Saturday, February 11, 2012

Here comes the fall

For the last week I've been on maternity leave, prefaced by that holiday feeling where I look at my desk and the papers thereon, and feel certain I'm never coming back. I've slipped into it slowly, still feeling that I ought to be paying attention to emails, and still feeling that heartfelt sense of anguish when I hear we've lost business to the competition, as well as being irked by office politics and not being copied in (I still have to run this business when I go back...). I think I may still be in denial about what is about to happen, but now we have a timetable: because of the gestational diabetes, I'm not going over the due date. My mum arrives on Tuesday and I check in to the hospital on Sunday, unless he decides to arrive sooner.

One of the other pitfalls of pregnancy has been visited upon me: falling over in the street. More specifically, it was Sydney Road, on the way back from the IGA supermarket, and without warning, in awful slow motion, I tripped and dived to the pavement. I took most of my weight on the heels of my hands, and apart from scuffing my toenail varnish (Graphite, in case you wondered), the only real injury suffered was to my already-shredded dignity. Falling over is surprisingly common and all the (mostly terrible) baby books mention it: the result of an altered centre of gravity and heightened clumsiness (in my case).

To add to the humiliation, a helpful drunk raced across the road from the pub, dodging the traffic of Sydney Road with scant regard for his own safety, grabbed me by the arm and tried to haul my not inconsiderable frame off the pavement.

5 comments:

Anna MR said...

Lottie girl - hei. (Oh, and sorry to be "girling" you like that - it left my fingers as a term of endearment, not as patronising, so please receive it as sent.)

It's about to happen, then? I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. I'm sure you know well enough to try and let go of office politics and running the place, for now - plenty time for that whereas this is pretty unique. So I won't mention all that nonsense [as you can see]. Break a leg. Enjoy. Thinking about you.

A big hug and squeeze

x

nmj said...

Wishing you all the best with your accouchement if that is not too old-fashioned a word. I love that the drunk man came to your aid, though I am sure it was not so lovely in real life. Kind of thing that would happen in a dreadful Tom Hanks movie. x

LottieP said...

Thank you both! Anna - taken entirely in context. NMJ - I like to think my helpful drunk went home - or at least back to his drink - with a warm glow of well-being that lasted him all day.

Kate said...

Hi--I fell over rather a lot in the last weeks of pregnancy too--it's just so unexpected isn't it? Also barged into a traffic bollard very very hard as well--it's a wonder Eliza is the happy healthy (touch wood) girl she is... Good luck on Sunday, if not before. A whole new chapter of life awaits...:) x

LottieP said...

Thanks, Kate. It was alarming how little impact my pathetic attempts to arrest the fall had - you just don't have the flexibility anymore. Reassuring to hear that babies are usually unaffected by all the excitement. My baby book says that you'd probably have to have a fall requiring hospitalisation before the baby was likely to be damaged. That's good enough for me - I have't dared to ask the internet.