Today, I’m actually at 31 weeks pregnant, but the next week is busy so I’m showing up early.
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of information and emotions. (In case you missed it, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at Week 29 – you can read my first update here.) Since my diagnosis, I have tracked every ounce of food I’ve consumed, met with a dietitian twice, and become a human pincushion. The dietitian looked over my food consumption and stated I am doing everything correctly with my diet intake. However, my fasting glucose numbers remain high — out of 16 days, 9 of my fasting counts have been over limit.
Meeting with my OB yesterday, she explained that high fasting numbers is influenced strictly by pregnancy hormones. My liver releases hormones during the night while I sleep and my body is not receiving those hormones appropriately. So, she referred me to a maternal medical specialist with expectations I will be placed on nightly insulin injections.
A prescription of insulin was exactly what I hoped to abstain from when I received my diagnosis. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I’m attempting to look at this news positively though. If I have done everything correctly through my diet and have no control over my fasting counts, then insulin should be the golden ticket to finally controlling any blood sugar spikes. I’m not particularly excited about adding an injection to my daily finger pricks, but I’ll do what I have to in ensuring the end of my pregnancy is as healthy as possible. Baby boy’s health far outweighs my aversion to needles!
Again, I’m in limbo as I wait for the specialist to contact me and schedule my first consultation. My OB did explain that, in addition to these consults, I will be required to share my glucometer readings weekly with the specialist, most likely adapt my insulin dosage weekly, and complete bi-weekly non-stress tests at the OB office. Each step is new to me, but I’m thankful for the medical professionals in my life who are taking the time to explain, in depth, every hurdle and help me come out on top.
Apart from all these lessons with GD, the past few weeks in my pregnancy have been relatively easy. Little dude is very active and I love feeling him move around throughout the day. He seems to be most active after dinner, liking dinners with sweet potatoes and roasted veggies in particular. He is not a spicy food fan though. The two times I’ve made hot wings are the only nights he didn’t put on a dance.
We attempted a 3D/4D ultrasound this week, but Dean was not having it. Both attempts resulted in scarce images as he hid behind his little arms. The few images we did capture, he was sticking out his tongue or smiling. We may have one little stinker on our hands soon! The following was the best image from both attempts:
You can see Dean to the right, with his little nose, chubby cheeks, and pursed lips. The ultrasound, though cool to watch and interesting to talk through with the technician, reminded me of melted wax. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see this little cutie in-person in a couple of months!
Fortunately, most of my past pregnancy symptoms have let up and/or disappeared. My carpal tunnel no longer bothers me at night, my feet are far less swollen than in previous months, and I am even remembering things better (and not using so many Post-It notes.) I’ll have sore round ligaments from time to time, but that is just my body prepping for its upcoming workload increase during labor. The harshest symptom this past month has been increased fatigue. Though not nearly as severe as in my first trimester, I feel tired by the time work ends and am near crashing by the time dinner is over.
I continue to push through the fatigue most days though as Grant and I have increased our home projects to prepare for baby. G is nearly done with the nursery and I have constructed all furniture except the crib. I am itching to get things moved and situated soon!
The past two Saturdays we participated in virtual birthing classes through the local hospital’s maternity and labor department. As first-time parents, we learned so much more than we expected. It also helped us prepare a birth plan — something I will try to share in the near future.
With all that said, it is time for me to get to other things: namely preparing for my baby shower on Saturday. Eek! I’ll be in touch soon to share how the shower goes and show pictures from the day.
Until then, friends…
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