Clumsy Mumsy-to-be

One of the not-so-nice symptoms of pregnancy that really peeves me a lot is my clumsiness. I know, I know, it’s scientifically proven that pregnant women tend to be clumsier in this stage of their lives due to the loosening of the joints and water retention, but I just can’t help but feel oddly strange with the fact that I am dropping more and more things everyday. Sometimes I tend to wonder if my hands have become soapy or oily because I could never grip things the way I used to!

Not only are my hands not so reliable these days but also my peripheral vision. I miscalculate my steps, overshoot my mark, over and under exert effort on mediocre tasks, and a lot more! Most of my minor accidents happen in the kitchen where I love to stay at these days. How ironic because I’ve never been this passionate about cooking before but everytime I spend time in the kitchen, I almost always never leave unscathed. So far, I’ve already gained a number of small cuts, bruises, booboos and slight burns on my hands, arms and legs. They’re so unsightly they make me wince with annoyance!

Then last night, I found myself waking up in the middle of my sleep with a tingling sensation in my arm. It was as if a thousand pins were pricking my forearm down to my fingers. I’m afraid I have a case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a common pregnancy induced problem due to fluid retention. I already suspected that it’s the culprit because for a week, my right hand (I’m a righty, btw) feels different. It’s painful when I write, hence, my revolting handwriting these days. I cannot grasp firmly to things, and when I clench my fist, my fingers couldn’t bury deep in my palm unlike with my left hand. There’s always this feeling that my forearm and hand are so tired from carrying something heavy. My interim solution to relieve of the tingling and numbness sensation is to shake my hand and arm, which apparently, was the right thing to do.

I’ve yet to see my practitioner next week but I’ve made a note to discuss this with him. I hope it’s something that will go away after I give birth and won’t require me to undergo surgery unlike the other cases I’ve read. I can deal with a splint but not anything that requires me going under the knife - God forbid! Now I really, really need to stay away with salty food.  Must eat healthy!