Some Swedish Medical Terminology

This will be my personal list of healthcare-related words since I have a hard time remembering what certain terms are called in swedish, most of them which I have trouble finding relevance in. If I don't know these words while working, I'll be in big trouble.

From earlier post:

• insöndring - secretion
• kärl - vessel
• motstånd - resistance
• hjärtats slagvolym - volume of blood being pumped per minute
• att häma - to inhibit
• prestationsförmåga - performance
• blekhet - paleness
• att förebygga - to prevent
• att lindra - relieve 
• blodpropp - blodclots
• vadmuskelatur - calf

New words: 

• leder - joints
• bentättheten  - bone density
• bindväven - connective tissue
• ledkapsel - joint capsule
• översträckning - hyperextension
• felställningar - deformities
• kalium - potassium
• urinblåsa - bladder
• tyngdkraften - force of gravity
• kväve - nitrogen
• proteinnedbrytning - protein degredation
• bäcken - basin
• njur - kidney
• magtermkanalen - gastrointestinal tract

Pregnancy week 36: being thankful

Week 36 has come to an end and my body tells me that before I even consciously use my brain.  My body has done a pretty good job reminding me every monday, starting from week 5, that it's time to start a new week.  Symptoms like nausea, headache, and increased heart rate lets me know I'm another step closer till the end of pregnancy. Some special signs today were: horrible lower backpain, minor period-like cramps, more pressure below, feeling like my bump is dropping, actually sensing where baby's head is.  I have the worst stretch marks in the world, but it's ok. It was meant to happen no matter how much oil or lotion I applied.  I am still happy with my body.

It's a great feeling when you realize you made it through this far and your baby reached fullterm. His lungs are still developing, but he is just about ready to come out into this world. This all seems like a miracle. The concept of embryology, and the fact that I am carrying this growing miracle for almost 9 months.  I am content.

 This whole process of pregnancy helped me improve my confidence in a whole different level.  I realized how the society has this distorted image of an ideal woman, and sadly we try to follow it.  We try to impress others before satisfying ourselves, and we let other people's thoughtless comments influence our mind and body. Why? Before you want others to appreciate you, please begin with appreciating yourself.

Some pregnant women have huge bumps, others don't. Some gain over 30 pounds, others gain 20 or less.  Some glow others breakout, some change, some don't.  These things are out of our control, and it's efficient enough to hear the facts from our practitioners and midwives about what is good or bad for us.  The rest of the things you hear are just for the sake of an ongoing conversation.  "Honey you're supposed to gain more weight when you're pregnant" and several other classic lines are just pointless to even consider.  My advice for mommies and future mommies is just give importance to what your doc and midwife says and go with your instincts.  The rest is just bullshit. Don't stress on it.

I'm thankful for many things.  I am able to do everything normally despite my big bump.  So far I have no complications and the baby is in the right position.  Baby is making it through almost the entire 9 months and he is considered full term now with a regular heartbeat and normal movement. No more throwing up and finally consistent weight gain.  Meanwhile, almost all the main shopping for the new home is done so we are ready to move in.  My first semester in school is almost over now all I need is to pass with a good grade.  Allhamdulillah for everything.  Let my baby come to this world safely, amen.

Pregnancy week 34 and 35 : Time flies!

We have catching up to do! I've been so forgetful these days that my blog posts haven't even been keeping me on track.  I have no idea when week 34 passed, all I remember is going to my midwife a couple of days ago and she told me I just began my 36th week.  I know I totally lost it.  I think I was just really nervous with studies, labor and everything combined.  So much in my mind.  I'll tell you all about it today.  Here's what's been going on in my mind...

My Baby. . 

My little baby's heartbeat just got a bit faster.  He is such an active little boy already, bless him.  When my midwife pressed down to find his head It felt so damn weird! I felt all the pressure.  My midwife had fun measuring my bump.  The shape and size kept changing because the lil one kept on moving his butt and legs from one side to the other.  Every time I'm with a midwife or my husband, he always does that.  It's like he knows whose around him already.  So this is how my little darling is situated...(at this very moment he is hiccupping). 

Pressure in school..

Like I said earlier, to swedes this first semester would be a piece of cake but it's just another story for me.  I spend more than double the time trying to interpret the litterature because some words are still foreign to me.  To add on to that, I went into a profession where good communication and verbal skills are the key components to getting through with both healthcare providers and patients.  I can't just google translate my litterature, you know.  I've been making a simple list of my own to keep handy, whatever I study.  

Just some common health-related terminology that were quite new to me in the beginning:

• insöndring - secretion
• kärl - vessel
• motstånd - resistance
• hjärtats slagvolym - volume of blood being pumped per minute
• att häma - to inhibit
• prestationsförmåga - performance
• blekhet - paleness
• förebygga- to prevent
• lindra - to relieve 
• ömhet - soreness, tenderness

..and the list goes on. 

I had a practical yesterday covering patient-care and stuff and although the practical went well, I was nervous as hell and I confessed to both of my teachers how overwhelming some of the readings seem to me before I even try to do some sort of tillämpning... what's the word in english damn it....right.. APPLYING KNOWLEDGE.  I tried not to sound like I was complaining, because I am the one responsible for my grades afterall, and they completely understood.  My teacher, the sweetheart that she is, suggested I send her summaries of everything I read so she can get an idea of how much I'm grasping.   

Our new place..

...and the packing continues.  My goodness, I have no idea how I've been able to fit 6 huge loaded suitcases full of just MY clothes in a medium sized wardrobe for the past few years.  The new house's closets are already filled with entirely my clothes, I haven't even packed up hubby's stuff.  Need to do some major rearranging when we are permanantly moving in.  

We finally got our livingroom and bedroom lights and we absolutely love them.  We act like kids when we play around with the remote to change the different kinds of lightsettings.  I am thinking of doing a before and after picture of our apartment once everything is ready.  So far we have all the main furnitures.  What we need now is silverware, plates and bowls, FOOD, entertainment set, and all that... the list goes on.. talk about being broke.  I will think about decorating much later. 

My physical state...

I've been walking frequently, more like wobbling.  I get so tired. Seriously, it feels like I'm carrying a bowling ball.  When I stand for long periods of time my hips kill me and I can hardly move.  I get exhausted in the mornings. It's getting worse nowadays.  I HAVE to lay down for a while when I feel dizzy, which is every morning.  I have to drink lots n lots of water.  That's the only thing that's actually helping me.  Afternoons and evenings are very pleasant.  

My bump looks so brused up with all these stretch marks and that dark linear nigra going down the middle from my belly button, which doesn't even look like a belly button anymore!  

I can eat and eat without ever feeling full.  So far I have gained 10kg throughout the entire pregnancy but I really don't know where the 10 kg is.  It seems like I didn't gain much anywhere with the exception of my bump.  I seriously thought when I would get pregnant my face with blow up and get round.  Every pregnancy is different though, so who knows, maybe next time it will be different.  But for now I'm praying that my first little prince makes it to the world safely.  We are all so excited to see him!

Pregnancy Week 33: New keys to our new home!

I will be honest. I just started my 34th week and here I am sitting and breathlessly writing about week 33. 
My baby got bigger I can feel it and so can anybody who touches my belly.  Although it may not look so big compared to other 8-month bumps, it is pretty hard and you can actually feel wear his back or knees are.  This means I get absolutely no sleep at all.  Ok, maybe 5min naps through the entire night, with some crazy dreams.  I can't sit because my bump got lower! I still like to eat a lot.  I still feel drousy in the mornings and if I don't lay down for a while in a cool place I would most probably faint. That, however did not happen the day I went all the way to my school campus to do some practical nursing exercises.

If I wasn't so pregnant I really would have enjoyed it.  Really.  Because we actually did hands-on stuff as healthcare providers.  Every time I did a simple patient-to-nurse exercise, it felt like I ran a mile.  I will tell you why I felt so tired.  This practical took place in the middle of nowhere.  I had to take the train from the central station in Stockholm.  So it took me more than 2 hours to just get there.  My practical was 9 hours long.  Yeah, there goes my day.  I woke up at 5am, or more like "getting up" since I couldnt sleep all night.  I came back at 6:30pm, but the highlight of my day was coming back to open the door to our new apartment!  Apparently this was the same day we had gotten our house keys!

I can't get over how warm and welcoming I already feel seeing our apartment finished.  We haven't moved in yet.  We are still waiting for some furniture and stuff.  And i really need to get rid of some old clothes that will never ever fit me again.  Clothes are actually the only thing we really have to take with us.  We don't have much moving to do.  Hubby has been ordering everything brand new so just imagine how broke we are becoming.

I'm a bit worried about this cold flu that have been going around in Stockholm.  Already 2 in the house got sick...4 to go.  I thought I caught the cold last week but seemed to have recovered with 2 days.  I don't think that was the real thing.  But I really don't want to get sick while im pregnant.  Especially NOW.

Let's see what my midwife says next week.  My stretch marks really suck.  I don't think they'll ever go away.

By the way, I've been thinking of a name for my lil one.  We came up with one and we think this time this just might be the right one.  Stay tuned will update next week!  

Pregnancy Week 32: Is it really happening?

This week made me realize how pregnant I really am.  The earlier weeks were just focused on the bump and stuff but THIS specific week made me wake up from my little lala land.  Wake up Tani, you won't be pregnant forever, and that baby will eventually come out and your life will change forever.  You know?

My husband and I, along with other new parents, went to this informative 4-hour long session guided by a midwife, about childbirth, breastfeeding, newborn care and all that fun stuff (i hope you grasp my sarcasm here).  Although I've seen many kinds of childbirth videos before, the one that was shown to us that day freaked the hell out of me.  Was it because it finally hit me? The fact that I will be doing the same thing next month????  And I got extra teary when I saw a newborn coming out of a mommy's womb.  No seriously, my throat felt thick and I chocked.  I was never this emotional before! Hubby's face lit up whenever he saw a baby's face in the videos we watched.  I can't wait till we get to carry our own.  I really don't know what we're going to do with the little munchkin.  He will be so spoiled.

We started signing up for these free gift packets online for first-time parents.  Hey, how can you say no to free goodies? So we picked up our first babybox at a baby store nearby.  The quantity wasn't much, but it was a good headstart to prepare myself for the future.  Diapers, babywipes, shampoos, towels and so on.

How am I feeling?

Really tired.  The bump got heavier and lowered a few inches and I can feel the pressure.  Can not sit properly because I feel like exploding.

I bent down and even squatted a few times to get something and I regret ever doing that again.  My knee is killing me. So is my back.

In the mornings, I feel extra dizzy.  My heartrate shoots up.  I mean, it has always been higher than usual, but ever since 2nd trimester it has gone up crazy high in the mornings. I always have to lean or laydown somewhere to prevent myself from fainting.  Never felt this way before.

My belly itches so damn much.  It is very irritating.  Lotion or oil does not help at all.  Nowadays, I can't even feel the center of my bump.  Skin cells got numb or something, I don't know.  I guess it stretched out and swelled way too much.

I can't believe it's happening.  I am due next month this is just too freaky.  I miss my old body.  I can't wait to hold my baby and actually be able to move normally.  His knee is always sticking out on the left side of my bump.

I'm just tired.

Pregnancy Week 31 - can't sleep, can't sit or stand for too long

I had to reschedule a time with my midwife since I've been so forgetful these days.  My appointment was ofcourse 2 weeks too late, but at least I finally got to see my new midwife again (2nd visit).

Last time I visited her, she measured me and listened to his heartbeat and stuff.  She did the same this week.  As of the first appointment, my iron level was too low so she increased my dosage to 2 tablets (100mg each) a day.  Well, after 5 weeks, my iron level improved a bit, but she still recommends me to take 2 iron tablets a day.  I still have normal sugar level, free from diabetes and very low blood pressure (90/60) which might be why I feel dizzy every morning.  I've gained 3 more kg since the last visit (gaining a pound a week) and my bump, although it seems huge to me, has only increased a few centimeters, now at 35cm I think.  My midwife says the size may also vary depending on how the baby is positioned inside.  Little guy's heartbeat is still the same, around 157.

How exactly is baby right now? 

He is getting ready for to get out in less than 2 months, so he's upside down!  My midwife was saying how my skinny self is so easy for her to locate where my baby is.  Some people think something is seriously wrong with me since I don't look fat, and the only thing that's growing is my belly.  But hey, as long as my midwife says I'm doing fine, I really don't care what others say, 'cause trust me, I am eating eating eating...i love food!  So when some kind of weird little minibump stuck out of my belly I just had to ask what was sticking out!  She was saying that was his tiny little knee.  Then we felt his cute little back, and then finally, the part that freaked me out, where his head was located! My goodness so close to the way out! Shit! Sorry...it's just amazing when I think about it.  A human being inside another human being.  

How am I feeling so far?

I feel restless.  I can't sleep.  I get leg cramps at night, and pressure against my bladder, my pelvic area.  I feel him trying to fit in my tiny self, pushing the hip bones, as freaky as that sounds, that's exactly what's going on.  Changing sides while sleeping is a pain!  Extra pillows aren't helping very much.  

My back is really killing me now.  I have lower back pain, the bone seriously stings.  I have to sit or stand up slowly and carefully..I feel so old already.  

There's something I've been thinking about.  I think pregnant women shouldn't be too health-conscious.  They all just need to relax as much as they are able to, because the entire process can be so challenging.  During my first and 2nd trimesters I was so conscious about eating iron-rich foods but oh look at me, I'm stuck with iron tablets.  I've been eating sweets like crazy but my sugar level is just fine.  I'm not saying eat unhealthy, just take it easy.  Enjoy whatever you eat, and if you crave for something go ahead and take advantage of your cravings during this wonderful time of your life.  Give your body a break! What's meant to happen will happen no matter what you do.  

Looking forward to week 32... "first-time parents" session.