Baby has started kicking my butt this week. I'm 32 weeks and 3 days today and have decided that 5 whole days of work in a week is just too much. I've been tired on a Friday afternoon before, but this is a new level.
And I know, once baby comes and won't sleep and I'm sleep-deprived, it will be even worse, but I'm complaining about right now.
Also, suddenly he's very heavy. I've had round ligament and pelvic pain for a few months, but this is more. Usually when I go for a walk at lunch, I feel better once I'm up and moving around for a few minutes. On Wednesday, the pain and weight just kept getting worse and worse. I have some supportive, ahem, undergarments, but they're not doing the trick, so today I ordered 3 heavy duty maternity bands to try out. Hopefully one of them will work.
I really do want to make it to 40 weeks, because I have it all set in my head that baby will be here in late March and then I have my scheduled leave planned accordingly, but I'm starting to understand why women start saying "Alright, I'm done with this whole pregnancy thing now."
That's my complaining for the moment.
On the other hand, Jason came to my prenatal appointment yesterday morning and the doctor showed him where the baby's head was and how to feel it. So that's pretty neat.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Friday, January 08, 2016
Results
I do not have gestational diabetes! That's a relief. One more potential complication to check off the list.
Interestingly, my blood glucose level after 3 hours was really low - lower than even my fasting test. My doctor emailed me this morning to ask if I was feeling ok after the test because it was so low. I told her I was tired and headachy, but got lunch right afterward and was okay. However, it's really interesting to see those results and have some data to validate a couple of things I know about myself.
First, I get hangry. The first time Jason and I went on a big trip, I think he was shocked with how irritable I got when my blood sugar dropped too low. When we travel, we're definitely partaking in the local fare. That time we were in Paris and had started our day with delicious pastries, followed by my subsequent carb crash. We know now to keep snacks at hand just in case we can't eat regularly while we're traveling.
Second, I feel healthier and more even-keeled in general (with less hangriness and less mid-afternoon drowsiness) when I eat a low-carb diet. Even though my insulin seems to be working just fine, it looks like my body might overcompensate when given a burst of sugar like it had yesterday. My carb crashes are intense, so it's best for me to stick to fat and protein and low-glycemic carbs.
Interestingly, my blood glucose level after 3 hours was really low - lower than even my fasting test. My doctor emailed me this morning to ask if I was feeling ok after the test because it was so low. I told her I was tired and headachy, but got lunch right afterward and was okay. However, it's really interesting to see those results and have some data to validate a couple of things I know about myself.
First, I get hangry. The first time Jason and I went on a big trip, I think he was shocked with how irritable I got when my blood sugar dropped too low. When we travel, we're definitely partaking in the local fare. That time we were in Paris and had started our day with delicious pastries, followed by my subsequent carb crash. We know now to keep snacks at hand just in case we can't eat regularly while we're traveling.
Second, I feel healthier and more even-keeled in general (with less hangriness and less mid-afternoon drowsiness) when I eat a low-carb diet. Even though my insulin seems to be working just fine, it looks like my body might overcompensate when given a burst of sugar like it had yesterday. My carb crashes are intense, so it's best for me to stick to fat and protein and low-glycemic carbs.
Thursday, January 07, 2016
Tests
I had the 3-hour glucose test for gestational diabetes this morning and I'm just going to say, it is not fun. I've already had 2 1-hour tests. The first was early on because I'm overweight and old and my doctor wanted to do an early on just in case my sugar was all out of whack. You go in, drink 50 g of glucose, and then sit in the lab for an hour. Then they draw your blood. That seems a little unscientific to me, given that they don't have me fast and don't take a baseline draw at the beginning.
Anyway, the first one showed that my sugar was normal, but my doctor is very cautious and wanted me to do the 1-hour again. So I did it a few weeks later and got a number right on the border, so of course in for the 3-hour I go.
I feel like this test is a little more reliable. First of all, I'd been fasting since 6:30 PM last night, and they did a baseline blood draw. Then I drank 75 g of glucose and got a blood draw every hour for 3 hours. You're not allowed to leave the lab, so Jason very kindly put some TV episodes on my tablet and I watched TV and knitted for 3 hours. (And sat on very uncomfortable chairs. My bent tailbone issues that I've had since I was 8 or so are only exacerbated by pregnancy.)
I left the lab feeling so crummy and immediately got some food. I already know that I feel better on a low-carb diet and that eating a sugar bomb in the morning is the worst thing for both my physical and mental state. No matter how good waffles or pancakes taste initially, I end up paying for it later. I've been known to eat fewer than 75 g of carbs in a whole day when I'm being diligent about eating low carb.
So I really hope I don't have gestational diabetes because of possible risks to Baby, but I suppose it would be really good motivation to have to eat the way that makes me feel the best anyway.
Anyway, the first one showed that my sugar was normal, but my doctor is very cautious and wanted me to do the 1-hour again. So I did it a few weeks later and got a number right on the border, so of course in for the 3-hour I go.
I feel like this test is a little more reliable. First of all, I'd been fasting since 6:30 PM last night, and they did a baseline blood draw. Then I drank 75 g of glucose and got a blood draw every hour for 3 hours. You're not allowed to leave the lab, so Jason very kindly put some TV episodes on my tablet and I watched TV and knitted for 3 hours. (And sat on very uncomfortable chairs. My bent tailbone issues that I've had since I was 8 or so are only exacerbated by pregnancy.)
I left the lab feeling so crummy and immediately got some food. I already know that I feel better on a low-carb diet and that eating a sugar bomb in the morning is the worst thing for both my physical and mental state. No matter how good waffles or pancakes taste initially, I end up paying for it later. I've been known to eat fewer than 75 g of carbs in a whole day when I'm being diligent about eating low carb.
So I really hope I don't have gestational diabetes because of possible risks to Baby, but I suppose it would be really good motivation to have to eat the way that makes me feel the best anyway.
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