Week 26 of Our Pregnancy

The other night Trien gave me a big scare. She was laying down in bed, and got up to get some coco butter to put on her tummy, to stop the itching and to prevent stretch marks. When she did, she had pain in the lower right part of her abdomen, about where she says our daughter's butt is, somewhere close to her appendix.

That put me in a near panic. After two previous misfires, of course I am very concerned about her physical well being. She lay back down, and I immediately sprang into action, to attend to her needs. I asked her what she needed, and she said she didn't know.

So I went into the other room to pray. I was nearly frantic, worried that she might be going into premature labor, the placenta was detaching from the uterine wall, her appendix had to be removed, or some such disaster was in the midst of happening. I figured the good Lord was the only one who could help us now. I spent a few minutes begging him to have mercy upon us, and heal whatever condition was causing this pain. And why not? Prayer, and the good Lord, have certainly done miracles for me. My doctor in the USA will testify to that.

After composing myself, I wiped the tears from my eyes, asked her what she needed, and rubbed her tummy. She wasn't sure what she needed. Maybe the baby was in the wrong position. Maybe she was pressing on the wrong place, and if she moved, the pain would be gone. Trien started talking to the baby, and asked her to move her butt. The baby did move, but moved what Trien thought was her head instead. Then Trien pointed to the area that she wanted the baby to move, and asked her to move a little bit. Again, our daughter did as she was asked. Still, the pain was still there.

Our monthly check up was the next day, and Trien asked if we could go in the morning, instead of during the afternoon. Go in the morning? I was ready to call someone to take us to the hospital right then and there. If need be, I was going to stand in the middle of the road around the Lake Gardens, and force someone to stop and take us to the hospital.

Then she said she thought it might be gas. My solution? Go make some ginger tea. Trien's reaction?

"Do you know how to make ginger tea?"

Of course I do. I was the one who introduced her to it, and taught her how to make it. I put in a little honey, she drank it, and felt better. A few minutes later she went to sleep. As for me, it was a while longer before I was able to do the same.

The next morning I woke up and got ready for work. I asked her how she felt, and she said she still had pain, but it was better. She said there was no need for me to take off work to take her to the doctor. Not that I would have missed anything anyway: there was no teaching today so the kids could clean up their classrooms and dorms before they headed home for the midyear vacation.

After school I went back to our apartment to throw some water on my body and change my shirt before we headed out to the makan stalls by the Lake Gardens for lunch, and then to the doctor. I asked Trien how she felt. She said she was fine, and that it was just gas.

"How do you know it was just gas?"

"I farted a couple of times this morning, and I felt better."

She has gas pains, and I'm ready for electroshock therapy, in need of large doses of psychotropic drugs, and find God.

When she gives birth, it looks like she won't be the only one screaming!

Hopefully, we'll both survive it!