pregnancy / week 30
Week 30 of this pregnancy has 100% been the most emotionally taxing.
I had my glucose test at 28 weeks just before leaving for our family beach vacation. My midwife instructed me to fast for at least 8 hours prior to my test. I was offered three flavors of a cloyingly sweet drink that tastes kind of like concentrated Gatorade or a soda without carbonation. Lemon-lime seemed the most innocent. You're allowed to take five minutes to drink the entire bottle but because I'm an impatient overachiever and really don't like the taste I downed mine in about 30 seconds. Cue heartburn.
My blood was drawn just before drinking, one hour, and two hours after drinking. I assumed that I would pass without issue and after not hearing from my midwife for two weeks I figured I did. After going way overboard on all things ice cream and seafood at the beach, I returned for my 30 week appointment, where I was informed that I failed the glucose test because my fasting blood glucose level was too high at 105 (needs to be below 95).
What?
As a stay at home mom, I have 24 hour access to my pantry and because my toddler constantly wants a "NAH" [snack] I usually snack right along with him. We've shared fruits and crackers and peanut butter sandwiches, even a bowl of cereal from time to time. All of those carb-heavy snacks ran through my mind as I sat thinking about how the diagnosis would affect the rest of my pregnancy. My midwife called in a prescription for a glucometer, test strips, and lancets and I was ordered to check my glucose first thing every morning and an hour after eating.
About 2-10% of pregnant women are affected by gestational diabetes each year. Gestational diabetes is similar to type 2 diabetes in that the pregnant woman either produces too little insulin or her body becomes resistant to the insulin she does produce. Doctors perform a blood test about halfway through the pregnancy, usually between 24 and 28 weeks, to determine if a women has developed gestational diabetes. While it is typically temporary, gestational diabetes does put a women at risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life, and can also cause complications for baby after birth.
Thankfully after two weeks of cutting carbs and amping up my activity, my glucose levels are consistently below 90, even after eating. If I'm able to maintain a healthy blood sugar level then I'll still be able to deliver at the birth center, provided I don't have any other complications pop up. I've gotten passed blaming myself, because I know it's just my overachieving placenta.
I had my glucose test at 28 weeks just before leaving for our family beach vacation. My midwife instructed me to fast for at least 8 hours prior to my test. I was offered three flavors of a cloyingly sweet drink that tastes kind of like concentrated Gatorade or a soda without carbonation. Lemon-lime seemed the most innocent. You're allowed to take five minutes to drink the entire bottle but because I'm an impatient overachiever and really don't like the taste I downed mine in about 30 seconds. Cue heartburn.
My blood was drawn just before drinking, one hour, and two hours after drinking. I assumed that I would pass without issue and after not hearing from my midwife for two weeks I figured I did. After going way overboard on all things ice cream and seafood at the beach, I returned for my 30 week appointment, where I was informed that I failed the glucose test because my fasting blood glucose level was too high at 105 (needs to be below 95).
What?
As a stay at home mom, I have 24 hour access to my pantry and because my toddler constantly wants a "NAH" [snack] I usually snack right along with him. We've shared fruits and crackers and peanut butter sandwiches, even a bowl of cereal from time to time. All of those carb-heavy snacks ran through my mind as I sat thinking about how the diagnosis would affect the rest of my pregnancy. My midwife called in a prescription for a glucometer, test strips, and lancets and I was ordered to check my glucose first thing every morning and an hour after eating.
About 2-10% of pregnant women are affected by gestational diabetes each year. Gestational diabetes is similar to type 2 diabetes in that the pregnant woman either produces too little insulin or her body becomes resistant to the insulin she does produce. Doctors perform a blood test about halfway through the pregnancy, usually between 24 and 28 weeks, to determine if a women has developed gestational diabetes. While it is typically temporary, gestational diabetes does put a women at risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life, and can also cause complications for baby after birth.
Thankfully after two weeks of cutting carbs and amping up my activity, my glucose levels are consistently below 90, even after eating. If I'm able to maintain a healthy blood sugar level then I'll still be able to deliver at the birth center, provided I don't have any other complications pop up. I've gotten passed blaming myself, because I know it's just my overachieving placenta.
But I still really want a bowl of cereal.
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