June 23, 2006 | Mama Smith
history repeats itself
As mentioned in my previous post, this has been an interesting week for the Smith family.
I went in to see my midwife on Wednesday due to an intense pain I was having in my lower left side for the past week. It had gotten so bad that it was too painful to even walk at times. Not a good sign when (a) you’re about to compete in a triathlon and especially (b) when pregnant.
Some of you may remember, this same thing occurred when I was 5 weeks pregnant with Brighton, which turned out to be a ruptured cyst. So I wasn’t too concerned when I went in to see Barbara, just wanting to be okayed for my race and clear up any confusion about what the pain may be from.
As I described the pain, the look on her face wasn’t what I was hoping for. She scheduled me for an ultrasound yesterday in order to verify that this wasn’t an ectopic pregnancy. Needless to say, that was a shock to Matthew and I. We spent most Wednesday and Thursday morning praying for this tiny life and asking Christ to help us let go of control, resting in what He was up to in our lives, in this baby’s life. And for one of the first times in our lives, facing something like this, we actually felt at rest with Him and trusting that He was good, regardless of what life would offer us come 3:30pm at our appointment.
For those of you who’ve had ultrasounds, you know how nerve-wracking those first 30 minutes can be. As the technician sits there in silence, clicking away, taking measurements, not saying a word about what she sees or if everything is okay. It’s maddening! Finally she turned the screen around and showed us the sac was where it should be and showed us our little baby’s flickering heartbeat. Even with the second child, it is simply indescribable. Seeing a little life, pumping away in there. Knowing that he/she will be a rosy, screaming baby here in 8 months. It’s just wild.
The past few days have felt like a whirlwind of shock, nervousness, finding rest, letting go of hope, regaining hope, rejoicing. Whew. We’re exhausted, but so thankful Christ is holding this little one and keeping it safe when all this is so out of our hands.
They did find another cyst, which is what was causing the pain, but per my midwife this morning, I’m still free to do this race tomorrow morning. With all that’s been going on this week, I haven’t even had a chance to get nervous…but now with all that behind me, I can’t believe at this time tomorrow I’ll be finishing up the bike route and starting my run, the last leg of the race! What a crazy week this will have proven to be at the close of Saturday evening!
My family rolls into town this afternoon and Callie & I will head off for our pre-race orientation and to get our body’s “marked” for the race. And to snatch up as many freebies as we can from the expo while we’re at it :0) Hmm, I wonder if preggos can eat those packets of refueling gel? If not, I doubt I’ll be missing anything.
The gear, ready to go…
On a funny side note, we were laughing about the most recent email Lars, the triathlon director sent…he seems like quite the little Drama King…
One of the most common conditions we see in the medical tent is exertional collapse at or near the race finish. Most of you know that you must drink fluids during an event such as ours to try to prevent becoming dehydrated. Those of you who have practiced drinking while trying to trim your racing time know the balance between staying hydrated and finishing a warm weather race is difficult to achieve. Scientific research has shown most elite participants finish a race like ours mildly dehydrated.
Some of us may collapse because of a phenomenon known as postural hypotension. This is the same mechanism that causes a soldier to collapse while standing at attention in a parade with full gear on in the middle of the summer. Your body’s defense mechanism that is responsible for keeping blood pumping to your brain and heart goes a little hay- wire as you come to the finish line, blood vessels dilate, leg muscles stop contracting, reducing blood supply back to the heart, the brain fails to get enough blood to stay conscious and wham
you faint. The tricky part the medical crew has to deal with is to decide who has significant dehydration, who has just fainted (and will do fine with a little first aid) and who has collapsed because of too much water ingestion.
This year we will institute a very simple measure that will help your medical crew diagnose those racers who collapse at the finish line correctly. We will have at least two medical grade weighing scales at registration that will be available to those who wish to participate in this voluntary exercise. After weighing yourself on one of our new scales, simply write your pre-race weight on the back of your race bib with a Sharpie pen and if you have any problems at the end of the race we will weigh you as part of our initial evaluation to see if you lost weight, gained weight or stayed the same.
Those that have lost weight are more likely to be dehydrated and will need fluids either by mouth or by vein if severe. Those that have gained weight may have ingested too much water and this can cause a condition known as hyponatremia, meaning low sodium levels present in the blood stream (see previous bulletin). Also feel free to write any medications you are on as well as current medical history along with your pre-race weight on the back of your racing bib. This information will be kept confidential and will further aid the doctors in arriving at an accurate diagnosis and begin appropriate treatment so you can get back on your feet and join the celebration of finishing the race.
And with that encouraging side note, wish us luck tomorrow!!
alina said,
Good luck, Amy Claire! I can’t wait to see the pictures. I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite movies, Best in Show. “If you get hungry, eat somethin’. If you get tired, pull over.” And I’ll add to these brilliant recommendations, “If you get thirsty, drink somethin’! :-)
Anne Deeb said,
i wish you luck and will live vicariously thru you as i have other pregnant athletic friends. one friend did aerobics until the day her son was born. 4 years ago my best friend and i climbed in the red rock canyon while she was 2 months pregnant. your baby will have an adventure to tell, as did her child. the most adventurous thing i did when i was pregnant with abel was hike in the woods of wissakicon. but in the first 3 weeks of his life we went on many adventures, i fed him below a waterfall, the next week in a cave, and the next on a boat. good luck and rest well after! miss you.
laurel said,
amy, i’m glad your pain was something you had been through before and understood…i hope that means you won’t have lost too much sleep over it! & i’m glad the nerve-wracking waiting didn’t last longer than it did- yikes! good luck tomorrow ~ ~ ~ rootin’ for you, laurel.
Emily said,
I’m SO glad Baby Smith is OK!! I was praying after reading your other post. And I do have to say that I’m inspired by your athleticism. :)
laury said,
amy, i can understand your disappointment. so sorry you didn’t get to feel the finish-line glory. :( those wise people who’ve said over the ages that it’s all about the journey and not the destination never trained for a triathalon! :) ha. anyway, i’m glad ya’ll are planning for another one. i’ve also got to say say that i think you’re a total stud for all your endurance, your passion to attempt, and for knowing when time was up. you rock. love, laury
p.s. you have me anxious to read the next posting…
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