At 28 weeks I was put in the hospital here in Ukraine with some minor complications. They found a hematoma in between the placenta and uterus and I was put on bed rest for a little over a week and was put in the hospital for 3 days. This type of situation is common for many pregnant women and can be caused by emotional or physical stress and the only real way to fix it is by resting. Because I have been very active during my pregnancy many people have asked if this is what caused it and the answer is no. Working out did not cause this complication. I had in recent weeks slowed my workouts routine down a huge amount and had always been very very careful about what types of exercises I was doing and took note of my heart rate and intensity level during any workouts I did. I also went by the notion to listen to your body while doing any workout and never continued with an exercise if it didn't feel right or agree with my body anymore. The thing I didn't realize is that where I wasn't listening to my body was during normal household activities that I do every day. Its easy to be cautious during workouts, but its not something you think about while doing normal activities such as cleaning/cooking/walking the dog/grocery shopping, etc. The day that I started having complications I had done way too much around my house on my own and never stopped to rest when I should have (or when I felt over tired) because it was all just second nature to me to do those things without taking breaks. This is one thing I have learned in the past few weeks is that I am not superwomen, I can't do it all anymore and I need to listen to my body at ALL times.
The craziest part of all of that happening was not how I felt. I honestly didn't feel all that bad (just a bit tired) I was more disturbed by the fact that I was put in the hospital in Ukraine. Most of you can probably not imagine what that is like AT ALL if you've never traveled outside the US or other more modern countries. Imagine the worst hospital bunker from a WW2 movie and multiply it by 10...thats where I was put for 3 days by myself, with no one that spoke English and in a room with 6 other women. It was pretty much the scariest thing I had ever seen in my life when they first showed me where I had to stay. And because it was a shared room (which they all are) my husband was not allowed to stay with me, he could only come visit during the day. Needless to say I was an emotional wreck for about 24 hours straight. I didn't sleep at all the first night because I was terrified and uncomfortable. Even though it was a scary situation for me, I finally calmed down I realized that the doctors were taking good care of me (even if I couldn't understand them lol) and that is what was most important. Thankfully everything healed and the baby and I are perfectly healthy now. Now that its been a couple weeks I can look back and be thankful for the care they provided (even if it wasn't in the best conditions) and I am stronger to have experienced that. It also made me appreciate the facility and care we have in the U.S. that much more!
 |
| The hospital room in Ukraine |
Needless to say the whole situation made me even more keen to get back home and deliver my baby in the States. I'll be leaving Ukraine in a couple more days and will spend the rest of my pregnancy at home where I am more comfortable.
 |
| 29 weeks |
I am now 30 weeks pregnant and feeling huger than ever! The uncomfortable factor is starting to get to me and more of the pregnancy woes are hitting me all at once. I really can't complain too much though because I am blessed to have a healthy baby and be out of the hospital and feeling relatively normal again!
 |
| 30 weeks |
Here's to learning more and more about the crazy journey to creating a new life :) It's hard work, but I know its worth it!
