Being Pregnant

Well, I have two days to go and I’ll be done with this second pregnancy. I cant describe how thrilled I am. I had my little sister, Emma, take some pictures of the belly before it's gone.

My first pregnancy with Grace was much easier than this one has been. I seriously don’t understand how so many women LOVE to be pregnant. Personally, having to pee every hour, uncontrollable flatulence, not being able to sleep because no position is comfortable no mater how many pillows are packed around me, and swelling up like a balloon are not enjoyable things for me. With Grace it was also hard because I was working full time up until a few weeks before I delivered. I worked for Marriott in a call center, and sitting in a chair 8 hours a day while you are pregnant makes for a very sore back. I went to a physical therapist and they told me to sit on one of those donuts. That was really fun. Plus, I experienced a whole lot of chest pain with that pregnancy. Because of my heart health history, I was actually hospitalized for a few days to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. It turned out to just be more swelling and apparently scar tissue is pretty sensitive. Honestly, though, I enjoyed being in the hospital more that I enjoyed being at work.

So with this second pregnancy, I’ve experienced all those wonderful typical pregnancy symptoms again with a few new and exciting ones. First, I never really got back in shape after having Grace. Shame, shame, shame on me. Seriously, because everything hurts a whole lot worse and a whole lot earlier in the pregnancy when you are not in very good shape. And best of all, if you are overweight before you get pregnant you are more like to develop: gestational diabetes! Okay, so most every woman is routinely tested for this around the 28th week of pregnancy. You drink a sweet dink then get your blood tested. With Grace, I was fine. No such luck with this pregnancy. So what does it mean to have gestational diabetes? Let me tell you.

First, you have to go in for additional testing. That first test doesn’t really diagnose the diabetes. It’s just a screening. So I got to go in to the hospital one day after fasting for so many hours and have your blood drawn. (Now I hate needles. With a passion.) Oh, and they check your urine too. Then I got to drink another one of those drinks, only slightly more concentrated with glucose. (Interpretation: nasty.) Then I got to wait in the waiting room for an hour, then have my blood drawn and urine tested again. Repeat that two more times for a grand total of three plus hours, four blood draws, and four urine tests and you have a Glucose Tolerance Test.

So I won’t go into details too much, but I was seriously stressed out about being diagnosed with this. I called a dozen times to get my results, but was told I had to wait until my next OB appointment to find out from my doctor. Well, I didn’t get to see my doctor at my next appointment. There were some changes going on in my doctor’s office, they were losing a doctor and were in the process of finding a new one, so my doctor was doubled up with patients, and I got to see a substitute doctor. He was horrible. I asked him about my results and he said I was fine. (I had him give me my numbers and did some research on my own, and I thought my numbers were not okay.) So I called and left a message for my doctor about my concerns. Her nurse called me back and again reassured me that I was fine. Well, four weeks later at my next appointment when I actually saw my doctor again, she looked at my test results and diagnosed me with gestational diabetes. Let’s just say I was a little more than irritated about the whole thing.

Now starts the really fun stuff. First I get to meet with a diabetes specialist who sets me up with a meter and testing supplies. I have to poke my finger and test my blood sugar every morning when I first wake up and 2 hours after every meal. I keep a journal for about a week then meet with her again. She tells me my numbers are not good, but I will probably be able to control the diabetes with diet alone rather then medication (aka. Insulin shots). I don’t know which would have been worse. So now I’m pretty much put on the Atkins diet. Count carbohydrates. Carbs raise your blood sugar. And guess what foods are carbs. First, my staple: milk. Plus grains, pastas, fruits, and of course sweets. All the things I love to eat, especially when I am having pregnancy cravings. I have never been on a diet before. And I could not believe how much my mood was affected by what I ate. For the first few weeks I got so depressed and grouchy. Pretty much the only things that are okay to eat are vegetables and proteins. I’m not a very big meat eater either. I’m no vegetarian, and I enjoy the occasional carnivorous meal, but that’s it. I just felt hungry all the time. I actually lost weight too. Oh, and my mother made me the most delicious birthday cake I have ever had (zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting), but I could only have the teensy tiniest piece.

And finally, for the past several weeks I go in to the doctor twice a week to monitor the baby. It is supposed to be a basic 20-minute NST (non-stress test) but my baby just doesn’t respond the way he is supposed to, so I am usually there for at least 3 hours each time. So that’s been this pregnancy. Am I ready for it to be over? YES. I just hope the diabetes goes away. I guess it doesn’t for some women. Plus, once you’ve had it, you are more likely to develop it in subsequent pregnancies. I wish it wasn’t so hard to make babies.