Hibernate and Recharge

I guess it was inevitable. Vicky couldn't really get out of bed today. A couple of forays into the world, but her utter fatigue always chased her back into bed. I was talking with her this evening, and she softly said, almost more to herself than me: "So, so tired. Just taking a shower is a marathon."

The dogs came to visit her while she was reading, and I caught her with this shot...

Now, if you've been reading this blog, you can probably guess how she feels about this state of affairs. She said: "Rest is about all I can do. I just feel so worthless."

I was happy to read her some wise words written by her daughter Genevieve. Genevieve was speaking of last year, when she was pregnant with her second son, Hudson.

I was impressed how much Genevieve's words apply to her mom, too:

"This was a time in my life that was super uncomfortable. By nature I am a busy body. I like to be out and about, living the good life... However, as soon as I hit the six week mark of my pregnancy, my body slammed on the breaks and told me to take it easy. Did I listen? Of course not. Instead I pushed against the call of nature. I stuffed myself in the car and dragged my tired body to the gym for workouts that were much too intense and flattened me on my back for the rest of the day. I insisted on driving the family all over the state for "Fun" family activities that left me drained and grumpy. And when I did allow myself to plop on the couch and devour an episode or two of Gilmore girls (and a bag of Dove chocolates) like my body was craving to do, I was racked with never-ending guilt."

Then Genevieve said: "How often in this day and age are we granted a time to hibernate, recharge and focus on nourishing our bodies? When did pregnancy become a time of self-loathing and regret?"

So true. And now Vicky finds that her body is telling her to hibernate and recharge. It's a good signal to listen to. I hope she can follow Genevieve's advice and know that it is not only OK, it is the right thing to do.