Gestational Diabetes Take 2!

Last pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes (GD) at the end of my second trimester. I wasn't really all that shock, but I was in denial. After all, I have PCOS which causes some insulin resistance so I was already at a higher risk. Then add in the fact that I am heavier than ideal and you have a recipe for GD.

With my history of GD from the last pregnancy, they were super cautious this time around. My A1c was "borderline" and just .1 above normal range! I had brought it down through diet and exercise quite a few points right before we found out we were pregnant so I was thrilled! They immediately sent me over to the MFM and had me talk to the diabetic educator. I was told to check my numbers 4x/day for two weeks and email them weekly to her. She would go over it and see how they looked.

At first I was super disappointed. Seriously? I'm not even out of my first trimester and I'm already having to count carbs/protein and do finger pricks all day...WHY?! I can be slightly dramatic at times, but it is what it is. I ordered a new meter through my insurance company and started testing. I was a little upset to learn that their values are even more strict than my last MFM. Don't they know it's hard enough to control your blood sugars if you have an issue? Oh well, I tested and my numbers came back well in range!

Since I had been doing so well, they decided to let me check just twice per day! When those numbers continued to be in range, they had me just check my fastings every other day until they determined I no longer needed to be monitored. I was SO excited! I stopped checking and was told my OB would do a 1 hour glucose test at the normal time and we'd go from there.

I decided to do some "spot checks" with my fasting numbers along the way. Every few weeks I would check just to see what they were. I could see a steady increase in the numbers, but didn't think too much of it just yet. Then, yesterday I decided to do another check and was not happy to see a 104. I knew I had a problem at this point and that was so discouraging. I decided to go ahead and test after 1 hour to see if it was just a problem with my fasting number or overall. My after breakfast number was 23 points higher than what they wanted! So, I made the decision to check after lunch and the same thing happened again. I called in to the educator and my OB so we could get started and get an official diagnosis before the glucose test.

I now have an official diagnosis and have been monitoring for just over a day. I know it's not the end of the world, but GD has a way of messing with your emotions. Numbers can be deceiving and you can eat the exact same thing one day and be well in range and the next it can be high! I'm trying not to get discouraged and just deal with it.

There is a little bit of silver lining though! Now that I have GD and will likely be on insulin based on my fastings alone if nothing else, we know that our little girl will be here no later than mid-August! They won't let me go past 39 weeks with medication and that means that my mom and sister will get to meet our baby and get to spend time with her! For this, I am really grateful even if that means 14 weeks of checking numbers and watching everything I eat all day, every day.

22 Weeks with Baby #2

Wow, we are more than half-way through this pregnancy and it seriously blows my mind. We've had two anatomy scans so far and everything is looking good! She's a little stubborn though and they can't seem to get all of the pictures they would like at one time so we get to check on her again at our next appointment with the specialist!

I've been receiving weekly progesterone shots now for the past month and only have about fourteen left! They're definitely not fun or exciting, but whatever helps baby girl make it to full term is what we're working on. I also get regular checks to make sure I'm not dilating and so far everything looks good which I'm super happy with!

My hips have been killing me a lot lately and the lower back pain has started with occasional pelvic pain. I've been seeing my chiropractor weekly and that's been helpful as well as I'm going to start getting a prenatal massage monthly (?) as long as things continue to be so uncomfortable.

I don't have gestational diabetes yet, but I suspect when the check me next time I will. I have a higher risk for it and with PCOS you have some insulin resistance so it's just a recipe to have it happen at some point. I'm definitely not looking forward to the diet and possible insulin, but whatever it takes is what we'll do!

I have been told I do need to up my protein since her stomach is measuring smaller than the rest of her body. They're not concerned and said that it could just be that I have small babies, but they would like to see if we can get her to put on a little bit of weight in the next few weeks either way. Protein drinks will be my friend for a while.

Other than that, we've finally decided on a name and I'm just so excited to not have to think about it or worry about it anymore. It was so stressful to not have a name and nothing just felt right for the longest time so that's been a huge relief! 

Birth Story

Fun fact...

I had no idea I was in labor the day I gave birth.

I was having contractions the night before every 2-7 minutes. At my hospital, they say not to come in unless they are ALL 5 minutes apart and last at least 60 seconds each. Since some of them were 2 minutes and some were 30 seconds, we decided to go to bed. After all, I had an MFM appointment to check my fluid levels one more time before induction on Monday.

I was able to sleep through the night no problem and when I woke up on Friday, I still was having contractions. Since we had the appointment set for 9am and my doctor's office doesn't open until then, I decided to just go to the appointment and let them know. My mother-in-law told us to make sure to take our hospital bags and I told her that I was NOT having a baby that day! I couldn't understand why she was so insistent, but I made sure that we grabbed them anyways.

By the time we got to the hospital my contractions were pretty regular. They were uncomfortable, definitely, but I could still talk and walk through them so I certainly couldn't have been in labor, right? I mean, the nurses at the hospital in town told me that when I was in "true labor" I would definitely know it, feel tightening in my stomach, and not be able to walk or talk through the contractions. None of this applied to me so I was sure it was just my body doing it's thing and would stop after a while like it had been.

When we got to the appointment, I mentioned to the nurse that I was having pretty regular contractions and they were uncomfortable. She hooked me up to the monitor and verified that they were happening every 4 minutes and that the baby looked great. We checked my fluid levels and they were good too. The MFM came by, looked at my NST and AFI and asked if I wanted to be checked for progress. I told him that I would appreciate that so he checked and told me that I was already dilated 5 cm and was still 100% effaced! They had me go over to labor and delivery to be admitted to see what they were going to do.

By the time we were admitted around 11-11:30am the back labor had started to kick in. I was pretty uncomfortable, but it wasn't unbearable either. Some nurses came in to do my vitals and ask a ton of questions and the anesthesiologist came in to place my IV and told me that he was going to call my OB to get me an epidural ASAP.

 Once the doctor came in, we asked if there was any possibility that we would be sent home and the answer was a resounding no! My husband was so excited that he threw his hands in the air and said, "YES!"

They got the OK to do the epidural and I no longer felt the contractions. My OB was on his way so we were waiting on him to come check me out.

When my OB arrived, he checked me and said that I was 7cm and that he was going to break my water. It took a few tries, but he finally did. By 4pm I was fully dilated and they said I could start pushing whenever I wanted. They had just given me more pain medication and I couldn't feel any pressure so I said I wanted to wait so I could tell when and how to push.

At 4:30pm I started pushing. The baby's head was still a little high so I had to push a while to get it more engaged. I pushed for a total of 2 hours and 10 minutes and our little boy arrived!

Since he was early at 36 weeks 5 days, they had the NICU team standing by to check him out. I was able to hold him briefly after they looked over him and so was my husband, but they had to take him to the nursery to make sure that he was breathing OK. I let my in-laws in the room while he was being checked out so they could see him since it would be a while before he was brought back to us.

About 2 hours later they brought our little man back to us and said he was healthy and we could keep him with us!

36 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 36 weeks 4 days

Size of Baby: Honeydew

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +31 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

  

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Lots of rolling around, hiccups, and punches.

 

Sleep: Waking up a lot, but that's normal.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

  

Cravings: Pumpkin everything! With Fall just around the corner I am seriously so excited!

 

Symptoms: Oh, you know, just contractions and such! We're still on "labor watch" so it's interesting to try to figure out when it's going to happen!

Best Moment This Week: Knowing he's doing well and that he will be making his appearance soon!

No Baby Yet!

We've officially made it to 36 weeks as of yesterday and we couldn't be happier! Phil's parents are back in town so it's safe to say that if my water breaks, no one will have to miss his birth.

We're still at a "wait and see" point with the whole am I going to go into labor thing, but I'm still on bed rest so that's definitely helping. Baby Reese has moved up a little higher and has been there since leaving the hospital last week.

We have an appointment with the OB tomorrow morning for what will likely be my last OB appointment before the baby comes. Since he is measuring small (we're talking 4th percentile now) they don't want to let him go past 37 weeks in case there are any placental issues. Right now everything is looking good and I have another NST Wednesday with the MFM and one Saturday at the hospital so as long as everything looks good, we are thinking that Monday might be day!

There's always a chance that we could go into any appointment and be induced that day, but either way it's not too much longer! We are so ready to meet this little boy and have him be healthy and safe in our arms.

35 Weeks!

How Far Along: 35 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby:t Coconut

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +30 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Definitely. He's been moving like crazy the past couple of days.

 

Sleep: Waking up a lot, but that's normal. Starting to nap again during the day.

What I Miss: Being able to go to the store!

  

Cravings: Nothing this week.

 

Symptoms: Oh, you know, just contractions and such!

Best Moment This Week: Knowing he's doing well. He keeps passing his tests well so hopefully he's growing well too! We find out Wednesday!

Any Day Now?!

I can't believe we made it to 35 weeks! Of course, that almost didn't happen after yesterday's shenanigans.

I went in for my normal NST at the hospital and everything looked great. I found out that what I thought was the baby pushing down was really a contraction so that was super fun! Of course, it's been happening for a couple of weeks now so that was a little shocking. After the hour or so that we were there, we were sent on our merry way and told to come back with signs of pre-term labor like they do every week.

We finally got our Target registry completion discount in the mail the other day and I was dying to get to Target and get all of the little things we needed. The Target in town has a tiny baby section so we went to the one 45 minutes away that is amazing! We waddled walked around and got everything we needed off the list and promptly went to Five Guys for lunch.

Once we were there I went to the bathroom and thought that I might have been leaking a little bit. I called my doctor and told him and he said to head straight to the Family Birthplace to get checked out, but it's probably nothing. Of course, I felt stupid about having to go back in, but it's always best to get checked out because you never know.

We headed to the hospital after lunch with a car full of baby things thinking we would be in and out within a couple of hours. They hooked me up to the monitors for another NST and did an exam. We found out that I didn't have a leak (yay!), but she said that she could see the baby's head and the sac was bulging...WHAT?!

When the doctor checked for dilation, she said I was 1 cm dilated and 100% effaced. My contractions were picking up and they weren't sure if I was going to make it through the night without my water breaking so they decided to have me stay overnight to see what would happen.

It was a super long night, but the nurses were fantastic! I started having contractions every 3-5 minutes until I went to sleep and they slowed down to every 10 minutes or so. It was hard to sleep between the contractions, monitoring, and the baby moving like crazy. I managed to make it through the night without my water breaking and was checked by the house doctor in the morning.

They released me on bed rest orders hoping that I could make it another week. I've been told that we're not sure if I'll make it another few days, but the best way to keep the baby in is to rest and hydrate like crazy so that's what we're doing. I'm supposed to only go to the fridge for food when no one else is home and to go to the bathroom. I have to keep my OB appointments and go back in if my water does break.

We're really hoping to make it to 36 weeks (ideally 37) to avoid a stay in the NICU. My hospital is very supportive of breastfeeding moms with babies who have to stay, but I would really love to be able to take him home with me when I get to go home.

My husband is being fantastic and is going to be making me food to be able to just grab from the fridge while he's at work. My in-laws are on vacation so I'll be hanging out at home by myself this week hoping that I don't go into labor while he's at work an hour and a half away! He'll be home Wednesday for our growth ultrasound so I'll have him here to keep me company and help me then too.

Let's keep this baby in for another week or two!

34 Week Bumpdate

How Far Along: 34 weeks 4 days

Size of Baby: Butternut Squash

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +30 lbs maybe? I'm confused since they had me turn around on the scale and I couldn't see my weight.

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Definitely. Some movement has even started to get a little painful so he must be growing!

 

Sleep: Mostly not so great, but last night was better. My round-ligament pain is terrible in the middle of the night and I can barely walk to go to the bathroom :/

What I Miss: Eating whenever the mood strikes and what I want. I really want to go to Ihop for breakfast, but my gestational diabetes won't allow for the stuffed french toast right now :(

  

Cravings: Not too much right now, but baby LOVES cheeseburgers still. Every time I eat one, he goes crazy!

 

Symptoms: Oh, the usual at this point.

Best Moment This Week: Feeling him move and hearing his heartbeat. The AFI scans are nice, but they're super quick and don't focus on body parts, but fluid amounts so it will be nice to see him next week for the growth ultrasound.

Nesting

I've been nesting on and off now for a couple of weeks. Fortunately, his room has been ready for me to do what I want to get it ready so I've been in there quite a lot lately.

We had our baby shower this past weekend and I was really holding back on buying things due to that. Now that it's over, I have a list of things to get before his arrival and can start working on that. I'm still waiting for my completion discount at Target to really get going, but for now I will just have to hold off and wait a little longer.

I managed to get all of the gifts sorted the same day of the shower and we did a storage run and laundry the day after so yesterday I was able to get to organizing. His clothes and most essentials have a home and there's only a little left to do! I have the bases installed in our cars and the car seat is hanging out in his room for now.

I don't really have a ton of pictures at the moment of his room, but I'm sure there will be some in the next few weeks. It's not anything fancy, but I like it and it's very calming to be in there. Most days you can find me sitting in the rocking chair (that my husband was rocked in) crocheting a blanket for him or just hanging out. I love his nursery and can't wait for his arrival in 4-6 weeks.

33 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 33 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: Durian (?)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +28 lbs. The dr said the swelling is helping with that :/

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Definitely. I get to watch him move all the time now so that's been fun!

 

Sleep: Eh, it comes and goes. I wake up a lot and it's painful in the middle of the night so I have a harder time going back to sleep. It's all worth it though.

What I Miss: Being a little more comfortable. Our little man is pretty low and likes to put a lot of pressure down low so it makes it really uncomfortable to move. The other day I couldn't even walk with the amount of pressure and pain, but he usually moves up at least for part of the day.

  

Cravings: Cupcakes and cake pops from my shower. We had to freeze some of the cupcakes for me to have after the baby is born.

 

Symptoms: You mean I'm pregnant?!

Best Moment This Week: Hearing his heartbeat and passing the NSTs quickly and seeing him again last week on the ultrasound. 

So the Testing Begins...

Today was a big day for us regarding baby appointments. We had our first Non-Stress Test (NST) and another growth ultrasound to see how our little guy is doing.

With being on insulin overnight for my fasting numbers, I am being closely monitored from here on out. I will be going in two times per week for NSTs and on one of those days they will be doing a quick AFI to check the amniotic fluid levels. I also am scheduled for another growth ultrasound in three weeks. Yes, on top of my regular OB appointments, I'm about to be super busy! Hopefully, time will fly right by.

The NST went really well. The baby cooperated and we were able to get a print out of his heart rate on the paper to take with us for the baby book (according to the nurse). I had no contractions and he passed with flying colors! The next one is scheduled for Saturday morning so hopefully he cooperates then too.

At the growth ultrasound we found out that he's measuring even smaller than last time. At 28 weeks, he was measuring in the 22nd percentile and we were told they wanted to see him continue to grow and to check back in a month. Today, at 32 weeks, he was measuring in the 14th percentile...so a little smaller then what they would like to see.

The doctor let us know that he's growing accordingly, but he's not getting gaining a lot of weight in his belly. She said he could just be a lean baby (maybe like his father?), but we'll be able to tell more in three weeks when we go back. She assured me that he's healthy and when we come back if he's dropped below 10%, they will want to check for placental problems and make sure he's getting enough blood flow via a different ultrasound.

Since my blood sugars have been controlled well, there's no concern as of yet. They want to keep him in and get him as close to 37 weeks as possible before they need to take him, but preferably closer to 39 weeks, but no longer than that.

I'm feeling blessed to be able to have such great doctors and nurses looking out for our little man and know that they're watching out for him. Of course, we know that God is in control and our faith and trust is in Him  to protect and keep our little boy healthy and safe.

32 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 32 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: Squash

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +26 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Definitely. I love feeling him roll around and move. He's started pushing down and is head down so sometimes it's a bit uncomfortable.

 

Sleep: Not so great. I feel like I need a nap daily and get super cranky/emotional when I'm tired.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach and being able to eat anything at any given time. 

  

Cravings: Not eating string cheese with ice cream...lol.

 

Symptoms: I look like I have a beach ball under my clothes...so, there's that.

Best Moment This Week: Feeling his daily movement! We have a lot to be thankful for and we have an ultrasound coming up Wednesday and start NSTs twice weekly this week so I'll be busy.

Difficult Transitions

Getting used to the GD lifestyle has been an adjustment. Gone are the days of lounging around after eating and being able to eat how much I want when I want. Having to look at the clock with your first bite of a meal, knowing that in just one or two hours from now, you will be testing your blood sugar gets a little overwhelming. Then, there's the anticipation of the number that pops up. Will it be in range? Is it too high? But, I did everything right?! It definitely gets frustrating at times and a bit much.

The diet itself isn't that bad. I have to count my carbs and proteins and make sure that I'm getting the right amount at every meal and snack. I have three meals per day and three snacks per day so I'm eating every 2-3 hours on average. Of course, there are times that you do everything right and still get a number that is not in range. This is where it gets upsetting. Other times, you eat right and it's in a perfect range and you sigh with relief.

I've been put on overnight insulin and that hasn't been too bad. The needle they gave me is super tiny and it really doesn't hurt going in. I exercise after meals to try to stay off of daytime insulin, but with the impending hormone surges, I'm not sure that's going to happen. It's all a matter of what you eat and what your hormones decide to do that day.

The part that is the most difficult for me is the exercise. I am exhausted especially since this week hit. I'm supposed to get up and move (walk, run errands, do something active) for at least 10-15 minutes following every meal to help my blood sugar stay down. I'm pretty religious about this unless there's no way because we have church or an appointment and I can't be more active than walking to and from the car. But, it's hard to get up and move when you just want to take a nap.

I'm doing this for my health and most importantly for my baby's health. It's a choice I've made to do the best I can for my baby because he is so important. Gestational diabetes has real risks, but if you manage it well, the outcomes are great! My numbers are always in a "safe" range which is the most important thing. I'm committed for the best outcome for me and the baby and that's what matters most.

29 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 29 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: Acorn Squash!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +24 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Lots! I love watching my belly move every day when he's super active and gets moving.

 

Sleep: Waking up every 2-3 hours still.

What I Miss: Not having so many aches and pains, but it's worth it!

  

Cravings: None at the moment.

 

Symptoms: Same as usual.

Best Moment This Week: Seeing our little boy on the ultrasound last week and having my husband and mother-in-law be able to feel him move.

Update on GD

Trying to get a hang of the Gestational Diabetes diet can be a little difficult. I have to eat so many carbs/proteins at each meal and snack and figure out what does and does not work for my body.

I've been on the diet a little over a week and I'm already on bedtime insulin. My fasting numbers were a little higher than they would like and I had ketones in my urine so that helped make the decision. I'm also supposed to eat more during the day so we'll see how that works out.

I test 4 times per day and write down everything I eat. I'm on an eating schedule and it's important that I'm eating every 2-4 hours during the day so that's been a change. I can't just pick up anything I want to eat from anywhere so I've been packing lunches and snacks if I know I'm going to be out during that time. I also have become a pro at testing my blood sugar while we're out with this week's schedule being a little hectic!

I'm struggling with the insulin pen, but it's only been two days so I figure I'll get it right soon. It seems that not all of the medicine is going in so I might need to push the button harder, but I'm trying and it seems to be working a little.

We had a growth ultrasound and everything looked good! He is measuring in the 22nd percentile so we might just have a little baby on our hands. The doctor said he's probably taking after me since I'm shorter and was a small baby. I have another growth ultrasound in 4 weeks to make sure that he is continuing to grow properly since the risk with GD can be placental problems.

Since I'm on insulin, I will also be having NSTs done twice a week and one of those days I get a BPP to check for amniotic fluid as well. This all starts at 32 weeks and I just head down the street to the hospital. As long as he continues to do well, we will be able to have me carry him up until about 39 weeks per my doctor's recommendation.

Other than that, things are going pretty well and we're working on it.

Glucose Tolerance Test

If you follow me on twitter, you might have read how my 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test went this morning. It was horrible. I have small veins so I made sure to hydrate three days before the test to make it easier on everyone and it didn't work. At least my husband is amazing and went with me so that I didn't have to sit there alone.

It took two sticks to get my fasting blood sugar level and it came back high at 102. Of course, I felt defeated and was not looking forward to the other draws. I was informed that I needed a total of five draws. One fasting, one 30 minutes after the glucose drink, at 1 hr, 2 hrs, and 3 hrs after the drink.

Of course when it came to the half-hour draw, it took them five sicks to get it. I was in tears it hurt so bad. Shooting pain while they stick you is not normal. Plus, I had the woman telling me that labor is so much worse and that they will have a hard time sticking in an IV and that the labor and delivery nurses will tell me to suck it up! Wow, way to make me feel better.

After the issues with that draw, I called my OB's office and begged them to let me be considered to have gestational diabetes because I honestly wasn't sure they would be able to get the last three draws they needed. Of course, they said no and I had to sit there praying that it would only get better.

For the last three draws, she was able to use the same vein in my wrist. Yep, that's what it came down to, but at least she got them!

My left hand is swollen and bruised and I had to ice my arm and hand while waiting to get the draws...it was that bad.

I should find out my results on Monday, but I'm not sure what to think. I've done enough research to know that gestational diabetes is not a death sentence and can be manageable many times with diet and exercise. I still pray that I don't have it, but I wouldn't be shocked to find out that I do. I guess we'll find out Monday and go from there.

Good news, I've done well with my weight this week and the OB mentioned at my last appointment that I might get another ultrasound to see how big the baby is before he's born. Of course, I'm hoping for that!

22 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 22 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: Papaya

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +17 lbs. Eating out less and eating less in general isn't slowing it down. I figure as long as the doctor isn't concerned, I'm going to try not to be as well.

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear my yoga pants and comfy shorts, but moved on to maternity long ago.

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Every single day and I'm loving it! Phil was able to finally feel him move twice, but he's kicking down low and there's more padding down there so it's harder to feel for him.

 

Sleep: Better! Allergies are subsiding so that's always helpful. Plus, we have an air purifier and humidifier going at night. Not a fan of night sweats though.

 

What I Miss: Energy. I try to get out more and end up feeling exhausted within 5-10 minutes. So much for walking. I do what I can when I can!

Cravings: An Icee every time I walk into Target. But, I don't let myself get one anymore. Also, nachos from Baja Fresh, but at 945 calories, I'm making some at home instead of going out.

 

Symptoms: Vivid dreams, night sweats, weight gain.

Best Moment This Week: Hearing his heartbeat and feeling him wiggle and move a lot! I was also cleared to fly to CA next week so I'm ecstatic! 

21 Week Bumpdate

How Far Along: 21 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: Pomegranate (10.5 inches, 12.7 oz) Getting so big!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +9 lbs. I go to the dr tomorrow so we'll see what it's up to now.

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear my yoga pants and comfy shorts, but moved on to maternity long ago.

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Daily. Only I can feel it (still), but he's moving a lot more these days.

 

Sleep: So frustrating. I'm so tired, but when I lie down to go to sleep, my nose gets stuffed up and I can't sleep well. Waking up multiple times per night due to not breathing well.

 

What I Miss: Being able to breathe and walk around without getting tired and winded quickly. Of course, I'll take it for our healthy baby!

Cravings: Nothing too big this week.

 

Symptoms: Stuffy nose (thank to allergies as well), my boobs are getting bigger and are sore (again), and increased hunger on and off.

Best Moment This Week: Seeing our little boy at the anatomy scan this past week! We were told that he's looking good and see the doctor for our regular appointment tomorrow. Can't wait to hear his heartbeat again!