Pain in the Back

            Michelle’s back is in serious pain now. Last night she wobbled into bed and told me, for the umpteenth time, “My back is so sore.”

            I’ve always thought to myself, “Yes, her back is sore, but she went through a pregnancy before, and made it without major back issues. She’ll be fine.” It wasn’t until this morning when Michelle woke me up by telling me, “My back is in a lot of pain,” that it struck me profoundly – the first pregnancy it was just the two of us. Now, there’s little Celia, bouncing up and down at her mommy’s feet until she gets picked up. And poor Michelle bends over, with that extra twenty-some pounds, and lifts up our twenty-eight pound daughter. That’s over fifty pounds straight on the back!

            The problem is, this happens constantly throughout the day. I explained to Michelle some things she could do. Because I’ve had major back issues in the past I’ve gotten into the habit of using my knees instead of bending over for something. That’s all fine for me, Michelle says, but she doesn’t want to ruin her knees either.

            So, this morning, I was concerned – what if she does some serious damage to herself, and it takes a year to recover, like what happened to me a decade ago? Before I got out of bed I told her to book an appointment with the muscle specialist I go to from time to time. I figure spending a few hundred dollars right now is much better than having long-term pain, and probably thousands of dollars down the road.

            This kid needs to be born soon. Yesterday, when Michelle went to the doctor’s office, he actually touched the head of our little boy, curled up in the womb. I was shocked. “You can actually do that?”

            Michelle nodded her head.

            “You should give birth right away,” I said.

            “The Doctor said I’m full term now, so it could be anytime, but I think it’ll be a couple of weeks still.”

            “You should try to have it as soon as possible.”

            Michelle said, with a sense of confidence I can’t explain as a man, “It’ll be twelve days.”

            It’s so exciting to be expecting our second child. Our whole lives are preparing for this. But who’d have thought that the biggest issue with the second pregnancy would be a pain in the back?

            Better not tell our newborn son. It’s not exactly the kind of legacy I’d like to pass on. “Well, Son, you know, you always were a pain in the back.”