So this pregnancy, just like my first, I had gestational diabetes. In this day and age, it’s not such a huge deal, but it does mean a HUGE time commitment- food diaries, carbohydrate counts, blood glucose log, endocrinologist appointments, tons of extra appointments, the list could go on forever! Basically, you have one appointment a month with your endocrinologist, and then you submit all of your glucose levels every week to both your endo and your obstetrician. Nothing like overkill, hunh? Then you add in extra ultrasounds at 28, 32, 36, and 38 weeks, plus twice weekly non-stress tests, and you are looking at a massive commitment! Seriously, if I spend one more minute on Route Two I might actually lose my mind! I know you aren’t supposed to text and drive in this state, and I’m ashamed to say I broke that law multiple times each trip. Googling and email don’t count, right? That’s just the protocol at my current hospital- with Mr. M I had to go twice a week starting at 24 weeks!!!! Anyway, the entire process is exhausting but worth it- the end goal being a petite baby who has avoided macrosomia, which is excessive fetal growth, and produces some BIG babies! This can be bad for a lot of reasons, especially shoulder dystocia. Mr. M was a whopping six pounds one ounce, so YAY!
Jameson is a whole different story…I feel massive. I had to actually move back my seat position in the car to fit behind the wheel, and it sure ain’t from my daily trips to Wegman’s! I only gained between 12 and 18 pounds, depending on which scales I really like and when I start counting. Water weight the week I had high blood pressure totally didn’t count either… fluid NEVER counts when we are talking poundage!!! Remember the beached whale phenomenon up and down the coast of New England this summer? They were just trying to find me and bring me home to the tribe. The babe’s not massive either, about six and a half pounds as of 37 weeks, but compared to Miles? Gargantuan. Giant. Affectionately referred to as King Kong. Apparently I also have enough amniotic fluid to host a regatta in my uterus.
Bottom line though, Jameson DOES NOT HAVE MACROSOMIA. You know why? Because I KICKED GESTATIONAL DIABETES’ ASS. And yes, I have to use all caps, because it deserves it! When you have any kind of diabetes, they track your blood sugar after meals of course, and first thing in the morning, with the delightful finger prickers. They also check something called your A1C every month, which is an average of your glucose level over the past six weeks or so. You can’t cheat, it’s physically impossible- the little monitor you use every day is just a machine, so you can totally screw with it, by testing later, or pretending to test when you forgot. The A1C is a real blood draw though, and there is no messing with that. Believe me, I’ve tried. NOT POSSIBLE. The labs are all scientific and totally hacker resistant. Normal people have A1C’s below 6.0. If you are pregnant, they want it below 5.5. Well, this lady kept hers between 4.9 and 5.3 for 38 weeks! I started the GD regimen at week 12, so that’s a long ass time to deal with all this crap! 26 weeks of pricking my damn finger four times a day (728 times), shoving needles in my thighs twice a day with insulin (364 injections) and lots and lots of appointments. That said, I am wrapping up this pregnancy with an A1C of 5.0. Now that is freakin’ amazing. I told my endocrinologist today (who was wearing the CUTEST little grey suede pumps) that I felt like flipping Captain Gestational Diabetes. I wonder what my costume would look like?
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