h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Opened this up last night to type, had to get offline, and never got back to it

Pregnancy is at 28 weeks, 1 day (not sure what happened to that 1 day *shrug*)

Weight-- 192 lbs. I think. Gained a pound, anyway.

Blood pressure-- Good. Don't remember the numbers.

Heard the baby's heartbeat-- 130ish beats per minute.

This was the appointment when I had to drink the sugar drink and wait around for an hour before getting my blood drawn. Unlike last pregnancy, I was actually told to fast for 2 hours (I skewed the results last time because I didn't know, and hadn't thought about it). My urine test, before the drink and after the 2 hours, had sugar in it, though, so I'm very curious as to the results of the blood test. They'll call today if there's any concern.

I need to call them today anyway--I forgot to actually sign up for the classes I wanted.

My next appointment is December 15--I'm now to the point of appointments every 2 weeks

Happy Nerd,

that is one of the most beautiful lullabyes I have ever read I am now going to go back and see if I can sing ity to a melody that I know. !!

Thank you so much.
Paul how nice - we agree my dear friend. !

Christiane.

Got a call from the clinic. My blood glucose was 175, and the cutoff's 140. So tomorrow or the next day, I'll be heading over for the 3 hour fasting glucose test. Probably tomorrow, but I'll be late into work whichever day I do it, so I'll have to make the arrangements today. So if I go in for the test tomorrow, that means no food after 10pm, and an absolute minimum of water (they'd rather I don't drink any). I'd head to the lab as soon as I drop Faith at school, making sure I have a book with me, because I can't leave the area immediately by the lab once I've signed in and had the drink. Blood will be drawn every hour for 3 hours and tested.

If I do have gestational diabetes, I wouldn't be surprised--I started this pregnancy overweight--45 pounds heavier than the start of the last one, and almost 20 heavier than 2 days before Faith was born. I can't even blame baby weight, because I'd gotten back down to pre-pregnancy weight for a few months, anyway. I've been unusually tired the last half-week, compared to immediately before, and, as I told the nurse yesterday when she said I had sugar in my urine, I've been thirstier and urinating more as well, though I hadn't really noticed until the sugar was mentioned...

Amy, I'll keep my fingers crossed, no matter how difficult it is to type this way.

Hi, Amy.

I know that some women with gestational diabetes go on to have regular diabetes, but many do not. My sister had gestational diabetes, but has been fine otherwise since then.

Very dear Amy,
So siorry to hear about all your sugar problems. I have never heard of gestational diabetes. !! I do hope that you will be OK. It is a bind when you are so young.

Oh for the good old days of brown sugar. !!, Even treacle/molasses.. I wonder if those are better for one.

How is Faith enjoying school?

Much love to the three of you


christiane
AlsoRan80

Thanks everyone

Well, I went in today. I ended up having to take Faith in with me, because she woke up with a fever (not sure how high--I didn't leave the thermometer in longer than it took to determine that yes, she was staying home) so she got to be very bored. Anyway, I do have gestational diabetes ( http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp for info), so tomorrow I'm going into the clinic, getting lots of reading materials and a glucose monitor, and so forth and so on. I'm not worried *hurriedly tosses pillows around and watches as people who have known her for a long time faint in shock* because a friend of mine in Sacramento had to deal with it, so I know it's not so scary. Like I told Mrs. P yesterday, my main feeling is annoyance that *this* is the time of year that I'm really going to have to avoid candies and cookies

awww hope it is easily manageable.

mini

Dear Amy,Tom and Faith,

So sorry to hear about the diabetes, and as you say at a time of the year when there are so many goodies around. You must be careful though, because I know that my sight is going and it sems that it is bcause of diabetes which was undiagnosed for many a year.

Keep strong and I hope Faith is better.Please give her a big and a from her proxy great-grandmother.
with much affection

Christiane
AlsoRam80

Yes Amy all the best with managing the gestational diabetes! Good thing the docs picked it up.

Exercise has a very good effect on diabetes, but I don't know how feasible it is for a pregnant mother with a young child.

Low-glycemic foods might be good for avoiding insulin spikes.

I've got a meal planning thing (basically a chart with how many servings of which group I can have each meal, and how much a serving actually is--diabetic food groups are different than normal food groups, but I'm getting used to it) and I've been doing fairly well blood-sugar-wise, though I discovered last night that what I thought was a medium baked potato wasn't, and that overeating is a BAD thing...

In the long run, this'll likely do me some good, if I keep up the basic eating habits I'm going to learn the next couple months.

you could always write an entry on gestational diabeties, or something for just my worth though.

with it all.

mini

Sorry to hear this Amy, although it is more of an organisational pain in the bum than anything else! They'll keep a close eye on the size of the baby in case they need to get her out early due to getting too big.

You're right about it being the wrong time of year for this though!

Some years back, my triglycerides were getting toop high, so the dietician at my HMO gave me some dietary instructions, which happened to be the Diabetic food exchanges. So, I think I know exactly what you are up against, Amy.

I've come across some websites that claim 4 or 5 hours of aerobic exercise per week are enough to keep diabetes from rearing its ugly head. This might not be the best time to put that into action, but you might want to keep it in the back of your had for later reference, Amy.

Pregnancy is at 30 weeks (I'm going to stop keeping track of the days)

Weight-- 187 pounds. It's normal to lose some weight when you start following the diabetes diet--especially when you were eating like I had been As long as the baby's growing (which she is--uterus is now at 29 cm, and had been 27 last time, 24 four weeks prior, don't remember further than that) everything's fine--and I should start gaining again soon anyway. Though I have lost just under a pound since my appointment on the 11th which I didn't bother writing about...

Blood pressure-- 112 over... 60- or 70-something.

Heard the baby's heartbeat-- 130ish beats per minute.

I've been doing a good job with my blood sugar and, if my numbers are still good by my next appointment, I can go from testing 4 times a day to once a day--alternating times (1st day, fasting; 2nd day, after breakfast; 3rd day, after lunch; 4th day, after dinner; repeat) though I still have to follow the diet.

Next appointment is 12/31/08--would've been 12/29, but Tom and I are going out of town that weekend, and may not be back in time. Don't quite know where we're going yet, but I figure that as long as we have arrangements for Faith, we can decide on a destination the morning we leave, since we'd not be going more than a couple hours away (Assuming, of course, we don't decide to meet with anyone.)

Pregnancy is at 32 weeks.

Weight-- 185 pounds All of us want me to start gaining weight now. Uterus is now at 31 cm.

Blood pressure-- 121 over 71.

Heard the baby's heartbeat-- 130ish beats per minute.

For the first time, Notepad is head down. The last 2 times, she was horizontal, and before that, too little to really tell. Of course, there's still lots of time to change positions again--but at least now I know what all that wiggling the last couple days has been about!

I didn't do so well with my blood sugars. The combination of a nasty cold (illness can mess up your blood sugar) normal holiday stress, the not-normal stress the salonistas know about (I really should get a journal up about that, now that it's resolved...) and the trouble sticking to a schedule over the holidays (and 2 bites of birthday cake) made my sugars high almost too many times. In fact, had I not been sick, we wouldn't be taking a wait-and-see approach--we'd be starting insulin (hm, nothing like having to try all the vowels to get the spelling right). But, because of mitigating circumstances, I should be able to avoid giving myself shots. Now if I can figure out a way to gain weight without messing up my blood sugars, short of eating sticks of lard or something...

Next appointment is January 12.

My blood sugar was high a few days ago, as well. This is the first time it's ever happened, that I know of. Now the doctor is more emphatic that I need to lose weight. Frankly, I would like to lose some. My body is the one that isn't convinced. I'm trying to stop eating after 7 p.m. every night.

I'm glad that Notepad is starting to come into view, Amy. Good luck with the blood tests.