7 Month Appointment

So today I had my 7 month prenatal appointment. Well we'll call it seven month even though officially I won't hit that marker till next week. =)

Overall it was a good appointment. No news is good news. The heart rate was good (though she didn't tell me what it was this time). The doctor did tell me that she was rocking around in there, or something to that affect. She is very active (which I knew!) and that's all she meant. =) I didn't see my normal practitioner since I am officially "high risk" due to being on medication for my GD. They require that I see an actual MD one time (my normal practitioner is a Nurse Practitioner). So I saw the MD today. We talked through some of the concerns that I'm having with my diet (that I posted about earlier) and she agreed that it is ultimately a balancing act, and that I'm right, none of this is intuitive. They really don't want me gaining weight, so as long as I am trying to eat healthfully and maintaining good blood sugar numbers, we're all happy. I feel confident that I can make that happen.

I also talked to her about what happens at the end. I've been told that since I am on medication for GD, I will be induced between 39 and 40 weeks. In other words that will not let me go past my due date. I will also do weekly non-stress tests beginning at 32 weeks, and have a growth ultrasound at 36 weeks. These will contribute to the final conclusion of how and when I deliver Miss Isabella.

The good news is that she felt my GD is very well controlled. I showed her my record book and she was happy with my numbers and notes. So if I keep on course the way I am, I will be considered controlled, and will be given more flexibility. Hopefully that means I could even have my induction scheduled for my actual due date, and not earlier.

I also asked about what happens with the baby's size. Since a risk of GD is having an over sized baby, and we know that in both my family and Nick's family we grow big babies, I figure that at some point I will be told she is big. So my question was, when we have the growth ultrasound and find out how big she is, what can I expect. If she is in a particular percentile (i.e. 90%) will they want to induce early?

Essentially she said if she is massive (like 10 lbs at 36 weeks) they would be concerned, and likely offer a c-section at that point. Frankly I would be concerned too. =) But there isn't a strict policy regarding percentile and induction. It really depends on all of the factors combined, and she kept reiterating that it comes down to being considered controlled (which I am at this point) or uncontrolled.

Clearly if your GD is uncontrolled you are at higher risk for everything, and they watch you more carefully. So fingers crossed that I can stay on this path of being controlled. I'm watching my month markers (24 weeks, 28 weeks, 32 weeks, etc) for changes in how food is functioning in my body. So far so good since at 24 weeks, my body seemed to better regulate (or at least that is my interpretation of what has happened).

So there is my update. I'll try to get a picture tonight or tomorrow since we will be celebrating Nick's birthday and I should feel festive enough to take some pictures. =) Oh yeah, and I'm getting my hair done! I always feel better when that happens!

Till next time!

Weekly Update

Again late. As I rapidly approach my maternity leave for work, I get busier and busier!

How far along? 27 Weeks

How big is baby? 16 inches head to toe and 2.5 pounds! Getting big! They say she is about the size of a head of cauliflower, but I've never seen a 16 inch cauliflower! =)

Total weight gain/loss: Back to pre-pregnancy weight and continuing to grow!

Maternity clothes? I decided today to wear a pair of pre-pregnancy pants and am discovering that although they were very loose before, they are officially tight across my belly! Guess I'd better get a few more items to wear from the maternity store!

Sleep: It comes and goes. Up in the middle of the night pretty regularly again with the pregnant woman's bladder, but my body officially only wants to sleep on its side.

Best moment this week: hmmm... Not much happened this week! I guess it was yesterday at the acupuncturist when she kicked me so hard my entire body shook.

Movement: Regular, and getting stronger every single day.

Food cravings: none

Food Aversions: nothing very unusual

Gender: All girl!

Labor Signs: Just that I keep expanding.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleep! (still)

What I am looking forward to: my baby showers! Two and a half weeks away to the friends shower and the following week is the family shower. I'm getting excited to celebrate with all the amazing women in my life!

Weekly Wisdom: Just when you think you have the hang of this pregnancy thing, it will change!

Milestones: Being out of pre-pregnancy pants officially I suppose!

Bump Picture: I'll try. I promise!

No photos???

I know I have been a terrible pregnant lady when it comes to taking bump pictures. I imagine most pregnant women hit a point like this so I thought I would share.

I've been contemplating why I've been so forgetful about taking these pictures. In the beginning it really was just forgetfulness. But then I realized that there was some resistance to it as well. But why? Don't I want to document this life growing inside of me?

Well as a woman who has struggled with weight for many years before pregnancy, it took awhile to even see the bump for anything more than just extra weight. Plus since I could still wear a lot of my regular clothing I didn't feel that there was anything to show. Now in my struggle to manage my diet with GD I have started to gain weight again. Yes I am pregnant and it is of course part of the process, but it is difficult to tell what is baby weight and what is just me and my diet. So now that my clothes are becoming uncomfortable in ways that they haven't been before (my bras barely fit me- including around my rib cage) I am starting to understand the women who complain about their pregnant bodies.

Don't get me wrong- I realize what a miracle it is that my body is doing what it is doing. But I'm struggling to see much in the mirror outside of a more round tummy, that is still soft with weight and not tight with baby.

So I do promise to get a bump picture up soon. I know we have both grown and it is fun to see. I'm just waiting for a day when I feel a little more beautiful and a little less like a stuffed pig. :)

Third Trimester!

Hard to believe it but as of today I am officially in my third trimester.

The countdown is officially on. Scary!

Seeking balance

As my pregnancy continues I keep working towards finding balance. This is true in many ways but particularly this week I am challenged with health as I view it, and health as my doctor views it.

As you know I've been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I struggled immensely in the beginning trying to understand how my blood sugar works and why I would get crazy numbers in such unexpected ways. I know that the diet helped immediately because I went from feeling horrible all the time with very serious food aversions, to feeling nearly human again pretty quickly. Now I can eat just about anything and my energy is significantly improved.

The second series of challenges came when I was following the diet to the best of my understanding, eating 3 meals and 3 snacks each day, watching my carb intake, and reducing carbs if my numbers came back too high. I avoided all sugar and was eating high fiber and whole grains. My numbers were completely erratic still. I was put on oral medication at bedtime because my fasting numbers were consistently high. My fasting numbers improved immediately but I still struggled some with mealtime results. I even began having random anxiety attacks (twice in the middle of the night with no apparent cause).

I decided that I was carb starving myself (potatoes not Prozac!) and needed to figure some things out. I began eating more carbs again, figuring if I eat well and still get bad numbers, perhaps my body just cannot regulate itself and the doctors would help me. Well once this decision was made, my numbers balanced out. For the last several weeks I have had almost no inexplicably high numbers. I've seen consistency regardless of what I eat, and the few high numbers I've had were very easy to explain (like not eating lunch until 3pm after a high stress morning!).

Sounds like I'm doing fantastic now right? Well, sort of. The last week or so my weight gain has spiked. I went from 10 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight to at pre-pregnancy weight in about 3 weeks. Could just be baby and appropriate growth, but my diet has left me feeling guilty.

The foods that give me consistently good numbers are things like hamburgers, philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and ice cream for my bedtime snack. In no world that I have ever lived are these things on a "healthy" diet. I also eat a lot of salad, but it still doesn't feel truly healthy.

So now I am faced with the challenge of trying to get my diet back to what I believe to be healthy (fruit, veggies, protein- limited sweets and treats and simple carbs!) without sacrificing my good glucose numbers. If I am eating well, I don't mind gaining weight because I will be confident that it is for the right reasons. If I continue eating these high fat, questionable foods and gain weight, I am going to be worried and stressed for the rest of my pregnancy that I am setting myself up for post pregnancy disaster.

The good news is that I believe I can do it, and better understand my body now and how it is processing food in general. I also am done with the major projects at home that have destroyed my energy (like painting the nursery) and can possibly up my time in the pool each week. I am quite certain that the exercise is helping me.

So wish me luck and seek balance for yourself. It's one of the best things we can do for ourselves after all!

Weekly Update

I know I'm a day late... Oh well! ;)

How far along? 26 Weeks

How big is baby? 15 inches Head to Toe (we've changed measuring tactics this week), and 2.2 lbs. About the size of a cucumber.

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure- haven't weighed myself, but either still down a couple of pounds or about back to pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes? Exclusively (well except for dresses).

Sleep: missing it greatly.

Best moment this week: Finishing painting the nursery!

Movement: Consistent and strong. The remote definitely bounces now when it's on my belly!

Food cravings: none

Food Aversions: nothing very unusual

Gender: All girl!

Labor Signs: only getting bigger every day!

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleep! (still)

What I am looking forward to: getting the carpet and furniture in the nursery so I can begin to decorate!

Weekly Wisdom: Numbers on a meter are not the only signs of health. =)

Milestones: Hiccups!

Bump Picture: I realize I keep failing this miserably... I'll try to get one tonight again!

Hiccups!

I forgot to mention in my earlier post (in my haste to post before my day got away from me) that I think we had the hiccups for the first time this morning! Or at least the first time I felt them.

Isabella occasionally moves into a position where she is right on my cervix. I don't know if it is her head or not, because I feel her hitting me on the cervix. This morning though, when I was preparing my breakfast, I thought she was hitting me in the cervix again, but then I realized that this wasn't as hard, and it was about 10 times in a row at regular intervals. Pretty sure that was my baby girl having the hiccups right on my cervix!

The great news is that means she is practicing breathing. We want those lungs nice and strong! Now if she would just not sit right on my cervix.... =)

Bedding!

So as my dear friend Courtney pointed out, I have been lazy with the pictures. I promise (yet again) to get a bump picture for tomorrow's weekly update. Also Nursery pictures can be expected soon- but not yet! I finished painting yesterday (with much thanks to Nick and Lorraine who I couldn't have finished without), but it is just an empty room right now. So once we hang the light and get the furniture, I will post a preview photo.

Until then- I received our bedding! Here are some pictures!

Comforter (sorry it is blurry!)

Bumper!

Wall Hangings!

Amazing the difference

It is truly amazing the difference than one night of good sleep can make for me. This is generally true anyhow but even more so when pregnant. Of course being pregnant I'm tired most of the time, or at best not tired, but easily made that way. My recovery time from activity is terrible and my endurance even worse.

In a perfect world, I would be allowed to sleep for as long as necessary until I feel rested. Sadly this would make it nearly impossible to hold down a job or do anything semi-functional in my life.

Anyhow last night, by some miracle, I managed a good night of sleep. It was a standard length and I still had to wake up to my alarm clock, but by some miraculous chance, I woke up feeling somewhat rested! As a result, my blood sugar numbers for both fasting and breakfast were decent, and I got to work, not only on time, but early! Amazing.

So for the next few months my goal is to try and figure out what will allow me to get a good night of sleep. Lord knows I'm in trouble once Isabella is here! =)

Weekly Update

I'm seeing a pattern here! Hopefully I'll have more interesting things to write about as the pregnancy progresses so it isn't just one post between weekly updates!

How far along? 25 Weeks

How big is baby? 9.2 inches crown to rump and about 2 pounds- apparently still the size of an eggplant.

Total weight gain/loss: Still down about 4 lbs from pre-pregnancy. This baby is clearly growing now!

Maternity clothes? Yes- I don't like to wear the few non maternity items that I can because now I just look HUGE in them! =)

Sleep: Not so much lately. Between sore hips and arms that fall asleep when sleeping on my side, sleeps been eluding me.

Best moment this week: watching my belly bounce due to her kicks!

Movement: Stronger and more frequent. I pretty consistently feel her after meals, in the morning and at night.

Food cravings: Still no food cravings.

Food Aversions: still hate onions and strong smells in general

Gender: All girl!

Labor Signs: still feeling possible Braxton Hicks contractions on occasion, but nothing really.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleep! (still)

What I am looking forward to: Really being able to see her from the outside. As "alien" as it is, it made me smile last night.

Weekly Wisdom: pregnancy is a crazy crazy thing

Milestones: Seeing movement on the outside!

Bump Picture: I promise to post one when I take it tonight at home.

Oh Baby!

Our little girl is becoming increasingly active and strong these days. I feel her most often in the morning when it is about that time to wake up (usually right when I'm getting hungry) and then after meals. It is still somewhat sporadic (Nick tells me regularly that I 'never' tell him when she is moving) so not easy to have someone feel her from the outside. The other night though she kicked me hard enough that my whole belly bounced. Guess that means I should prepare myself for some "alien" moments when I can see her moving around.

Not much else new to report. The nursery is nearly finished with painting. I have some trim to finish but the walls and ceiling are done. We are still waiting for the furniture to be delivered, but it is at the store ready to come here. Then hopefully in the next month we can get the carpet put in and actually have it decorated! My goal is to have the room set up by mid May when my shower for friends will be. Since the shower will be at my house it will be fun to be able to show the room off. I'll also be sure to post a picture once there is something to take a picture of!

Other than that, I'm just cruising right along! I'm wishing for a nice vacation but doing well other than that! =)

Weekly Update

Yes I realize I'm a day late but c'est la vie. =) No picture either... That will just have to wait till next week!

How far along? 24 weeks (That's six months!)

How big is baby? 9 inches crown to rump and about 1 3/4 pounds- the size of an eggplant.

Total weight gain/loss: I haven't weighed myself recently- tell you next week!

Maternity clothes? Yep

Sleep: Not so much lately. Between sore hips and arms that fall asleep when sleeping on my side, sleeps been eluding me.

Best moment this week: Nearly finishing the paint in the nursery!

Movement: Very regular, though mostly internal still. Nick gets frustrated that he never feels her but it's so sporadic!

Food cravings: no cravings per se.

Food Aversions: Doing well but I'm realizing I have a true hatred of onions

Gender: All girl!

Labor Signs: Starting to wonder if I'm feeling Braxton Hicks contractions. Not sure yet, but I think perhaps!

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleep!

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery and getting some decorating started!

Weekly Wisdom: listen to your body!

Milestones: Painting the nursery!

Busy week!

I guess I've been busy since it's been nearly an entire week since my last post! Well Wednesday I had my monthly prenatal check up. Things are looking good. They measured my fundal height (the size of my belly) and despite my extra padding I am perfectly on target. They expect 1 cm per week and I was 23 cm for 23 weeks! Baby's heart was strong and as usual she tried to swim away from the machine poking at her.

Other than that I confirmed that I will begin "non-stress tests" once a week at 32 weeks to ensure that there is no placenta breakdown (one of the worries with GD). Then at 36 weeks it will become twice a week! Plus another ultrasound at 36 weeks to make sure she isn't getting too big. They worry about babies that are too big without full lung development.

I will also see an MD for my next monthly check up instead of my normal OB. I asked to see one who is open and supportive of natural and alternative medicine. Hopefully this will help me get through the rest of my pregnancy without much more medical intervention. I want just enough to ensure that me and baby Isabella are okay, but not so much that it causes more problems. Always a fine balance to be had.

In the meantime I am working with an acupuncturist and going to water aerobics to keep healthy. So far so good!

I also painted the nursery this weekend! The walls are latte colored (or maybe coffee with cream). It is a really rich and beautiful brown, but not too dark. Then the doors, ceiling and trim are white. It feels really nice. I plan on using bright pink (sort of fuschia), lime green and turquoise as accent colors in the decorating process. I'm excited! I think it will come out really nice. I'll post pictures as I accomplish some of my decorating efforts.

Tomorrow I'll do the weekly check in and will post another bump picture. I think every other week at this point is more than enough! =)