Feeling a Little Cheeky*

Ruby had a much better night last night.

She still woke up several times, but I only had to hold her / rock her back to sleep once, and I was able to spend the entire night in my own bed. Her lovely antibiotics seem to be doing the trick, and I feel like we are inching back toward her regular sleep habits.

So, when this morning dawned bright and sunny, I was looking forward to enjoying day #2 of my holidays. I had a billion errands I wanted to run, and I have house projects up the wazoo I would love to finish.

After I rolled out of bed (quite literally–getting out of bed is much less graceful when you are pregnant) and made my way to the bathroom to shower, I happened to look up into the mirror.  What I saw caused me to do a double take, and I leaned in a little closer to ensure that it wasn’t just my eyes playing tricks on me.

Sadly, no. There were two red, splotchy cheeks looking back at me.

My cheeks definitely weren’t red when I washed up last night, so I hoped it was just from laying on my pillow in a weird position. I jumped in the shower and washed my face, sure they would be gone by the time I got out.

Nope.

I got dressed and brought Ruby downstairs. The Hubster followed me a few minutes later, and confirmed that my cheeks were indeed very red. I racked my brain for causes, but came up empty handed. I hadn’t tried any new make-up, creams or cleansers, nor I hadn’t eaten any new foods.

So, my pregnant brain went to the worry place and I began to research Fifths Disease, or “Slapped Cheek Syndrome”. It’s most commonly found in children, but adults can catch it as well. It’s not a serious illness, but it’s highly contagious, and can be dangerous for pregnant women. If a school has an “outbreak” of Fifth’s Disease, pregnant teachers are asked to stay home until the school has been cleared.

I’ve never really worried much about it as it is typically found in elementary schools, and as a high school teacher–it’s never been a problem.

But these sudden red cheeks of mine made me a little concerned. So, I did what any pregnant lady does when she finds herself in the worry place: I paged my midwife.

She called me back immediately, and we began to discuss my symptoms, and lack thereof. After chatting for a few minutes she assured me that the sudden red cheeks were odd, but that I shouldn’t be concerned about Fifths Disease.

At least, not yet.

They could just be a lingering effect from the awful cold we all had last week, or it could just be my raging pregnancy hormones.

As I wasn’t presenting with many of the other “Hallmark” symptoms of Fifths Disease, she told me that for now everything seemed okay. We had a really busy day yesterday, so I’ve been “ordered” to spend the day resting, and to keep myself hydrated.

So, my plans for the day just got put on hold. Ruby is napping, and I’m curled up on the couch. Here’s hoping a slow day will ease the color from my cheeks.

*sigh*