Tuesday, August 13, 2013

31 Weeks and Diabeetus

I've got gestational diabetes. I took the 3 hour test twice to confirm it. I flunked by even worse the second time. That was after eating a low carb/sugar and high protein diet for the week prior. I thought it was going to help. 

I miss milkshakes. And big bowls of pasta. 

I know it's only temporary, but it's hard to eat a high protein diet when you can't stand the look of meat. Meat was one of my aversions in the beginning of this pregnancy and it came back just in time to get diagnosed with gestational diabetes. 

My doctor's office is calling in a blood sugar meter and test strips to my pharmacy for me. I need to start by monitoring my sugar levels twice a day. I will do my fasting levels every morning and then test 2 hours after alternating meals. 

I get to meet with a dietician. Maybe she'll have some suggestions that aren't meat or soy based. 

To be honest, I'm worried I'm not going to eat enough or get enough calories while being on a "diet" for the girls. At my last appointment I had lost 3 pounds and my belly wasn't measuring any bigger. I know I'm getting to the point where the girls are not going to be growing as fast due to a lack of room, but I also feel like my belly should still be growing. 

Well, since I haven't updated in a few weeks I'll do an update. 

Babies- They should be about 16 inches long and weigh about 3 1/3 pounds. I have a growth scan in another week and we should find out more then. The babies can turn their heads from side to side, their pupils can dilate and respond to changes in light, and they are gaining more and more fat under their skin. 

Weight Gain- I lost 3 pounds at my last visit so am now up 22 pounds. 

Belly- Measuring just about full term. People ask me about my due date all the time in public and I'm feeling quite large. Things like rolling in bed or picking things up off the floor are so much harder. For most people, this is as big as they get. But for me, I have (hopefully) another 7 weeks of growing. I'm bumping into fewer things so I guess I'm getting used to having a big belly. 

Cravings/Aversions- With my new friend Diabeetus, I need to be careful about this. To be honest, I'm mostly craving sugary drinks like Poweraid and Half and Half. I'm not giving in to the cravings, but I wish I could every once and a while. My meat aversion is back in full force. 

Symptoms- A lot more cramping and Braxton Hicks, especially when I do too much. Lots of round ligament pain, pelvic pain, extra discharge, exhaustion, and the crazy dreams are back. People aren't lying when they say the third trimester is a lot like the first. The heartburn has been a bit better lately luckily. 

Sleep- It's been pretty bad. I'm up a lot at night to pee (what else is new?) and am having a harder time falling back asleep. I'm constantly exhausted. I just don't feel like I get much quality sleep. The past few nights I've had restless legs while trying to fall asleep too. 

Mood- As much as I'm happy about this pregnancy and excited to meet my girls, I've been a little down lately. With everything going on it's hard not to be. I'm trying to keep busy while I'm home by myself, but wish I had a little company. Luckily my sister is happy to talk on the phone multiple times a day. I've also been watching a lot of crap on Netflix. I'm kinda wishing we had cable right about now. 

Memorable Moments- Making my first dresses for the girls and finding a lot more projects to work on

Celebrating my 30th birthday and getting an amazing digital camera from W

Going for a ride on OUR boat that W worked so hard to refinish

Looking at new cars

Buying stuff for a hospital bag (I've yet to pack it though)

Putting up the final wall decal in the nursery. I'm waiting for the quilts to be done getting machine quilted and for the bedskirts that are on backorder and feel like they'll never arrive 

Getting pulled out of work

Taking a (pretty much worthless) breastfeeding class

Getting the diagnosis of gestational diabetes : (

Upcoming- W's working is throwing us a shower tomorrow

ob appointment tomorrow morning

Growth scan in another week. W is coming and will get to see the babies again. He hasn't seen them since 24 weeks.

Also, here was my project for today. Little October dresses from the girls made from onesies. I loved this idea! You can find it here if you are interested.



14 comments:

  1. Sorry about the GD. I had with my twins, too--got the diagnosis the day before Thanksgiving, of all days!--and it was a real bummer. But it was manageable, and our boys were just fine. Here's hoping that your girls will be, too. :-)

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    1. I would cry if diagnosed the day before Thanksgiving. I know I'll make it through, it just sucks it all. I laughed when the nurse told me I could have babies with a higher birth weight. I asked, don't you know I'm having twins??

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  2. Sorry to hear about the diabeetus!! I had it too. I hated pricking my finger all day long. But you can do this! And OMG those dresses are adorable!!!!

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement. I only have to stick myself twice a day to start so I'm not complaining....too much.

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  3. I'm sorry about your new friend diabeetus. I'm hoping to avoid that myself. Ugh. I can't stand the thought of pricking my finger every day. So why did you find the breast feeding class to be useless? I'm just curious as that is one I was thinking about taking and it was recommended by my MFM doctor.

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    1. I think it was the class we went to in particular. I really don't feel like we learned anything. W referred to the instructor as a "slightly informed cheerleader for breast feeding." I hope you find one that is better.

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  4. Oh no! So sorry about the diabetes. I get my results this week and I understand how difficult it will be to monitor diet. I, too, have had a lot of meat aversions, so I feel your pain. Hopefully the dietician gives you some great ideas to make it through and grow those babies nice and big. And those dresses are adorable! Well done. I'm hoping to pick up some sewing once I'm officially on mat leave.

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    1. Good luck with your results! I've really been enjoying sewing. It's so much cheaper and more rewarding than buying things at the store.

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  5. You should establish your own line of baby clothes:)
    Sara

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  6. Darn! My friend had GD and managed to survive the dietary changes -- and then had the most delicious donuts after her baby was born. Don't think about the donut now, but know it's waiting for you at the finish line!

    I can sympathize with your sleep issues and mood. If I get comfortable, I actually fall asleep really quickly, but I wake up in PAIN so often that it's hard to stay asleep for more than an hour or two. (The pain is mostly in my shoulders, from sleeping on my sides, so at least it's not directly baby-related.) Bah. And feeling tired + getting bigger and bigger makes it hard to get things done, which bums me out. Obviously, it's 100% worth going through anything for the baby (babies, for you!), but I'm glad we can still complain amongst ourselves.

    Your girls are going to look like the most adorable candy corns in those dresses!

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    1. It's nice to have someone to compare/complain with : )

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  7. That sucks, I'm sorry. Did they keep you on your Metformin throughout the pregnancy?

    Ugh...I had massive meat aversions in pregnancy-especially to chicken and anything ground. Do you like tofu? Maybe load up more on tofu and eggs, things like that?

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    1. I've been on the Metformin so I guess it's not enough. Since starting to monitor my levels last night though they've been great. I like tofu but since it's soy it mimics estrogen. I'm trying to avoid crazy hormone crap since my hormones are screwed up enough as it is. Also, I can only stand eggs in egg salad or the deviled form. That makes it a bit limiting.

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  8. Sorry about the diabetes. AND having to take the 3 hour test twice. I think I barely scraped by. I saw the results of my 3 hour test and I did fail one hour. Hope the dietician can help you out. I don't have the full on meat aversions anymore, but it still isn't all that appealing so I imagine that is really tough. Thankfully, it's only temporary. You can do this!

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