How I am supporting my nervous system this week
Yesterday my husband and I spent the day at labor and delivery. I woke up with pretty intense cramping in my lower abdomen. I thought it was how I slept, I thought it was GI issues and then 2 hours later I thought a deep dive on Google was a good idea (it was not). I hesitated to call my midwife because “ I didn’t want to bother her on a Sunday” but I did. (See my last post about support and asking for help!) After speaking with her she asked me to go in to get checked out.
As you can imagine, I was super emotional. I am only 28 weeks pregnant. A flurry of thoughts came through my mind. What if I have to go on bedrest? What if this is preterm labor? What if we lose a baby again? At first, I had to go to the hospital on my own as we sorted out childcare for my other two children. As I was checking in there was a lot of holding back tears, the thought “it’s too early” running through my head nonstop.
Hearing the baby’s heartbeat was the biggest sigh of relief. From there, the fetal monitors showed I was NOT having contractions. Another huge sigh of relief. My husband arrived and we settled in to figure out what was going on. Several hours and tests later it became clear that I was dehydrated and having ligament pain. There were no signs of preterm labor and we could go home. I was so glad I called my midwife and went in, because I went to bed in as much pain as I woke up. If I had not gotten that support, my anxiety would have been epic.
I was super dysregulated last night, all day pain is no joke. My nervous system was still coming down from the extreme fear and anxiety I felt earlier. So as I lay in bed, being all dysregulated I came up with a few things.
I am 28 weeks pregnant and I need to start acting like it. That doesn’t mean I have to do nothing or I can’t live my life. But I may need help (and I need to ask for it) and I may need to slow down.
I teach others about nervous system regulation, it is time to check in on mine. Here is my daily protocol for this week. This is not a one size fits all regiment, I know my nervous system well and it is based on that knowledge. Also, I am 28 weeks pregnant and having lots of ligament pain and sciatica. If it weren’t for those last facts, movement would be on this list. Right now, movement feels harsh to my body, so I will find other ways to get that input to my system.
My Nervous System To Do’s this week:
1- Julie Costa’s hypnosis audios: I have been a big of Julie’s work for some time now. These hypnosis audios feel different than mediation to me and they 100% shift my brain state. If I wake up early or in the middle of the night I will listen. I also like to listen after evening coaching sessions, to help my brain wind down and get ready for sleep.
2-Rocking chair: This is one way I give my body vestibular input. Vestibular input is calming and organizing for me in small doses. When I am not pregnant, one of my biggest nervous system supports are workouts that use a mini trampoline. That does not work for me for many reasons right now, but rocking in a chair is super helpful. I try to do this in our living room while I’m hanging with the kiddos after school.
3-Deep pressure massage: This is another way I will get extra input since exercise isn’t great for me right now. Deep pressure provides proprioceptive input, which is a feel good type of input. When I am moving I get this from walks, strength training, pilates…but for now a massage is where it is at. As I put on my face lotion and body lotion I will use extra firm pressure. And many nights I ask my husband for a foot massage (he naturally uses a bit more pressure).
4-Hands and Knees to support belly: This is a recommendation from my PT bestie (check my Instagram this week for a little story with her!). She recommended this position to help ease some of my sciatica and ligament pain. While I am here I will take the opportunity to do some deep breathing . The weightbearing in this position provides deep pressure into my joints and muscles.
5-Simplify and slow down: What a wake up call yesterday was. Over dinner, my husband and I talked about what we would have done if this had been preterm labor. We both said it would make things more complicated and more simple all at once. More complicated because we would have to figure out work and life schedules. More simple, because the most important things would be super clear in those moments. I am hoping to not go back to the hospital my due date in July. But I don’t need to wait for an emergency to be clear on what is important to me. I am 28 weeks pregnant, working full time, with a side business and 2 young kids. I need to slow it down in any way I can and simplify things for myself. One way I did this? We did a second order of grocery delivery yesterday after we got home from the hospital. Normally we do an delivery from Whole Foods (delivery) and my husband goes to Trader Joe’s on Sunday. This saves us some money on groceries while still getting all the things we want. But, my husband running to Trader Joe’s last night did not feel like the simple choice. So we chose simple and will keep doing so as much as possible.
Nervous system support doesn’t have to be something other or a huge time commitment. It is little tweaks, based on knowing your system well, that support you!
