon. (Can you get other sorts of julep? I don’t know). Or ginger ale in a dark glass so that the look of it doesn’t remind you of your own bile that came up moments before. It’s all coming back to me now. Oh God, yes it is. You poor thing. Take good care.

  15. We’re going to be moving into Incubator stage for the 2nd time this year. I’m hoping it went as well as it did last time, but… who knows? Hope you feel better. One Type A to another… I feel your pain.

  16. You’re in good company. As far as I can tell 2/3rds of the human race has been sick this month. Screw the work. Rest up.

  17. So sorry to hear you’re sick! I was vomiting and admitted to the hospital 4 days before my daughter was born. It SUCKED. I had been on bed rest for 10 weeks and was trying to eke out a few more days. I thought I was going. to. die. I made it through and so will you. Step away from the laptop. Sleep and try to drink. Can you take some phenergen? It’s a miraculous scientific creation. Good luck!Kandice

  18. But this is the last time, right? That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway. Of course, it’s easier to say since I already have two stepdaughters.Hang in there. We’re on the same bloglength right now. 🙂

  19. I’m not even pregnant or sick and am having trouble working the long hours. Need more sleep.Hope you feel better soon!

  20. I know how you feel. I don’t have a uterus but have managed to get severe food poisoning a few times down in Mexico. At those times I couldn’t even dream of holding a laptop in my hand though. My goal was to hug the toilet for the next five hours and not die. Hope u feel better soon.AD

  21. Oh dear! My wee one (age 2) just got over a stomach bug. Her symptoms were horrible, messy emissions into her diaper, but high spirits nonetheless.

  22. Just like for L&D there are no medals given out for the person who survives pregnancy with the most grace. Go to bed when you are sick. Remember after this one comes along you probably will not be allowed to sleep again.

  23. awww. so sorry you were sick:(second time around is Harder–you have #1 to worry about in addition….

Comments are closed.