On Thursday we met with the perinatologist and Sweet Success at Pomona Valley Hospital. They left us waiting for about an hour and 15 minutes, which was not fun - but then they finally saw us. The doctor I saw was really rough with the ultrasound, so it bordered on painful - I am not her biggest fan - I guess she wanted to get a really good look and thought that me cringing in pain would help. She took measurements of the baby and checked all of the organs they could see - she is too far along to see everything. But we got a really good look at a lot of her organs and it was really amazing. We could see all of the chambers of her heart and the opening and closing valves as the blood was pumping through... it's truly amazing what is possible through current medical technology.The doctor told us her waist measurement is very large (very round belly). That confused me because I was under the impression that GD babies usually gained the extra weight in the shoulders and upper torso, but she said the belly is part of that "torso" description. I found that interesting since I had a huge round belly when I was born - although my weight was really low.
They are estimating her weight at about 7 lbs 15 oz right now. Dr. Gamm said they probably wouldn't let me get much past 8 lbs, but they haven't done the actual hip measurement and internal exam to formally see what they think my body can handle. That will most likely happen this Wednesday. The perinatologist reminded me that the ultrasound can be off and she may not be quite that big, but that is the closest estimate they can get. I will be going in once per week to meet with the Sweet Success people for managing the diabetes, once per week for my normal OBGYN appointments (starting next time they will do the cervical checks), and twice per week to San Antonio Community Hospital for Non-Stress tests. My first NST will be tomorrow (Monday).
Good thing I made Friday (last week) my last day at work! I have the option of working from home as much as I want this coming week, but we'll see how that goes around all of these appointments. At Sweet Success they went through all of the requirements to manage the diabetes, which includes a strict diet in terms of portions, distribution of food, the timing of meals and how much I eat in a day. They also taught me how to prick my finger and get the sugar readings. It's not hard and it doesn't hurt - but it is time consuming to plan the meals and stick to the schedule. I have to eat three meals per day and three snacks per day, each 2-3 hours apart, plan them out exactly as instructed (x number of starches, x number of fruits, x amount of milk.... etc) and measure my blood sugar exactly an hour after each meal. No more fruit juice and they are limiting my milk in-take. Since that is pretty much all I drink besides water, I'm bummed about having to give them up.
Anyways... praise God that she is healthy and everything seems to be in place. Prayer requests are that she doesn't gain much more and that I can get my blood sugar under control before labor so it doesn't have a negative effect on her after delivery. The doctor mentioned that sometimes GD babies' lungs develop at a slightly slower rate, so I am not in the rush to accellerate the labor process that I was in last week! Whatever I can do to keep her out of NICU and in our arms, I will do. Even if it means a more uncomfortable delivery for me. But I'll be honest - now I'm a little scared again, knowing that she's big.
It seems like every time I start to get peace about issues or fears, something challenges it. I guess that is normal - what better time for Satan to attack than when we are trying to place our trust in God, right? A few months ago, a guy from Teen Challenge gave us a word that he felt God had laid on his heart for us - he said that God wanted us to know that He knows our little girl already. He has a plan for us - for our family - even though we can't see it yet. He wants us to be still and know that He is God.
How often I forget that... even though He displays it every step of the way. It's silly that I even stop to question things - He has never failed to carry me through trials and questionable times. Why would He stop now? I pray that in my weakness He can be made strong and that we remember to "Be Still" in these coming days leading up to the end of our pregnancy and the beginning of our new life.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Busy week ahead
Tonight concludes my Consulting class (hallelu!). I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to take a class at the end of my pregnancy, but thank the Lord - He pulled me through it! After our presentation tonight I will be finished and looking forward to another break from school as we enter this next exciting stage of our life!
Tomorrow is my 37 week appointment and then on Thursday is my meeting with the Perinatologist and the Dietician. They will be doing an ultrasound to check her measurements and estimate her weight. They told me to expect to be there for about three hours, so it must be very involved!
It's interesting to think about what the next few weeks are going to bring. I'm at a safe place to have the baby (other than the chance of it being high-risk due to the GD) - she is fully developed. So will I go to these appointments only to have her make her debut early and have the specialist appointments be a waste? Will I end up being late and have another several weeks to wait for her? Will they take the measurements and decide to induce labor sooner? Or schedule a C-Section if she's already too big for me to deliver? There are so many possibilities. I wouldn't say I'm feeling anxiety about it or anything like that - more like curiosity. It's kind of like having someone throw a surprise party for us that we accidentally found out about. We know it's coming, but we don't know when or how or who is going to show up. And we're just waiting... thinking about all of the possibilities and what each one would mean.
I know that God already has everything under control. He's been cradling her in His hands as she has been woven and spun in my womb over these past months. Every moment has been another glimpse of the miracle He has been working on. And now we're near the end... and I feel like a child waiting for something exciting. I was going to say waiting for Christmas gifts or seeing a cookie jar, but having it be just out of reach - but those don't even compare. The closest feeling I can come up with is waiting for Dad to arrive after completing one of his military deployments... the excitement and tension of waiting for him to walk around the corner and be home. I want her to be home.
I think God has really lifted a lot of my fear about labor in this last week or so. I am so thankful for that - and for what is coming, even though we just have to keep standing here waiting for it to arrive! I wonder if God has fun with this... the waiting game at the end. Making us wonder about when it's going to happen - sometimes surprising us with early (to the point of unexpected) arrivals, sometimes dragging it out. I like to think that He does. That He takes joy in fulfilling this desire of our hearts in His own unique ways - and that the way He chooses for us will be exactly perfect. And that He gets to have a few chuckles along the way... :)
Tomorrow is my 37 week appointment and then on Thursday is my meeting with the Perinatologist and the Dietician. They will be doing an ultrasound to check her measurements and estimate her weight. They told me to expect to be there for about three hours, so it must be very involved!
It's interesting to think about what the next few weeks are going to bring. I'm at a safe place to have the baby (other than the chance of it being high-risk due to the GD) - she is fully developed. So will I go to these appointments only to have her make her debut early and have the specialist appointments be a waste? Will I end up being late and have another several weeks to wait for her? Will they take the measurements and decide to induce labor sooner? Or schedule a C-Section if she's already too big for me to deliver? There are so many possibilities. I wouldn't say I'm feeling anxiety about it or anything like that - more like curiosity. It's kind of like having someone throw a surprise party for us that we accidentally found out about. We know it's coming, but we don't know when or how or who is going to show up. And we're just waiting... thinking about all of the possibilities and what each one would mean.
I know that God already has everything under control. He's been cradling her in His hands as she has been woven and spun in my womb over these past months. Every moment has been another glimpse of the miracle He has been working on. And now we're near the end... and I feel like a child waiting for something exciting. I was going to say waiting for Christmas gifts or seeing a cookie jar, but having it be just out of reach - but those don't even compare. The closest feeling I can come up with is waiting for Dad to arrive after completing one of his military deployments... the excitement and tension of waiting for him to walk around the corner and be home. I want her to be home.
I think God has really lifted a lot of my fear about labor in this last week or so. I am so thankful for that - and for what is coming, even though we just have to keep standing here waiting for it to arrive! I wonder if God has fun with this... the waiting game at the end. Making us wonder about when it's going to happen - sometimes surprising us with early (to the point of unexpected) arrivals, sometimes dragging it out. I like to think that He does. That He takes joy in fulfilling this desire of our hearts in His own unique ways - and that the way He chooses for us will be exactly perfect. And that He gets to have a few chuckles along the way... :)
Friday, January 16, 2009
Results
Well, this time the news is not as good as last time. I had a feeling the test didn't go well because I felt so sick afterward. I had to call in to work because I was nauseous and I just went home and crashed (after drinking like 3 bottles of water and eating a sandwich). I was right... I failed the sugar test and now they're going to make me go on a diet and monitor my glucose levels several times a day (by pricking my finger). I should be going to Pomona Valley Hospital within the next week to a program called "Sweet Success" where they will give me all of the instructions and do an ultrasound to measure the size/weight of the baby. My doctor said that if she gets too big they will intervene - either scheduled C-Section or inducing labor early.
I realized that when they said they wouldn't measure the weight by ultrasound they just meant that they wouldn't do it there in their office due to the margin of error that can be present. If patients have gestational diabetes they do it at Pomona Valley. I guess. I'm really not completely sure - I'm just gathering what info I can. What I do know is that we will probably have one, which makes me happy because I like to know what to expect. And because we will get to see her again. What does not make me happy is having to go on a diet. I am not a dieter. I know it's not a "diet" in the most popular sense of the word - it's just a nutritional regimen. But still... not a big fan! I don't eat anything crazy or overdose on sweets as it is, so it seems kind of silly to me to start monitoring everything so strictly when I'm so close to delivery. But if it might possibly be helpful to my daughter, then I will do it. And I'll try not to complain. ;)
I have had two wonderful baby showers that I will post pictures of very soon. We've been so busy at home preparing for her arrival, it is hard to sit down and find time to blog. Even working short days - I still don't feel like I have any spare time. After next week my class will be over so hopefully that will free up some time. Lately all of the extra time has been spent washing and putting away her blankets, clothes and bedding - as well as taking down the Christmas tree and decorations. I have so many chores that need to be done, but I have not had the time or the motivation to do most of them - and I've been putting them off for a long time! Where is this nesting instinct that everyone talks about? I'm waiting for this super-human strength and desire to get everything spotless, but it hasn't hit me yet! I hope it's coming because I would love to have everything clean when we come home from the hospital. Right now exhaustion is just a much stronger force...
I realized that when they said they wouldn't measure the weight by ultrasound they just meant that they wouldn't do it there in their office due to the margin of error that can be present. If patients have gestational diabetes they do it at Pomona Valley. I guess. I'm really not completely sure - I'm just gathering what info I can. What I do know is that we will probably have one, which makes me happy because I like to know what to expect. And because we will get to see her again. What does not make me happy is having to go on a diet. I am not a dieter. I know it's not a "diet" in the most popular sense of the word - it's just a nutritional regimen. But still... not a big fan! I don't eat anything crazy or overdose on sweets as it is, so it seems kind of silly to me to start monitoring everything so strictly when I'm so close to delivery. But if it might possibly be helpful to my daughter, then I will do it. And I'll try not to complain. ;)
I have had two wonderful baby showers that I will post pictures of very soon. We've been so busy at home preparing for her arrival, it is hard to sit down and find time to blog. Even working short days - I still don't feel like I have any spare time. After next week my class will be over so hopefully that will free up some time. Lately all of the extra time has been spent washing and putting away her blankets, clothes and bedding - as well as taking down the Christmas tree and decorations. I have so many chores that need to be done, but I have not had the time or the motivation to do most of them - and I've been putting them off for a long time! Where is this nesting instinct that everyone talks about? I'm waiting for this super-human strength and desire to get everything spotless, but it hasn't hit me yet! I hope it's coming because I would love to have everything clean when we come home from the hospital. Right now exhaustion is just a much stronger force...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Another long glucose test
I have avoided posting about my last appointment with the doctor because I was really disappointed with how it went - but now that I'm only a couple days away from the next appointment I'd better get it over with! Unfortunately this last appointment wasn't as encouraging as the other recent ones have been. Dr. Johnson expressed some concern (he said that he and Dr. Gamm were both concerned) about how big the baby appears to be getting. I guess it would be more accurate to say how big my stomach is getting because they haven't done an ultrasound or anything to measure her size - just measuring my stomach. His exact words were "You're not a big girl - you're not going to be able to deliver a big baby." They decided it would be best if I went back for another 3 hour glucose test since the last one was "on the verge." He said that he just wants to be safe incase she starts gaining too much weight in the shoulders and torso - apparently that is what frequently happens when gestational diabetes is present and it makes for a very difficult delivery.
So that is what I did today. I fasted last night/this morning and spent three hours in the clinic waiting for them to stab me four times. It actually hit me a little harder this time - it made me nauseous and light-headed. That could be as much from the fasting as anything else, though.
So there you have it... why I've been quiet for a while. It kind of feels like taking a step backwards since we already went through this and thought we were past it. BUT I have to say that I am thankful that they are being cautious and I'd rather be safe than sorry... so we'll find out on Thursday if this test returned different results than the last one and what it will mean if it did.
Our appointments will be once a week from here on out. The doctor offered to write me an off-work order starting this week, but I want to try to keep working for a little bit longer. My boss has agreed to let me work shortened days, so I will only be working from 8:00 - 2:00 for the next couple weeks (or however long I can hang in). I can't believe how close it's getting... :)
So that is what I did today. I fasted last night/this morning and spent three hours in the clinic waiting for them to stab me four times. It actually hit me a little harder this time - it made me nauseous and light-headed. That could be as much from the fasting as anything else, though.
So there you have it... why I've been quiet for a while. It kind of feels like taking a step backwards since we already went through this and thought we were past it. BUT I have to say that I am thankful that they are being cautious and I'd rather be safe than sorry... so we'll find out on Thursday if this test returned different results than the last one and what it will mean if it did.
Our appointments will be once a week from here on out. The doctor offered to write me an off-work order starting this week, but I want to try to keep working for a little bit longer. My boss has agreed to let me work shortened days, so I will only be working from 8:00 - 2:00 for the next couple weeks (or however long I can hang in). I can't believe how close it's getting... :)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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