Long and Overdue - not me, this entry!
July 18, 2003 - 3:14 p.m.
I meant to update this much much sooner but I got pretty busy and cranky. Still Tuesday was one of the best days I have had in a long time.
I had a great appointment with my OB. I have only gained a pound since the last visit, which was surprising to me but I was really happy. I put on close to 27 lbs so far and was hoping it would slow down some time! I am sure the new diet is helping. It's basically the Atkin's diet. Seriously, my mom and I are on the same diet except she can have more sodium than I can.
Anyway my doctor thinks my sugar levels are doing great, despite the spikes I had last week. It made me feel so much better to talk to her about it. I was really obsessing and freaking out over every high and low number...thinking I was putting my sweet boo in danger. She told me all we have to do is keep them consistant from here through labor and we should both be perfectly fine. She was the one person who reassured me that this was hard and I had to think about every single thing I put in my mouth - but that it would be ok.
My doctor also said we'd have to monitor me for the rest of my life because I am at increased risk to develop diabetes in the future now. I said it didn't make any sense at all since before pregnancy I was always on the hypo side, meaning low blood sugar. She said right there that tells her my pancreas is "touchy" and that is probably why I am having the problem now. At least now I know why it happened. Before it was a complete mystery.
On an exciting note, I've started my two week appointments. I still have to call in every Monday regardless and report my sugar numbers. I am so glad to start the two week appts though, I have more and more questions and more oppotunitiies to ask them now. I think I started my list for next time the second I left her office. I know that she was against inducing before 42 weeks, but now that it is confirmed that I have GD, will she change her mind if the baby measures big? Will she strip my membranes or help things along in any way? Oh and I also found out (from the receptionists) that she'll be on vacation September 22nd - 24th. Not perfect timing. It makes me more nervous. Before this last appt, I wasn't set on having her deliver, but with everything that is going on and all the precautions we have to take, I want her there.
We had our 2nd birthing class that night after the appointment. It went well. I was sure it was going to be lame and boring, as so many people told me it would be. Plus Tim was in a mood. But once we got there and started it was so much fun. I am just in love with our instructor. Tim even got into it. He's not the type of person to be all excited about labor and especially not about classes. But after a few minutes we started relaxation excersises and breathing and there was this annoying couple that kept talking and laughing throughout - Tim and I were both going to pop them in the back of the heads. We don't like a single couple in our class. Not like that's a good thing, but it's cool when you get that "Us against the World" feeling it brings us closer, you know?
We practiced holding ice for the duration of a contraction, and used different pain coping techniques. I discovered if I just close my eyes and focus directly on the pain, all while assuring myself that it will be over soon and I was engineered to do this, it felt like a mere second as opposed to 60. I am looking so forward to birth and to proving to myself that I can endure the experience however I get through it.
I had a minor scuffle with the pharmacy yesterday. Different pharmacy than the one that screwed me on the monitor, but the same chain. This time I filled my prescription for testing strips and went to pick them up, and they told me my insurance wouldn't pay for them until the 23rd. Well at this point I was down to 6 strips which would last me yesterday and half of today. I told her I was out and I needed them, so I would pay out of pocket. She told me they were $87. For 100 strips!!! I threw a complete fit and left.
I called my nurse who called them back and got it all straightened out. I am going back there to pick them up tonight. I hope that the same pharmacist isn't working.
Tim and I put together the baby's clost last night. It was a major pain with terrible instructions, it was hot and we were tired and cranky. By 10 pm it was finally finished, vacuumed out and I moved some of her clothes from our closet into hers. It will take some getting used to as it is an organizer/shelving system and it isn't as cool as we thought it was going to be. I am going to Target tongiht to pick up a small dresser or a cart and some canvas shelving and some more hangers - as I did an entire load of (pink) baby clothes last night! We also got the playard all set up in the family room and it will work out just perfectly. The changing station is set up now with diapers and wipes. I just need some creams and we should be good to go. Oh, and the baby. We need her too.
I am set on delivering September 10th. I don't know why but this is the date I want to have my boo and she better cooperate. Let's just hope, ok?
Thank you is Due, and a Good Thing too, since today totally sucked
July 15, 2003 - 1:29 p.m.
Our 2nd class is tonight. I also have an OB appt this afternoon. I am looking forward to both. I don't like the people in our chilbirthing classes, but I love the instructor. Her name is Wendy, and let's just say she looks like a Wendy and acts like one - in a good way! She has had one medical birth, induced, and one self-induced home birth with a midwife. She had horrible back labor (posterior) birth with the first one and a great second birth altogether. So I just really trust her judgement and opinions on childbirth.
I also am interested to see how my OB appt will go this afternoon. I will produce my sugar levels and see what the doc has to say about them. I would also like to complain about the nutritionist and dietician that I saw at the other clinic, for not really giving me any information on this gestational diabetes. After what I read yesterday, I was really shocked that they didn't tell me these things, like the risk for pre-eclampsia (like the one thing I DON'T have yet) and the baby could have blood sugar problems after birth. And I just need more guidance. This "Just eat protien" stuff isn't working for me.
OK now that I totally pigged out - meaning I had a salad and a sandwich and a yogurt and juice - I feel guilty all over again.
This sugar thing is driving me nuts. I had a really good day yesterday, all my levels were low and consistent. Then today, after breakfast I hit 111. I drank a glass of water (to flush out keytones!) and a few minutes later I am ready to pass out. I checked my sugar again and it was 66. I thought something must be wrong- I mean this was about 5-6 minutes from 111 to 66?? I ate some fruit and then went ahead and ate my lunch...still not feeling all that well! Just confused, mostly. I talked to a lifelong diabetic and she told me it is possible to crash like that and as long as you don't pass out, lows are better than highs. Duh. I am so fed up with this whole thing! I am obsessing over it and feeling guilty for every little thing I eat - or don't eat! Guess you could call me a control freak.
I am totally craving chilito dip and corn chips. I bet that's good for me.
So I just want to know who to thank. For this. Because all those reminders, in my inbox? Got deleted. Yea, I'll renew. I'll do it tomorrow. Or the next day.
Then tomorrow or the next day got here and I'm like, crap, I can go a while without renewing. Maybe. We'll see.
But I didn't have to, someone did it for me and I would like to give that person a jelly doughnut, a CD and a great big hug.
Just fess up - don't you like getting credit where it is due?
Finally, 30 weeks and a Shower, Natural Childbirth decision and a weigh-in
July 14, 2003 - 4:49 p.m.
After a night of absolutely no sleep, I am in a relatively good mood. Between boiling heartburn, leg cramps and getting up to pee every hour on the hour, getting sweaty hot and then freezing cold, I got maybe between 2 and three hours of sleep.
I had record breaking high sugar levels this weekend. I decided that since the diet wasn't working to keep my levels consistant, on Saturday I was going to eat what I felt like eating and deal with the consequenses later. It was the day of my baby shower, so I ended up eating cake and cookies and a million things I didn't...and sure enough, I had the worst readings ever. But then I discovered that walking just a little bit really helped to lower them. So I have started walking after every meal and things seem to have tamed down by then. I am really impressed that I dound something that works so simply - I can even have fruit AND candy, as long as I walk it off my sugars stay low! Stress has a lot to do with keeping them down, too.
My levels have been consistant in the 70's and 80's today, and that is with fruit and chocolate!
Speaking of the baby shower, it was fabulous. There were almost 20 people there, it was overwhelming, but nice at the same time. My best friend was there, a lot of my mom's friends, my entire family and MIL, SIL and Tim's grandma. We got a truckload of pink stuff - sleepers and onsies and clothes that will last us the whole first year. We didn't get a whole lot of newborn or 0-3 month stuff, which is cool. MIL got us the playard with the bassinet and changing table - YAY - for our family room (which will double for a 2nd nursery on bad nights!). We also got a set of baby CD's and a lullaby player for the crib, that turns on automatically when the baby fusses (if we so choose). We got the high chair (an even better one than we registered for), some toys, a million socks, soem bath stuff, bibs, books...
I talked to my mom about her labor, and I hadn't realized before that she did it with absolutely NO pain medications at all. It was as natural as they come. It was the beginning of the "Lamaze" movement and so nothing was offered to her. For some reason hearing that cemented my decision for a natural child birth. I am sculpting my birth plan right now. If only I weren't at risk to be induced because of this damn gestational diabetes....I really wish I didn't have to be induced and now I really really don't want to end up in a C-section. This goal alone will help me control my blood sugar.
My doc has done a horrible job of educating me on the risks involved with GD. I talked with someone else who has it and this is what she had to say : "The baby being too large is one (the most common) concern about having diabetes while pg. In the last few weeks of pg, the baby's job is to pack on the pounds. If there is excess sugar in your system, the baby says "cool, let me take that," and puts on more weight. This is why you hear about 8lbrs+ from diabetics. The mother's blood sugar was too high. Also, the baby does produce insulin to help counter act your high blood sugar, so when it is born, it sometimes continues to produce the high levels of insulin and its own blood sugar drops. This is why the baby's blood sugar will probably be checked multiple times after birth. The other issue with not being in control is that it heightens the risk of pre-eclampsia which we are aware of those problems/concerns.
In order to control my diabetes, I check my blood sugar every 2 hours (before meal, then 2 hours after). My range is 70-120 that I shoot for. The after meal blood sugar is the most important as it is food driven as opposed to hormones. I will either be induced around 37-38 weeks or have a c-section because my dr's philosophy is that once the lungs are mature, then there is no reason for the baby to stay in there to gain extra weight as the last few weeks are the most difficult times to control blood sugar. I am on the insulin pump in order to help control my diabetes...made that decision before I got pg.
In a nutshell, I hope this helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions as I more than willing to share info.
So that is what else I have sitting on my plate.
I weighed myself at my mom's house and was 132.5 for a total gain of 26.5 so far. That is if her scale is on with mine. We'll see what I weigh tomorrow afternoon at the doc appt.