37 Weeks: Balance

Oh, what is this new sensation? Instead of feeling fully stuffed with baby right up into my ribs and rammed up against my diaphragm, I have a suspicion that Seahorse has dropped into position for birth. You see this week I find it’s easier to breathe, but harder to maintain my balance. These days I am obliged to hang on tight to bannisters as I climb or descend stairs, clutch onto railing lest I wobble under the weight of a HUGE belly, and even hold onto walls as I maneuver from room to room. Gone are the days of nimble, sprightly Alice, all tip toes and sprinting down steps three at a time.

Holding one: Seahorse's daddy holds on while I hold on to bannisters and railings

Holding one: Seahorse’s daddy holds on while I hold on to bannisters and railings

Deep into the third trimester, many women find they are perpetually off-balance. While a growing belly tends to throw off our center of gravity, there’s more to it than that. The  hormone relaxin kicks in toward the end of pregnancy. Its main purpose is to loosen the pelvic joints so they are more flexible during labour. But this hormone also works on the hips, knees and ankles. This makes someone like me, the expectant mother, more wobbly and achy and most definitely likely to fall. OK, so it’ll be flat shoes from here on in…

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