I've had to surrender the chores to my poor husband

Usually chores aren't that bad. We have a spigot in the barn and I keep the waterers under it. I just stomp the ice out of them, put them under the spigot and voila. Done. Not so when it's freezing out. Then the spigot won't work. So I have to carry water out from the house. Not usually a pain for me. Don't mind it at all.

Yesterday, however, after carrying 7 gallons of water out to the pigs along with all the food I came inside feeling really really awful.

So that's it. I'm officially too pregnant to carry things. At least if I want to keep this baby in for 4 more weeks.

Husband carried the water out this morning. Love that man. He doesn't want the animals and it works so well because I don't bother him with them. Love for me trumps his distaste for the animals and he'll be hauling water when needed for the next month.

I hate feeling so weak!

elle sagenev wrote:

I hate feeling so weak!

I would never consider the ability to carry a child as weak.

Trace Oswald wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:

I hate feeling so weak!

I would never consider the ability to carry a child as weak.

Yeah but I feel physically weak. Like walking is a chore. It sucks!

elle sagenev wrote:

Trace Oswald wrote:

elle sagenev wrote:

I hate feeling so weak!

I would never consider the ability to carry a child as weak.

Yeah but I feel physically weak. Like walking is a chore. It sucks!

I can only imagine.  

Elle, to put it in perspective, you're DIYing a whole fucking human being. You should be tired.

Good on your husband for stepping up.

-CK

If you are able to run that water underground for next year and have it come up only in the warm area where the pigs are, you wouldn't be dealing with frozen water. Even in barns where it isn't heated and the pigs live under straw, a spigot could be maintained attached to a solid post and possibly shrouded in some way so the pigs don't break it or turn it on.

oh, enjoy...this may be your last chance to relax a little for a long long while

My friend has an old photo of me, literally barefoot and big pregnant with a fifty pound sack of goat feed on my shoulder headed up the trail to our cabin...first child.  I did not maintain that with the second and I can imagine by a third I would be needing some time off...

Dale Hodgins wrote:If you are able to run that water underground for next year and have it come up only in the warm area where the pigs are, you wouldn't be dealing with frozen water. Even in barns where it isn't heated and the pigs live under straw, a spigot could be maintained attached to a solid post and possibly shrouded in some way so the pigs don't break it or turn it on.

The barn isn't heated. The spigot isn't out in the open, it is in an enclosed part. It's just hard to pull the handle up normally and impossible when it's cold.

Katie helped me put up an 8x8 beam 16 feet long at 7 months pregnant. I was pretty impressed, but I kept telling her my Great-Grandmother lambed out an infant, then went back to work that afternoon to pick potatoes. I was making it all up, but I did not tell that to Katie as I did not want her to get all Sally on me! (LOL)

I actually know how you feel. When I was sick almost 90% of the duties for everything fell on Katie and she just kept saying "I signed up for this when I got married, for better or worse; remember?" It is better now, she does well over 75% of the work still, but it is not as bad as it was.

It really sucks to have to admit defeat, and that you can no longer do what you used to.

Judith Browning wrote:oh, enjoy...this may be your last chance to relax a little for a long long while

My friend has an old photo of me, literally barefoot and big pregnant with a fifty pound sack of goat feed on my shoulder headed up the trail to our cabin...first child.  I did not maintain that with the second and I can imagine by a third I would be needing some time off...

Ha I was like that with the first too. Second was harder and this one...super hard. It's the last, thank goodness.

Hang in there elle - I'm certainly rooting for you and hoping you're taking good care of as Chris Kott said - that DIY human *and* yourself. There's nothing worse that wishing you could get stuff done when you're just *not* up to it. Try to find things that keep your spirit up if you can!

Judith Browning wrote:

My friend has an old photo of me, literally barefoot and big pregnant with a fifty pound sack of goat feed on my shoulder headed up the trail to our cabin...first child.

I didn't do the goat feed, but I did go canoe-camping with an old school friend in Kejimakujik National Park with my first. Not as late either, but I was still a little worried about the 1 km portage. We had checked that the Ranger was coming through that portage after us, because if anything had happened to my friend, I wouldn't have been able to manage the canoe independently, nor portage her. The Ranger came through a day early and when I said we'd need help with the portage if Susan got hurt, he asked if I had back trouble! Ah, no, front trouble - 6 months pregnant. His jaw dropped and he said he'd double check we made it to the "past the portage campsite" we were booked into and come looking if we didn't make it. All was well and we had an awesome trip.

The good news is, that in three or four years, you could be sending the child out to tend to the pigs. I know this is possible, because I watched a four-year-old in the Philippines get water from the hand pump and then use a machete to open several coconuts which were fed to the pigs. I saw another kid with a small sickle, harvesting forage along the riverbank and carrying it back for the family's livestock.

Travis Johnson wrote:Katie helped me put up an 8x8 beam 16 feet long at 7 months pregnant. I was pretty impressed, but I kept telling her my Great-Grandmother lambed out an infant, then went back to work that afternoon to pick potatoes. I was making it all up, but I did not tell that to Katie as I did not want her to get all Sally on me! (LOL)

I actually know how you feel. When I was sick almost 90% of the duties for everything fell on Katie and she just kept saying "I signed up for this when I got married, for better or worse; remember?" It is better now, she does well over 75% of the work still, but it is not as bad as it was.

It really sucks to have to admit defeat, and that you can no longer do what you used to.

I think if this became a more permanent thing the pigs would go. He's been really stepping up to fill my gap though. Can't even help him with firewood this year.

I kept telling him last night as I moaned about aches and pains that I can't wait to have this baby so I'm not solely responsible for keeping her alive. It freaks me out!



On a side note I couldn't make my kids school Halloween parties. Just took too much time off this month. He's been sending me pics and video and commentary AND he had to take all the things I promised to send for the parties. I grabbed a good one, I tell ya.

Phrasing, for you Archer fans out there.

-CK