Love, bubs and life on our little farm

So I was pushing a wheelbarrow full of hay over to one of the horse paddocks the other day and gritting my teeth and willing myself through a strong painful Braxton hicks contraction with the horses very impatiently watching and not being impressed with how slow I was. And it occurred to me - this mightn't be what most 35 week pregnant women would do... and so excuse my rave while I think about how pregnancy works for me and our lifestyle.

Both my pregnancies have been whilst living on our little farm. So I think it is normal to work outside, wander paddocks searching for lost horse rugs and boots, feed animals and care for large horses whilst juggling a big tummy and all the fun that comes with that. Do all pregnant women keep up their chores? Jase works late and for the safety of the animals in the early falling dark these days, I have no choice but to do the work - chickens need to be tucked up in the coop, ducks need feeding (one is blind) and the horses MUST get their hard feed (just ask them lol). This requires carrying two 20 litre buckets of wet feed across our front yard and into two paddocks, pushing the grumpy horses aside and filling their feedbins. Recently, this has also included treating Spech's hoof abcess, requiring lots of bending and avoiding of stamping cantakerous hooves.

But I wouldn't have it any other way, I don't know how to rest or do nothing.... I try - I try to not lift down bales of hay or hoik around 20kg bags of horse pellets but every now and then, it just has to be done. I feel weak and pathetic like an 18th century heroine if I wait and ask Jase to do everything...

So I stand for 90mins in the hot sun whilst the horse is shod...although I did faint last pregnancy whilst the equine dentist spent an epic session working on Spechs back molars.. but I remind myself I am pregnant, not ill. Its still a healthy body, not a disease or a disorder.

I did oblige my obs who told me that horseriding whilst pregnant was more risky then skydiving pregnant and asked me not too... but I still lunge the horses from the ground. Although the thought that I was probably a bit stupid for keeping this up did fly through my head the other day when our huge 17hh horse decided to chuck a bucking fit on the end of my lunge rein with me stuck in the middle of the 20m arena hoping he stayed on the outside and didnt come in any closer! To control such an outburst, you are best to lean on the rein and remind him who is boss - hmm that hurt, trying to convince a half tonne of horseflesh that I was stronger then him.

Last pregnancy I was about 36 weeks when I got pressed against a gum tree trunk by the two horses fighting each other.. that did keep me out of the paddock for a few days!

I really have no idea how other people treat themselves in the late third trimester but my theory is "if you don't use it, you lose it". Hence why I keep up all that I can - I still take the two flights of fire stairs to my obs office rather than the lift, and I did that even on my very last 39.5 week obs appointment last time.

The one thing that I probably do that most other pregnant ladies don't, is that I often absently find myself counting down weeks until "I can ride again" rather than weeks till the baby arrives lol!

Each to their own hey!