30 Weeks and More Needles

I thought my gestational diabetes scare was over...I was wrong. Last week my doctor called about my results. Because my glucose level after the first hour was high normal and the second hour was above normal she said she didn't want to rule out gestational diabetes yet. Instead she sent me to a gestational diabetes management class and instructed me to test my blood and track the results for a week.

I took the 2-hour class last night. Turns out there are some crappy diet restrictions. It's so much harder than just cutting out the sweets! They instructed me to track my carbohydrate intake and pay attention to protein. I should try to eat 1 gram of protein to 2 grams of carbs and I'm only allowed 30 carbs for each breakfast, lunch and snacks (up to 3 snacks a day) and 30-45 grams of carbs for dinner (my meal allowances are based on my height, current weight and pre-pregnancy weight).

Once I got home and started looking at labels, I realized how hard it was going to be. A single serving of milk (1 cup) has 13 grams of carbs--that's half of what I'm allowed right there! I drink milk with every meal...the baby LOVES milk!

Some other common things I eat would also have to change:

• Cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios have 20 net grams of carbs (carbs minus fiber) per 3/4 of a cup (which is less than I usually eat in a serving). With 1 cup of milk that puts me at 33 grams, which is more than I'm allowed for breakfast. 
• Cereal/Snack: Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal has 39 grams of carbs per cup (without milk) so I can no longer snack on those! 
• Breakfast: 1 piece of cinnamon swirl toast (24 g), one low fat yogurt (16 g), a scrambled egg, 2 slices of bacon and a glass of milk (13 g); that's 53 grams--almost twice my carb allotment! 
• Lunch: A Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of milk is 70 grams of carbs (twice my maximum dinner allowance).
• Snack: Grapes (15 g per 3 ounces) and a Light Yogurt (16 g) puts me over by 1 gram. 

Now for some very sad news: what I consider a serving of ice cream contains more carbs than I'm allowed in any one sitting: one "serving" of Kirkland brand vanilla ice cream (not including the crushed Oreos I like to sprinkle on top) contains 23 grams of carbs. One serving is only 1/2 cup (that's only 8 tablespoons people!)--who really eats that little ice cream at a time?? The big question here is: who determines these tiny serving sizes?! 

Cheese, nuts and pickles are safe, but unfortunately not very filling. You can see how hard this would be! I don't drink soda, but just so you soda lovers can understand, a can of regular Coke has 39 grams of carbohydrates (thanks to the excessive sugar) which means if I were to drink a soda, it would basically replace the carbs for a dinner (which means no bread, potatoes, rice or even veggies containing carbs)! It's not fair for any woman to have to diet pregnant--pregnancy should be a time to be free to eat whatever you crave (I am resisting a chocolate craving right this second)! 

Besides the diet, I have to test my blood 4 times a day-once in the morning and again 2 hours after each meal-and track the results for the next week. At that point my doctor will evaluate the results and decide if I should continue testing for the remainder of my pregnancy. If my numbers look good she said I will not have continue to test my blood daily, just randomly. 

My nifty little diabetic test kit

I felt like a pro in the class last night when the instructor had us all test our blood in the class...after all the shots during IVF these little finger prick needles are nothing! As the instructor gave us directions I followed along like everyone else, put the little needle trigger to my finger, pushed the button and like that it was done. The other two girls in the class who were also learning how to test that night looked at me surprised and asked how I could just do it like that.

It was easy...First, I don't have to actually push the needle in (I just push a trigger button and it goes in and out super quick) and second I don't even see the needle go in because it's hidden inside a plastic cap with a hole in the tip. I barely feel it--It feels like the slightest prick. These are definitely the easiest needles yet! All I need is the tiniest drop of blood to dip the edge of the test strip in.

I will say that I have a new respect for diabetics. On my first full day of testing I already had to take my test kit with me to an appointment so I could test on time. It's not just the trouble of daily testing at certain times (which reminds me of taking IVF meds on a schedule), but I love food (especially dessert) and cannot imagine how hard it would be to limit myself forever.

I know several women who have had gestational diabetes (some more than once) and they've all told me it's not that bad...I'm sure once the baby is born it doesn't seem so bad looking back. I do know it's important to take care of me in order to protect him. If I don't follow instructions he could be born early, have underdeveloped lungs or be jaundice (which I didn't know is actually common in babies born to mothers with GD).

At my 30-week check-up today I asked my doctor about the diet and she said that I do not need to follow it quite so strictly, but to try my best to stay close to the recommendations (such a relief). She said I just need to make sure I eat smart and limit carbs where I can for the remainder of my pregnancy no matter how my glucose levels test over this next week. So far I have tested 4 times and been in the normal range each time (on the high end of it twice). It will be interesting to see if I stay in the normal range when I add a few more carbs back in tomorrow (like milk with lunch, which I skipped today because my food had 30 carbs).

My appointment went well and I am feeling a little better than last time. I've gained another 5 pounds (166 total now...) and am measuring at 31 weeks (only 5 days ahead of where I actually am instead of 2 weeks ahead like last time, which scared me a little). The baby's heartbeat is still right where it should be and he's moving so much this week that I haven't even been doing kick counts--he hasn't been sitting still long enough for me to worry (he's kicking me in the ribs right now)! 

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 30 weeks

The only sad thing about this appointment is that it was the first appointment Ryan missed. His little cold from last week that hit him hard over the weekend has kept him home from work all week. He didn't feel like he should be blowing his nose every three minutes in a doctor's office full of pregnant women who are trying desperately to stay healthy! Besides that, no kids are allowed at appointments through March, until flu/RSV season has passed, because they MIGHT be sick...so it's probably better for an adult who knows he is sick to stay home. There are plenty of appointments left for him to come to: I start going in every two weeks now and once I hit the 36 week mark we will be seeing the doctor once a week to check baby's (and mommy's) progress!