It's all in the legs

Gravity... the arch enemy of the pregnant woman.  As skinny as I have been my whole life, I have not avoided the leg swelling made famous by gestation. Do other mammals swell like humans when pregnant? I can't imagine what it feels like to be a knocked up horse. They sleep standing up.

Basically, we women with child have a whole lot more blood than our former selves- about twice as much by the time the child is done with us. And, as you might imagine, most of that finds its way to our lower limbs as the day goes on. Thus, the kankles, the spider veins, the cramping, etc..

I'm still working (building cabinets). I have about three good hours in the morning before I feel totally exhausted and my feet start throbbing, regardless of what I'm working on. Surprisingly, I'm more mobile than I was a few weeks ago, probably because the uterus moves up and out, allowing for less crowding in the lower abdomen. Nonetheless, bending over is literally a pain. Sometimes, I feel like gravity is conspiring against me, slyly pushing writing implements to the floor so that I have to double over for a mere pencil.