Sugar and carbs – the thing dreamy desserts are often full of. I’ve always had a sweet tooth which was not a good thing while I was pregnant. Gestational diabetes limited the sugar and carbs I could eat and drink each day until after Rissa was born. I didn’t really try to use sugar alternatives and now realize it was an unexplored option. While it’s not making desserts low calorie (they are still lower calorie), Stevia is a natural sugar substitute.
Sargento cheese - mozzarella string cheese as well as cheddar and colby-jack cheese sticks – are some of my favorite snacks. No lie! I’m a Wisconsinite, so I was practically born with a love for cheese. And, well, Sargento is one of our favorite cheese makers around here!
When I was pregnant, I frequently snacked. Not just because I was hungry all the time, but also because I had to! With gestational diabetes, I needed to eat every 2-3 hours to keep my blood sugar even, especially since I was on insulin. This meant snacks between meals. I had to count my carb intake and keep it balanced with protein.
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Sometimes I still feel like I’m eating for “two.” (I know, you aren’t really supposed to consume double while pregnant!) Especially in the early days of breastfeeding, I would get hungry and so thirsty while nursing. I often had to send my hubby off to get me a snack or water.
It was very important for me to eat healthy while pregnant because I had gestational diabetes. If I didn’t eat healthy and control my blood sugar then, it could have led to issues with Rissa’s in utero development. I was labeled as a high risk pregnancy.
I admit, I dreamed about eating carbs without restriction. I pined for my daughter’s birthday so I could resume eating cake and drink Mountain Dew! Oh and funnel cake… yum.
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Fair warning: This post will be long and may include some less than flowery descriptions of the disgustingly beautiful process that is childbirth. It also may seem disorganized as it is being written stream of consciousness style.
Another side note: I originally intended for her birth story to be a single post. However, it is not something I’m capable of telling in few words since I want a thoroughly detailed account recorded. Something I can share with her when she is older. So, it will be told in more than one post… here is part one.
My last OB appointment was on October 28th. At that time, I was scheduled to be induced on November 5th. Actually, at the beginning of that doctor appointment, I was scheduled to go into the hospital the night of November 4th to be given something to help my cervix dilate prior to the induction.
At that time, I was scheduled to begin my FMLA leave from work on November 3rd.
At that time, I thought I’d be coming home with a beautiful baby on November 7th. However, Miss Aerissa had other plans.
Let me back up a moment. I know posting slowed down here. Nearing the end of my pregnancy, I was feeling more exhausted and trying to prepare as much as possible for my daughter’s arrival. I never felt the nesting experience the way I’ve heard so many women describe it. I didn’t go crazy with cleaning the house and kept questioning my perceived lack of motivation. My focus was on my daughter’s laundry and her room. It was also on groceries – making sure we had what we’d need for a few weeks (other than minor basics like milk), knowing that once babygirl arrived, we wouldn’t be going out too much for the next month.
There were still preparations I was planning to make… including posts I was going to write/schedule.
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At this point, time feels fast yet slow all at the same time. I can hardly believe our little one will be here in less than a month. The weeks seem to go by quickly. Yet… it doesn’t seem fast enough. Work days drag on. Having medical monitoring appointments twice a week (due to the diabetes) does help the weeks go by a bit faster.
I just can’t wait until she is here. I want to snuggle her!
It’s really like my husband said the other day:
Waiting for her to be born is like waiting for Christmas morning.
The anticipation and excitement continue to grow!
Looking around the nursery, it really looks like a little girl lives here. Brian put together the swing, stroller, and pack ‘n play. This weekend I washed all of her sheets, blankets, bibs, towels, washcloths, hats, mittens, socks and 0-3 clothes. At first, I was only going to wash a few things. I had this moment of panic what if she isn’t a she but a he? And then it passed. We’ve gotten more ultrasounds than most people. I don’t think they were wrong. Yet, there’s still that tiny bit of fear… not that I wouldn’t be happy with a little boy – just he wouldn’t be happy with all the pink and purple stuff.
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Today marked the start of my twice weekly monitoring appointments, which will continue until babygirl gets here.
On Monday mornings I will have a biophysical profile (BPP) and Thursday mornings I will have non-stress tests (NSTs). 4 weeks ago I had I growth ultrasound and today they combined that with my BPP. I’ll have another growth ultrasound with my BPP in another 4 weeks.
They are going to keep close tabs on her growth and measurements, the condition of my placenta, and amniotic fluid levels especially because of the gestational diabetes. Good news though, I’m still keeping my sugars under control quite well!
So today’s appointment was bright and early at 8am. I was the first one of the day, woohoo. The ultrasound tech took measurements and said fluid and such looked good. Babygirl had the hiccups for a bit. It was weird seeing and feeling it at the same time. She continues to be head down and ready to go. This is kind of a relief for me… one less thing to worry about come delivery time! We also got to watch babygirl practice breathing! How cool is that?
Unfortunately, no new pictures printed out. We haven’t gotten one for the third trimester yet. She had her hands over her face again. We could kinda see a cheek. Oh! But this time she had hair! Hopefully she’ll be born with it!!
Per usual, she was a wiggly thing, movin’ and kickin’… just bein’ a busy body. I love when the ultrasound techs comment on her activity (she’s really active!)…. Trust me! I know! But of course, that is just a good sign that she’s a healthy baby. Today’s tech said that babygirl got all her points right away. She was very cooperative and the appointment didn’t last quite as long as I thought it would.
I wasn’t given a percentile today, but her heartrate was 150 and her measurements put her at 4lbs 2oz. No wonder I feel more tired and my mobility is … hampered. That’s a lot o’ baby! Yet, I haven’t gained very much. 3 pounds over pre-pregnancy weight, max, so far. (But since I started out a bigger girl, this is healthy)
When Brian and I were in the waiting area, I commented on seeing a 5th doctor’s name on the listing. I swore there were only 4 before. I’d met 4 different ones thus far. I joked about having yet a different one today and whaddya know? We met with Dr. #5 to review the ultrasound and BPP.
He said she looked like a happy baby, which was great to hear. I didn’t mind today’s doctor too much. He had a decent sense of humor. He did ask about my blood sugar levels and how much insulin I’m on. But he didn’t say too much about it, just that things looked good and confirmed that I’ll be monitored twice weekly from here on out.
Oh, and I even let an ultrasound student practice on me… got to see babygirl just a bit longer that way!
And now to close out with something complete random… I like the smell of the goo they put on my belly for the ultrasound. It has such a… baby product smell. In fact, it reminds me of Baby Soft – a body spray scent I used to like when I was younger. I don’t really know how to describe it. It doesn’t smell like powder or wipes.. but it smells babyish.
I can’t wait til she gets here.
All the superduper extra monitoring is about to start.
Just for a bit o’ background info so you don’t have to try and dig through past posts: I’m 28.5 weeks now and was diagnosed with GD at 15 weeks. They suspect possible Type 2 (T2) that was undiagnosed (but I honestly don’t think that’s the case due to previous testing I’d had done pre-pg.. although I was “borderline” for a period of time. First A1C (blood test that shows average blood sugar level for past 90 days) came back normal (5.5))
Thursday I had my A1C drawn again to make sure things look good although I keep being told my blood sugar (BS) levels are looking good and I’m controlling it well (on insulin). Had growth ultrasound on Thursday as well. Babygirl is weighing 2lbs 15oz and is in the 64th percentile – so looking good there too. Late in the afternoon on Friday, I received the results for my latest A1C… 5.2!! Lower than it was last time and I was told this was excellent.
Unfortunately, my blood pressure was high on Thursday and it hasn’t been before. Had bloodwork drawn to see if it’s pre-eclampsia.
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Yummy apple slices with peanut butter!
It’s a great snack (and healthy too!) for adults and children alike. It’s definitely a good pregnancy snack (especially if you have gestational diabetes – this satisfies your carb/protein ratio!)
As much as I love these two together, sometimes it can be hard to dip slices into the peanut butter. Or, it falls off after you swipe some on.
My tip: put the peanut butter in the microwave for a few seconds to get it melty.
It makes the perfect dipping sauce then!
I like to put 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. You can do more or less time to get to your desired level of melty goodness.
Enjoy!
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Image courtesy of Crystl @ Flickr
