I saw Dr. Risky yesterday for my regular check up. She wanted to hear about my contractions, so I told her that while the tenderness that had alarmed me a week and a half ago had gone away, I will still having contractions off and on. She didn’t like hearing that, based on my history.
She took me into the ultrasound room and checked things out. Luckily my cervix is still long, so that’s good news – the contractions aren’t doing anything. She decided to put me on the same anti-contraction med (Indocin) I was on with Annie at this point during her pregnancy. Since it can sometimes affect amniotic fluid, Dr. Risky took measurements of the fluid around The Acrobat. She declared his fluid to be perfect, and then we had the perfect shot of his beating heart. We could see the ventricles and valves and everything working in perfect harmony. Even Dr Risky said it was cool to watch. I really like that even though she’s been doing this for decades, she is still thrilled by things.
Cheat Sheet:
When I go back in two weeks I’ll have another ultrasound to check my amniotic fluid. I’m also supposed to call if I have four contractions in an hour. I haven’t come close to that yet, and hopefully I won’t now that I have the new medication.
We also talked a bit about gestational diabetes. Until now, I’ve been on the “eat ANYTHING” diet, because we’ve been desperate for me to get calories. I’ve started to have more good days vomiting-wise, and my weight loss has stabilized. Yay! (Something I never thought I be happy about, ha). I asked Dr. Risky if I really had to take the gestational diabetes test, or if we could just declare me diabetic. It’s not that I WANT to deal with diabetes again, but since it’s statistically likely that I have it I would really, REALLY like to avoid the three-hour diagnostic test. I’ve taken it three times and it was absolute torture. I really cannot imagine taking it with hyperemesis.
Dr. Risky was very understanding and agreed that the three-hour test is awful. She left it up to me. After talking about it with Dr. Risky and Mike, I think I am going to go with the option to take the regular one-hour test, and if I fail that then we will skip the three-hour and declare me as having The Diabeetus.
There’s always a tiny chance I won’t have gestational diabetes…but I have a feeling I’ll be back in the Wilford Brimley club very soon.
Abigail says:
Crossing my fingers for you that you don’t have GD. I think you’re due for some good news this pregnancy.
Jacki says:
You might be surprised. I had GD with my first pregnancy, so I was all bummed out with my second when it was time for the test..I passed with flying colors! Good luck..
Kris says:
I really hope you pass the GD test, because you shouldn’t have to worry about food with the constant nausea, and I cannot imagine how difficult that must be. However, as someone who has been type 1 for almost 30 years, saying you’ll be in the Wilford Brimley club is not quite right. As far as I know, his diabetes hasn’t gone away after a few months.
Heather says:
My hat goes off to anyone with type 1!
Marisol says:
Ugh I was also dreading that test, so my dr let test my blood sugar for two weeks four times a day instead. Some people thought I was crazy for wanting to poke myself everyday but that’s how much I did not want to take that test!!
Gretchen says:
I did this for my second pregnancy too! That test is so bad poking myself seemed like the much better option.
Amy says:
I can’t imagine how bad the 3 hour test would be. I barely made it through the one hour…and by barely made it, I mean I threw it all back up and had to come back again the next day. Which went, um, a little better.
Hope you make it through the one hour without trouble and don’t even have to worry about the 3 hour!!
Megan@TrueDaughter says:
I asked my doc to declare me diabetic with my last baby. It was a relief to not have to do the tests and stuff. It also kept me eating just healthy stuff – no junk and that was good, too.
Hope you are feeling better soon! Can’t wait to “meet” your little guy!
Margie says:
I was a type 2 diabetic a few years before I got pregnant. It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done but it did have it’s good things. For example, I didn’t have to do the gestational test at all. To prove what? Aahha. Also, because of the even more strict diet I had, I only gained 4 pounds when my son was born. After everything, I was down 26 lbs. But, the topping was, my son was born healthy and beautiful at 7 lbs. 1 oz. with no diabetes. Yay.
Annalisa says:
Actually, the bigger risk for babies whose moms have GD or Type 2 is just glucose withdrawal, which can lead to a coma-like crash. Type 1 is the kind you have to watch out for, insofar as inheritability. Still, awesome that your kiddo made it through with zero problems.
Margie says:
I never starved myself. I ate as healthy as I could, took my meds and checked my blood glucose 4 times a day. I kept a journal of everything I ate and what my blood glucose was 2 hours after eating so I could keep track of what was going on but also to show my endocrinologist when I would visit. It was hard because I wanted to pig out the way I saw some friends do it while pregnant but I didn’t. I worried so much that my son would suffer from heart problems, etc. from my carelessness. My doctors were wonderful and my son is amazing.
Heather says:
Same with me with my previous rounds with GD! Eating will be harder this time around but I’ll do my best. Did they monitor your son’s blood sugars after he was born? Annie’s were borderline.
Margie says:
Yes, they did. They monitored his blood glucose more than they did mine and they were in the normal range.
You can do it, Heather! We’re all rooting for you!
Annalisa says:
I didn’t see it as starving so much as pacing myself. Had to. I wanted to make sure I didn’t have to take meds for GD. So I had three meals and four snacks a day. Getting my overnight numbers down was hella tough, I had to have carb free dinners. I asked for cake after my numbers came back normal post pregnancy. I hadn’t had any sweets for nearly a year by then (my endocrinologist was super tough on me, kept me on a diabetic diet for about three months after my daughter was born, which meant I lost all my pregnancy gain and then some with breast feeding).
For my daughter once the initial BGLs came back normal they stopped monitoring her. But then again, she was much tinier than predicted (my OB estimated 7 1/2 lbs, she was off by more than 3/4 of a pound).
Heather says:
I couldn’t skip carbs without having large ketones, you’re lucky that you could do that!
Marin D says:
I had crazy bad HG with both my pregnancies. We are talking losing 45 pounds bad (I had plenty to lose and too bad I gained it back when I stopped pumping!). I don’t do well with those types of drinks to begin with but then being sick and having to do it. It make me sick every time. I’d end up throwing up by the end of my appointment. I couldn’t do acidic things (tomatoes, cherries, soft drinks, juices, etc.) and the diabetes test drinks are awful for that. I feel your pain. I hope you get through it without it making you feel worse!
tracy says:
Sending prayers and good thoughts for you and the acrobat!
Jen says:
I’m a few weeks ahead of you with my first baby (also a boy!) and am dreading my 1 hour glucose test next week, esp since this baby has me craving sweets. Fingers crossed we both pass, and if not, I’ll be stalking your blog for gestational diabetes tips 🙂
Jeanie says:
I’m glad that it appears everything is going well for you. Hang in there!
Keri says:
I’m glad all looks good! I was just telling my coworker today that the diabetes test was the worst I felt during my entire pregnancy. And that was just the one-hour one (I know, I was very lucky!). Best wishes with everything 🙂
Jacky says:
Eek…. With each pregnancy GD usually gets worse. I really hope its different in your case, but it sounds like you have a plan…. I almost had to go on insulin with baby #2….. while diet alone was enough for baby #1…..
Yea, the diet sucks, but its so worth it for the baby….. as I know you know….
When my second was 10 I got Diabetes type 2 for real. But thats cause I am fat (and I have family history too).
Good luck!!
So is the Acrobat due in late Spring or early Summer???
Heather says:
My GD was definitely worse the second time. I was on medication for it. Hopefully it won’t get any worse than that if I have it again.
We are all planning on him arriving at the end of May, so late spring.
Lanie says:
Hoping that all is ok. Seding hugs and hope. Take care.
Annalisa says:
You could always get ‘lucky’ like I did and totally get an incontrovertible result (read: levels 50% over the “norm”) , in which case they’ll be like “let’s not bother with the 3 hour test, we already know you won’t pass it”. It seemed to suck at the time, but after having to take the 3 hour test post-partum, I was like “Boy, they really did me a favor there” (since I almost passed out at the last draw that time).
Marla says:
Ask Dr.Risky if you can take the test with jelly beans. Mine allowed me. Basically, you calculate the correct amount of glucose in a certain
amount of jelly to equal the drink. Eat them in the correct window of time, wait the hour and have your blood drawn.
Amy says:
What a beautiful lil’ baby!
Julie says:
I had GD with third baby and didn’t with fourth!!! I was sure I would! So, it happens. 🙂 Best wishes to you! Boys are a whole other world for sure. 🙂 (my 1st is a boy, turned 7 yesterday and then I have three girls 4, 3, 2mos)