36 weeks - miscellaneous stuff

36 weeks pregnant today! Anxiety over possible early delivery that I had just after my OB appointment almost two weeks ago has subsided a bit - which also means I'm probably doing more stuff than I should, but hubby keeps reminding me to take it easy. No relaxing in the hammock today as it was raining, but it promises to be better weather by the end of the week again, so good relaxing times are ahead!

Not much news. I'm doing some more yoga and exercises I learned during the birthing classes at home now, to be well prepared for the big event and also in an attempt to sooth this stupid back pain - it's the same pain between my left ribs that I had early March after my bout with the flu - then it was caused by all the coughing, and luckily it disappeared after a few weeks. But now it's back for no apparent reason (other than a heavy belly pulling on it), since about two weeks, and there has been no improvement at all.

I've gone for treatment to an osteopath (the to-go-to- therapy here in France. In Holland I would have gone to a physical therapist, in the US to a chiropractor. Every country its specialist/style, I guess...), to whom I'd already been three times before for some pregnancy-related lower back pain. He was able to do something about that lower back pain, but this pain between my ribs seems to be untreatable. It really hurts when I try to lie on my left side, when I want to turn around in bed (which isn't easy anyway with a big belly), when I sneeze, cough, blow my nose, or go to the bathroom - so I'll probably have some additional pain when pushing during labor too... ugh.

Other than that, I'm feeling fine. Quite some contractions lately, mostly painless, except for when I feel them in my lower back, but that's luckily only rarely the case. Besides that, the baby seems to really like to stick his foot in my right side, in a sort of slow-motion movement, while moving his butt/back to the left - it's funny to see my belly go in all different shapes, but the feeling can be a bit less pleasant, especially when I'm trying to sleep!