20 October 2012

Reflecting on Germany, Part 2

Note: This is a travel journal of reflections on my first European trip and as a pregnant woman at that. It's not a traditional travel journal. It will be published in many parts.

Despite this being a "pre-baby" ideal time to travel, our trip has been interesting for me as a pregnant mama. I never expected as we booked the tickets to land in Munich nearly seven months along. The day before travel my doctor issued an "all clear" bill to travel. I had no concerns. She said I could even look forward to a few ounces of beer!

After our hour-long flight to Dulles Airport and our 8-hour trans-Atlantic flight, I walked off the red-eye with severely swollen and discolored ankles, feet, toes and calves. The size was disturbing and the stretching skin was painful. Walking was a challenge and in Regensburg, a city where the roads and buildings were established largely before 1800, expecting an easy foot commute wasn't overly realistic. I felt guilty that my heart turned toward trepidation at our trip. "Oh goodness, what did I get myself into?" I tried to stay other- and experience-focused, but my experiences were largely colored by my inward focus.

We were able to muddle through swelling Saturday and Sunday, as most businesses are closed early on Saturdays and entirely on Sundays. (Remember those days?) Monday before adventuring out, we stopped at the Apoteke (Apothecary/Pharmacist) to get some compression hose. Luckily, a combination of the hose and sleeping with my feet up helped immensely. My dear husband also helped with some lymphatic drainage on-the-fly, thank goodness.

Sunday night also brought with it a new pregnancy symptom, likely made noticeable by days on my feet: What I know now are Braxton Hicks contractions. They are harmless, but disconcerting for a pregnancy newbie, once again turning my attention away from our experience toward fear. "I'm 5,000 miles away from home and I'm contracting." I was terrified and finally broke down over ordering drinks at Mesopotamia, a Kurdish restaurant in Regensburg. Again, my heart sank at not being a team player, for being more scared of travel than living in the moment.