My New Accessory

After waking up in the middle of the night, three times, with an unbearable throbbing right hand, it has been determined that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I was a little surprised to hear this but it does make sense. The carpal tunnel is a bony canal formed by the wrist bones on three sides and a ligament that runs across the wrist on the other. The swelling and fluid retention that's so common during pregnancy can increase the pressure in this relatively narrow and inflexible space, compressing the median nerve that runs through it. To help alleviate the pain, I have to wear this beautiful brace at night and as much as I can during the day. (We did a science experiment with making butter--that included a lot of shaking of the jar--and my students thought I had to wear the brace from shaking the jar too much. Too cute!) The good news: The symptoms will slowly go away after the baby is born.