Last week at work....

...and I have rung in sick. Yesterday I was moving boxes of books about and although at the time I got very tired and sweaty I did not think it was too hard. However, when I got back from work in the evening I began to struggle and this morning my lower back told me in no uncertain terms that I would not be doing much at all today - and definitely not working!!

However, I have used the time wisely and been able to catch up on my magazines from the Tesco www.tesco.com/babyclub/ and the Boots Parenting Magazine http://www.boots.com/ which although they contain a lot of adverts for their own products, they also contain a lot of useful information. Thanks to them both for some vouchers which I will be using shortly....

But I must say I have learnt some things:

• Most relevant today is that backache is caused by being thrown off balance by your bump and overarching your pregnancy-loosened spine to compensate. The advice given is to 'pull your bottom in and up, so that the weight of your baby drops into your pelvis.'
• Itchy skin is caused by your skin having to stretch tight over your expending belly.
• That you should not have a hot bath or sleep on your back due to the fact that they might cause your blood pressure to drop and you might faint.
• That Breastfed babies have nicer smelling poo - but this breastfeeding lark (and what you need to buy) seems complicated.
• You can be changing up to 12 nappies a day!!
• That a Episiotomy is where they cut between your vagina and your back passage. (This was on the birthplan from Boots but I wasn't sure what it meant initially!) I also learnt more about Pethidine and Epidural painkillers!
• I must remember to do some Pelvic Floor Exercises once in a while.

And I also got a letter this morning confirming our place on a Parent Craft Class starting next Monday!