On Tuesday I had my routine appointment with my OB. The previous week I had a taken a 3 hour glucose tolerance test. Which I had to fast 12 hours in preparation. A total of 15 fasting hours. Luckily water isn't counted in the fasting. 15 hours is a long time for a pregnant lady to not eat. Let me tell you. No, don't. That isn't the story here. Just trust me. At my appointment, I learned that 3 of my 4 blood draws were abnormal. Which means that I have gestational diabetes. It's something you hear about, but don't really know anything about. Well I've been learning. Learning about how to poke yourself 4 times a day and what the numbers on the machine mean and learning about good nutrition. On Thursday I met with a nutritionist, who told me that I needed to limit myself to 200 grams of carbohydrates a day. Sound like a lot? IT ISN'T. 1 slice of bread- 15 grams. 1 cup of milk - 18 grams. They add up pretty quick. And when you start keeping track, it gets rather sad. Especially if you're favorite foods are bread and milk. LIKE ME. The nutritionist gave me a book that has a lot of foods and how many carbs are in a serving. And serving sizes. She told me that I need to have regular snacks. So, since Thursday, I've been more careful about what I eat. And I feel better. For the past month or so I've been super tired and not very patient. Since Thursday, I've had an amazing energy boost. So I'm not drinking as much milk or enjoying toast every morning. But life is good. I feel good. And I know that it all doesn't just affect me. J could have serious problems if I don't take care of myself. And really, she'll be here in less than 8 weeks. 8 weeks isn't that long (at least that's what I keep telling myself).
What I keep wondering, though, is why didn't they test earlier? As I've been reading, gestational diabetes is best diagnosed between 24 and 28 weeks. But common practice (at least with my 3 pregnancies) is to test at 28 weeks. Why not test at 24 weeks? J would have been better off, I would have felt better, N and A wouldn't have needed to wonder what happened to their mother (constantly tired and out of patience). Seriously, one night, we put the kiddos to bed at 7pm, and I followed them, asking DH to wake me in 30 minutes. He tried, but I just couldn't get up. I slept until 7 the next morning.
It's nice to know that I'm not crazy. That there really is a reason for how I've felt for the last month. It's also really nice to feel good and to know that I can control it, even if I don't get to eat everything that I like all the time. It's funny, but having 2 rolls at dinner can be as much of a treat as a bowl of ice cream. Trust me.
3 comments:
i agree about the carbs. i need bread. I'm glad you found out what was wrong. It might be a struggle now, but probably worth it to get some energy. so hard to take care of little ones when you would rather be asleep all the time. Good luck these last couple of months. I hope it all goes well for you.
What a bummer! Hope this next 8 weeks goes by super fast and that your blood sugar returns to normal afterward. I'll enjoy some bread for you. :)
Sorry to hear it! I had anemia my last pregnancy and it actually has similar symptoms of "irritability and fatigue". Not fun! It was so tough taking care of them when I felt so rotten! I definitely feel your pain. I'm not sure about the transition after gestational diabetes, but for me, I felt awesome right after I had the baby! So energetic and happy! You can make it a few more weeks. Good luck and congrats! Hope things go well!
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