Babymoon!

Trevor and I just returned from a 6 day/5 night "babymoon" in San Francisco. At the beginning of the year, before we even started trying to conceive, we planned for a vacation in early September. We were supposed to go to Belgium to visit Trevor's brother and his family, so once we found out about Baby D, we decided Belgium would be the destination for our "babymoon." Unfortunately, I was stung by the big law firm bug two days before our departure and had to cancel my vacation due to an out of control corporate deal. Lovely. Luckily, because Trevor is a commercial pilot, we didn't have any money tied up in the trip to Belgium which made the decision to cancel much more palatable. The biggest disappointment is that we missed out on visiting with our family. They will be leaving Belgium next year, a few months after Baby D's arrival, so we won't be able to squeeze in a visit to them between now and then. Shucks!

Anyway, after getting the corporate deal situated, Trevor and I were off to San Francisco four days after our original departure date. We had a blast!! We were able to take in all the sites and get plenty of rest along the way.

Day 1 was a challenge as I apparently pushed myself. Physically I feel just fine, and I often forget that I'm preggers because I don't feel any different. Well, after checking into our hotel we ventured out, on foot of course, to grab lunch at a restaurant recommended by the concierge. That outing required us to walk down what I think may have been the steepest hill in San Francisco. After lunch we walked up what I think may have been the second steepest hill in San Francisco to catch the trolley down to the Fisherman's Wharf. After walking around the Wharf and visiting Pier 39, I started experiencing lower abdominal pain. It was a pulling sensation that ran horizontally just above the pubic hair line. (Sorry--couldn't think of a different way to describe the location) Anyway, I figured I was just experiencing "growing pains" which is normal when the belly starts to grow. After leaving Pier 39 we walked down to Pier 33 to purchase tickets for the Alcatraz tour. After leaving Pier 33 I was really hurting so we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel. I figured I'd rest a bit and then we'd head back out for dinner. No such luck. After 2 hours of rest I was still aching and it was even tough to get out of bed without doubling over. We're talking some serious pain. Trevor and I concluded that we should head to the hospital. Trevor called the concierge to cancel our dinner reservations and asked for a hospital recommendation because "my wife is having complications with her pregnancy." Hearing those words, coupled with the intense pain I was feeling, resulted in a complete emotional breakdown on my part. I was officially scared. The concierge notified the house doctor, who in turn called me within minutes. He said that it sounded like I pulled a ligament since I'm in the stage of my pregnancy where the round ligaments that support the uterus are expanding to make room for my growing belly. He said excessive walking, particularly with all the hills, can cause the type of pain I was feeling. He asked if I was cramping (NO), spotting or bleeding (NO), experiencing abnormal vaginal discharge (NO), experiencing burning when urinating (NO), constipated (NO), or experiencing diarrhea (NO). He told me to rest for a day or two and to notify him immediately if any of the answers to the above questions changed to YES. After a couple of hours of additional pain, and leery about the qualifications of the house doctor, I called Dr. S. She took me down the same line of questioning and arrived at the same conclusion as the house doctor, although she said it may just be overexertion, not a pulled ligament. She also recommended rest and a trip to the hospital if the pain hadn't subsided by Day 2. So Trevor and I ordered in some takeout and stayed in for the night. We also had to cancel our Alcatraz tour scheduled for Day 2. Thankfully I woke up on Day 2 feeling much better. Not 100%, but definitely better.

The remainder of the trip was much less eventful. Thank God! We learned a lot on Day 1 and took our time the remainder of our stay. We only tried to tackle a site or two each day, and we managed to see everything we set out to see. In addition to the Day 1 sites, we walked around Chinatown, went to Ghirardelli Square, rented a car and took a day trip to the wine country and even stopped in Sausalito for breakfast on the way, visited the Golden Gate Bridge, and took the Alcatraz tour. Sunday was our predesignated "lazy day" around the hotel. We had a great couple's massage and attended the hotel's Sunday jazz brunch.

Babymoon: success! Back to reality.