It's Been An Interesting Week

It's been an interesting week.

On Tuesday, I went in for my 34 week appointment. My BP had crept up slightly again and I was suddenly tapped to be tested for pre-eclampsia. Unbeknownst to me, this included a 2 hour glucose tolerance test (GTT). Awesome. I'm 8 months pregnant, its noon, and you're telling me I need to hang out and wait to eat for two more hours. Of course I did it, but still.

On Wednesday evening, after office hours, I get the message that I'd apparently failed my GTT and had Gestational Diabetes. Not a total shocker given that I have three major things going for me that make me likely to develop GD: Strong family history (mom and grandfather have diabetes), I'm an older mom-to-be at almost 35, and I was overweight at the start of the pregnancy. Still, my head was kind of spinning being told the news. I had no idea what I was now 'allowed' to eat or how to manage this new issue. The doctors message indicated I should come by the office to get a prescription for the testing materials and such.

On Thursday morning, I swing by to get the prescription. That quick pit stop turned into a meeting with my doctor in which I made sure that she was aware that I was not fasting before I took that GTT test. I totally would've if I knew it was coming, but when I'm blindsided by a test mid-day...yeah, I'll have eaten. Turns out to be a good thing I told her that as that potentially voids out my results. I'm doing a do-over of the test early next week, at my next appointment. So yeah, in the scheme of less than 24 hours I thought I might have Pre-E, was diagnosed with GD, and then had that diagnosis rescinded.

Then, to top off an already eventful week, the power went out. Big time. Regional power outage. It was about 100* yesterday when it happened, too. Thank goodness the heat wave broke overnight and we only were without power for about 7 hours (some customers are still without). But still. Power out from Southern LA to Tijuana, Mexico and west to Yuma, Arizona...including ALL of San Diego. Wow.

(Image Credit: http://tinyurl.com/3wttmwo)

How far along: 34 weeks and 6 days. 35/35 is tomorrow!

Total weight change: Going by the doctors scale at my 34 week appointment on Tuesday, +26.

Maternity clothes: Always. I've pretty much moved into dresses at this point. It kills my hips to get pants on and off.

Stretch Marks: No new developments since last week.

Movement: I've got a wriggler in there.

Sleep: Pathetic this week. Being really pregnant and living in 100* heat with no central air has been a challenge.

Best Moment This Past Week: This evening when we were sitting on the couch, my husband got to see the little guy move. Mr CB hasn't seen him move before and, much to my dismay, hasn't tried to feel a movement yet. It meant a lot to me to see the look on his face that that's his little boy in there. Now if I can just get him to feel it...

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: The GD fiasco. Hoping to get some definitive resolution to that early next week.

Belly Button In or Out: Still an inny.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing major.

Symptoms: More of the same. The Braxton Hicks are increasing in frequency and sometimes intensity and the little guy is sometimes putting pressure on my cervix. He's still not dropped yet though.

Double digits!

As of today, I am officially 99 days from my due date! I can't believe I'm at this point already! I have my first glucose screen for gestational diabetes tomorrow, and my shower is in just 3 short weeks. Time has really flown by!

Since I've last posted, we've made a lot of progress on the nursery. A crib and armoire have been ordered and will be delivered next Friday. And one of our best friends from college, and a former roommate of my husband, has painted the nursery a pretty blue and yellow color scheme. We both absolutely love it! Check it out:

I'm definitely starting to feel the 2nd tri honeymoon period come to an end. I'm achy all over and it's getting harder and harder to move around easily. Some days I have to be pushed out of bed like a whale. I know it will all be worth it, and in a little over 3 months, I'll have my baby boy here and all will be good.

1 Down - 2 To Go

Thanks to President's Day on Monday and a much needed 3-day weekend - yesterday marked the first day of my new hectic work/doctor appointment schedule! I have to say though, it wasn't that bad!

If you remember, Dr. C recommended that twice weekly I am to be scheduled for non-stress tests in addition to my regular (now every two week) OB appointments. I'm really thankful that my job is accommodating me during all these appointments and letting me change my schedule from 8am-5pm to 7am-4pm however getting up that extra hour earlier this morning was brutal! I didn't prepare myself and stayed up way too late on Monday night. I'm sure I'll adjust to that quickly though.

I was a little nervous about starting these appointments just because of the nature of them - basically having GD considers me in the High Risk Pregnancy category and also because, I've never been to the hospital... ever... for anything...

Anyway, I made it down there ok, found parking, paid my $2 for said parking, and proceeded to wander around the Women's Maternity Center of the hospital until I finally gave up and asked where the heck I needed to go. Mr. GB gets irritated with me because I'm like a man - I hate to ask for directions - so I'm glad he wasn't with me :)

So I finally figure out which part of the hospital they had me scheduled in - the Women's Center for Fetal-Maternal Medicine - and I took note since I'll be spending a lot of time there in the next 5 weeks. They hooked me up to a monitor that they told me would be similar to one they'd use up in L&D when I actually go into labor. Someone freaked me out and told me that these NST's would be simulating a contraction - that's not the case! Basically, one strap around my belly monitors Baby GB's heartbeat and another strap monitors if I'm having any contractions. The tech also gave me a little clicky deal that I had to push every time I felt Baby GB move. She said that they'll monitor him for a minimum of 20 minutes and they need to get at least 2 good movements with significant raises in heart rate. Apparently when a baby moves their heart rate raises and that's what the whole test is about.

Of course, it couldn't just be that easy right???

Baby GB was asleep... fabulous. His heart rate was right around 140 but for the first 5 or so minutes she let me just sit there waiting to see if he'd wake up. He didn't. So she got me a cup of cold water to see if that would help. It got him going a little bit but every time I'd feel him move and click the button she kept saying, "Come on little guy, we need that heart rate to be higher." Which of course... freaks me the eff out?!

After another 5 or so minutes she says we're going to use a little device that uses a combination of vibration and sound to really wake him up. She said it won't hurt him in the slightest but the second that vibration hit my stomach I got the hardest kick I've ever felt. He was awake!!! :) After that it was kick after kick and HR rise after rise. She said this was good and put my mind at ease telling me that they wouldn't let me leave their office if they thought something was wrong. They'd either call Dr. C or send me upstairs to L&D. So that was reassuring at least - I still think that lady needs to learn some tact when making comments about what she's looking at though.

I did end up having to sit there for 10 extra minutes because I guess once he was awake the cover line of his HR was bouncing from 140 to 135 and without 10 minutes of a consistent cover line I'd have to keep sitting there so they could monitor.

So that's it... fun stuff!!! Today I have my 34 Week appointment with Dr. C - hopefully all will go well and then on Friday I get to go back for my last appointment of the week back at the hospital. I'm really excited for Friday's appointment because it's an ultrasound so I get to see Baby GB again!!!

I Wanna Quit the Gym....

Haha remember that episode of Friends where Chandler tries to cancel his gym membership??? LOL - that's what my afternoon reminded me of....

Photo Credit

So I know what you're thinking - this girl has gestational diabetes, she's 33 weeks pregnant and she should be spending at least a few hours a week getting some exercise and she should NOT be canceling her gym membership. Yeah yeah!

I didn't really try to cancel my membership - I just tried to put it on hold for a few months. I figure it's starting to get light out earlier at night so I'm going to start taking walks after work with my two other pregnant girlfriends. (That should be a funny sight!) Also, once Baby GB is here I figure for at least a month or two I'm not going to be spending much time at the gym. They do have a daycare but I don't think they take infants - also, since it'll be spring time and I'm in LOVE with my jogging stroller, I'm going to try to make good use of that while I'm on maternity leave.

Anyway, I go in and tell the front desk girl that I'd like to put my membership on hold. She asks why and I explain that I'll be having a baby in 6 short weeks and I don't feel I'll be using it as much as I'd like in the next few months. She tells me that this shouldn't be a problem as they do it all the time however they will need proof that I'm pregnant. At this point - the front desk girl gets the SERIOUS side eye from me...

... said side eye doesn't faze the girl whatsoever.

So I say to her - "Proof?" - as I turn sideways showing her my 33 week belly? "Seriously? This ain't a beer belly lady!" She barely breaks a smile and tells me yes, they need a doctor's note and as soon as they receive it that they'll be more than happy to put my membership on hold.

Wow... I just laugh and say ok. Even my doctor laughed at me today when I called for the proof! She joked that I should POAS and bring it in for them... now there's a thought!!! :) I told her something in writing should be sufficient. :) tee hee!

32 Weeks and an OVERLOAD of info...

I had my 32 week appointment with Dr. C yesterday. It went pretty well - minus the fact that my back has still been killing me and she keeps giving me all these "suggestions" when all I really want is a referral to a massage therapist who specializes in pre-natal massages. Don't get me wrong... Mr GB does a good job... but I can only imagine the real thing.

Anyway, I got to do the usual... pee in a cup - check... blood pressure - normal... Baby GB's heart beat - 150 and he kicked the doppler yet again... tape measure to the belly - right on track (wohoo - not big!!!)... then she started in on the Gestational Diabetes talk. First of all she apologized to me because as I distinctly remember she said I was one of her patients that she believed would "have nothing to worry about." Yeah right... it was nice she remembered saying that though. Apparently, as noted before my number for the 1 hour test was only slightly elevated and come to find out technically I didn't even fail the 3 hour!!! She showed me my numbers and if you recall from this post to really fail the 3 hour you are to fail 2 or more of the 4 blood draws... I failed one... but another of my numbers was 1 point (1 POINT!!!!) below the cut-off so she decided to cautiously diagnose me with gestational diabetes.

Honestly, I'm fine with it - if any of you have talked to me in the last few weeks since dealing with the GD Dx you know that I feel better than ever. I have a ton more energy, I've actually lost a few pounds, and I'm really considering continuing this diet plan (although a not so strict version) after Baby GB is born. Who woulda thunk??? :)

She did give me some more information as far as being induced early. The nutritionist had mentioned that a lot of doctors don't let patients with GD go past 38 weeks so I definitely wanted to ask her about this. Dr. C says that the EARLIEST she'd induce me is 39 weeks and that's ONLY if Baby GB starts to grow out of control. With my body frame, height and weight... she said there's probably no way a baby larger than about 9 lbs is coming out of... well... there. So there'd be a higher chance of C-section if she let me go. Also, she said that she won't let me go past my due date. So... March 29th it is :) If he's not here on his own by the time I hit my 40 week appointment, I'll be going sometime that week for induction. EEK!!! Scary! But oh so exciting!!! :)

Also (I swear I'm almost done!), starting at week 34 I have to go in for two (count them... two) weekly appointments at the hospital for non-stress tests. This is ALONG with my regular appointments - which are now every 2 weeks and at 36 weeks every week - with Dr. C. I'm not 100% sure exactly what these NST's entail but she said one is some kind of test to measure his movement (while simulating a contraction?!) and another test will be an ultrasound to measure the fluid levels. Apparently another side effect of GD is that the fluid around little Baby GB could get low if my blood sugars are not controlled which could either mean: 1. bedrest or 2. early induction. So while it's kind of cool I get to see him on the big screen on a weekly basis - what a pain!!! I've asked my work if I can switch my schedule from 8am-5pm to 7am-4pm so at least I won't have to take time off, I'll just head over to the hospital and hope that they can fit me in before 5. Fingers crossed...


Here's what Baby GP is up to this week:
Baby's now the size of a squash! Ready or not, baby's getting ready to emerge. She's probably in the head-down position by now, with her bottom facing up. This is the comfiest way for her body to fit in your increasingly cramped womb and will make her eventual exit (only a few months away now!) much easier. (If she's still head-up, don't panic -- there's still time for a flip before birth.)

Skinny Cow...

Craving sweets on a low carb diet SUCKS!!! But I found a loophole...

Skinny Cow No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches... they are going to get me through this diet :)

Ok so they have 140 calories but they only have 30 grams of carbs! Which means I can have one for my evening snack and not feel the least bit guilty!!!

Photo Credit

Boy Was I Wrong!

My apologies for not posting sooner about the gestational diabetes diagnosis but I wanted to wait until after my second appointment with my nutritionist to make sure I had a good understanding of what I was dealing with.

It all started with this post. I was feeling VERY defeated, mostly because I had a very misconstrued idea of what gestational diabetes was. I thought it was my fault, I thought I had done something wrong, and worst of all I thought I had failed.

Last Thursday I had my first consultation with my new nutritionist. First off she took my weight (up almost 15 lbs) and my blood sugar (73) both of which were normal. Then she taught me how to use my new glucose monitor - good thing it's pretty easy and (fairly) painless since I'd be doing it 4 times a day; fasting before I ate breakfast for the day, then 1 hour after each breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My new best friend.
Photo Credit

Here's some information I found from the American Diabetes Association that I found really helpful:

"Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States each year.

We don't know what causes gestational diabetes, but we have some clues. The placenta supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.

Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia.

How gestational diabetes can affect your baby

Gestational diabetes affects the mother in late pregnancy, after the baby's body has been formed, but while the baby is busy growing. Because of this, gestational diabetes does not cause the kinds of birth defects sometimes seen in babies whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy.

However, untreated or poorly controlled gestational diabetes can hurt your baby. When you have gestational diabetes, your pancreas works overtime to produce insulin, but the insulin does not lower your blood glucose levels. Although insulin does not cross the placenta, glucose and other nutrients do. So extra blood glucose goes through the placenta, giving the baby high blood glucose levels. This causes the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat.

This can lead to macrosomia, or a "fat" baby. Babies with macrosomia face health problems of their own, including damage to their shoulders during birth. Because of the extra insulin made by the baby's pancreas, newborns may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and are also at higher risk for breathing problems. Babies with excess insulin become children who are at risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for type 2 diabetes."

Since my blood sugar levels were only slightly elevated at both my 1hr and 3hr glucose testings my nutritionist hopes we can keep my blood sugar levels with diet and exercise alone. I'm very thankful for this because if things are too abnormal or can't be controlled with diet and exercise alone then I'd be forced to give myself insulin shots! Let's hope we can keep things in check! I am to eat about every 3 hours and include protein at every meal and snack and I have been following a 2000 calorie diet of 6 meals a day that look like this:

• Breakfast = 30 grams of carbs
• AM Snack = 15 grams of carbs
• Lunch = 45 grams of carbs
• PM Snack = 30 grams of carbs
• Dinner = 45 grams of carbs
• Evening Snack = 30 grams of carbs

I've never been one to follow a strict diet or count carbs and calories so when I first read my plan I questioned how in the world I'd be able to do this. I'm also supposed to test my blood sugar 4 times a day which I have to tell you is mildly annoying but if these things are the least I have to do to keep myself and Baby GB healthy then I'm not going to complain and I'm going to stick to it. Lets just say I have a new appreciation for those nutritional labels!!! :)

When I get up in the morning before I eat anything I have to test and my number has to be below 95. I also have to test 1 hour after each main meal and my number needs to be below 130. Two high numbers in a row and I am to call my nutritionist.

The first night I had all my information my testing didn't go so well - I ate what I thought was a fairly healthy dinner and I went over 130 - I immediately knew this was going to take a lot more work so I vowed day 2 would be better and it was. I did research, I started tracking every bite I ate into my Sparkpeople.com account, I went grocery shopping for healthy and low carb food options and my numbers have been in check for the last week.

I had my follow up meeting today with my nutritionist where she went over what I've been eating and where my numbers have been for the last week. All is well! She was very impressed at how seriously I was taking it and how well I've been doing. She weighed me again and I'm actually down 4 lbs?! Not that I'm trying to lose weight but that was shocking to me that even while Baby GB is growing (I feel like my belly sticks out further every day now) that I still managed just by eating right to lose weight. She did mention that I should be trying to get about 300 more calories than I've been allowing myself and that I should be exercising more. But other than that I'm on track and as long as my numbers continue to be normal I shouldn't have to meet with her in person again. I do have weekly check in's but I just have to e-mail her my numbers every Wednesday.

I honestly have to say I was 100% completely wrong about GD - I was convinced I didn't have it, that the glucose testings were wrong and that I was already eating healthy. I wasn't - but now that I am I feel great! Its amazing how much more energy I have.

With that, I will leave you with what thebump.com says Baby GB is up to this week... we are now 31 Weeks!!!

Baby's now the size of a squash!
Baby's going through major brain and nerve development these days. His irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (He won't pick up anything from his nose until after birth, though -- smell is transferred through air, not amniotic fluid.)

A Bump in the Road

I just got the results from my test last Friday... Gestational Diabetes.

I am in shock - what did I do wrong? I've only gained 13 lbs, I wasn't overweight to begin with, I eat fairly healthy, I exercise... ok not enough but I still get it in...

I know I should be happy that this is the only bump that's really come up so far but I can't help it - I'm so upset that I just started bawling at work.