I also realized there are worse things that can happen. I've been very lucky. I had an uneventful first pregnancy, with no complications, and a healthy, beautiful baby girl at the end. This time around I've had a pretty uneventful pregnancy, up until now. I should be grateful. And I am. I had to take some time to wrap my head around this, and now I feel comfortable to share.
Two weeks ago I had to retake my glucose test. The first test, the one hour one, came back abnormal. So I had to go in for the three hour test...if you've done this, you know it's not fun and something you absolutely dread having to do. I had to fast, so no breakfast that morning, and arrived at my doctor's office early, around 8:30am. Thank goodness my husband was off, I can't imagine if I had to take Miss A with me. I had to be there for three hours and had my blood drawn four times! To make the most of it, I embraced the quiet time and brought along a book, my ipad, and a magazine. It was nice just to be able to sit there and do nothing..not so nice being poked and feeling very hungry.
I got a call from my doctor's office last week. Positive. I have gestational diabetes. I was pretty devastated, bummed, ashamed, you name it... I'm sure it was also the pregnancy hormones making me take the news badly. I felt like I had done something wrong. Had I done this to myself? Was my baby okay? What does this even mean?
I still have many of these questions...I have an appointment later this week to see a diabetic nutritionist. From everything I've read online, depending on the particular case, I'll be placed on a meal plan. I was told to cut down on carbs, stop eating sweets, and to up my intake of protein and veggies. I did this all immediately, but I still feel very lost and confused. I can't wait to learn more at my appointment.
In times like these, I'm so glad my husband is a doctor. He keeps telling me it's not my fault- it's just hormones the baby is producing that is affecting my insulin. He also looked at my test results and says I have a mild case. I always thought gestational diabetes was something you could get if you were overweight or an unhealthy eater..which, of course, does increase your risk. As well as age and family history. I'm not overweight, I eat pretty well, and I have no family history. So I'm still feeling pretty confused. I'm also not having a large baby- another sign of gestational diabetes. We had a growth ultrasound last week and he's measuring small, which is fine, seeing as Miss A was also a very small baby, even though she was full-term at birth, she weighed only 5 pounds! I predict he'll be the same or even 6 pounds..I don't think my body has room for a large baby. I have another ultrasound again in a few weeks to monitor his growth, which is great, I'm happy I'll be able to see how he's growing.
Besides this troubling news, I've been feeling great. Like, better than I thought I would at 32 weeks. I still have plenty of energy, I'm sleeping well (for the most part, some nights are hit or miss) and I'm so alert. More than I ever usually am! I don't know how that makes any sense but I'm sure glad for it. I've been able to do so much around the house to prepare and I'm so happy with the progress we've made. If this keeps up we'll be able to have the nursery finished really, really soon. A thought that makes me so excited. I already find myself lingering in the room sometimes, completely amazed at the thought that soon I'll have another little baby. I like to rock in the chair late at night, enjoying the peace and quiet. There's something about a nursery that is just peaceful, right? I love it.
I'll be sure to share more as I learn more about this myself. Thanks for reading, this was a pretty long post!