Adventures with Beanlet
I have plans of getting a bunch of pictures on here chronicling our last few months, but it is a lot of pictures to choose from and will require some editing on my part...hopefully that will be accomplished this weekend.
In the mean time, I've decided to update you all on the craziness that is my pregnancy with Beanlet. My pregnancy with Steven was a piece of cake comparatively. I feel like I've been thrown one surprise after another with this pregnancy, the first of which were the placenta concerns. To update on my last post - all is well, the placenta has moved and Beanlet is looking beautiful! The ultrasound tech said that Beanlet is in the normal range for growth, but has very long legs. This would explain the constant stretching instead of just kicking that Beanlet seems to do.
In mid May I had the dreaded test to check for Gestational Diabetes. For anyone unfamiliar with this, you go in and get poked a gazillion times on top of having to drink a disgustingly sweet (well, maybe not if you're 4 yrs old) drink, all to see how well your body reacts to it. For my particular test (and Group Health's new standard) I had to go in for the test after not eating anything for 10 hours (torture to a pregnant woman) and get my blood drawn before drinking the drink (this is the "fasting" draw). After that I had to down the drink in 5 min, and then get my blood drawn 2 more times at one hour intervals. It was just so pleasant let me tell you. I had horrible bruises on my arms for 2 weeks afterward! The rest of the day after the test I was absolutely usesless. I was sooo exhausted!
My test was on a Friday and the following Monday afternoon I got the call that I had tested positive for Gestational Diabetes. I had failed the "fasting" portion of the test. I am horrible at explaining it, but essentially, when you are pregnant, your body's ability to produce insulin weakens. By going all night without food, my liver, in an effort to make sure the baby is getting nourishment, starts producing high amounts of glucose (don't ask how this happens...it has to do with food storage, etc, etc...so over my head). Because my body's ability to produce insulin to regulate the glucose is weakened, my numbers end up spiking after the "fast" during the night. I need to be able to keep those numbers down, and without meds preferably.
This came as a shock and I was pretty frustrated, but not too distraught. I didn't think it would make that big a difference in the long run. I met with Carolee at Around the Circle (I made the switch after we met with them and I am sooo thrilled I did!), and then also met with the Group Health nurse and a nutrition specialist. I have to poke myself 4 times a day to test my glucose levels. This in itself has been an adjustment. I have a hard enough time remembering to eat, let alone prick myself an hour after. I was to send my results into GH 2x a week as well as follow up with ATC weekly in person. I made some slight adjustments to my diet per the nutritionist's recommendations (limiting carbs, simple starches, etc and avoiding sugars as much as possible - reminder my craving with this pregnancy has been scones, muffins and all baked goods....goodbye giving into pregnancy cravings!). My numbers were doing okay, but not great. Their main concern was the fasting number. After about a week and a half on my own diet modifications I met with Constance at ATC and she suggested I make further, more drastic changes to my diet. The new plan was to eliminate all simple starches (white rice, potatoes, pasta, corn), all wheat (except for sprouted whole grains) and up my intake of proteins, legumes, fats, and complex carbs in general. I was excited and motivated and felt like I finally had direction instead of having to figure it out on my own.
Two days after the positive appointment with Constance, I got a call from Carolee at ATC that she had gotten a call from GH that said that my numbers were not to their liking and they wanted to get me on medication asap. Once medicated, I would be risked out of ATC's care. I barely made it through the phone conversation with her before I hung up the phone and started crying hysterically. I was devastated. I felt like I had been trying to the best of my ability to make things happen and that just after being given the tools I needed to improve my situation further the rug was swept out from under me and my hopes for a natural birth in the birth center were shot. Nathan was my rock through this emotional roller coaster and tried to help me remain positive (not an easy task these days).
I still had a sick feeling when I went to meet with the GH nurse and OB the next morning, thinking I would be put on meds without being able to have much say. Thankfully, the nurse and OB I met with were both willing to listen and discuss the changes I was making and give me the opportunity to continue to try to keep my numbers down before putting me on medication. They were all for my wanting to avoid medication if possible and were very encouraging as well. Should I come to a point where I do need to go on medication, my care would automatically switch back to GH, not even to the midwife practice, but to the OB's and I would be high risk and would be induced if I have not delivered by 40 weeks. I am able to stay with ATC as long as I am off meds and my numbers are manageable. I will not be able to stay with ATC past 40 weeks regardless of being off meds, but if I am still off meds at 40 weeks, I would at least not have to be induced until 41 weeks. Make sense?? It is a lot to follow.
This brings me to now. I have been able to stay with ATC through all of this so far, but it is really a day by day, week by week, wait and see sort of game. I am maintaining good numbers right now, but as the pregnancy progresses, as with the nature of GD, my body's ability to produce insulin lessens and so the chances of needing medication increase. One of the other concerns they have is that with the new diet changes I lost about 9 lbs. While a few lbs would be expected when cutting a huge amount of carbs/sugars out of one's diet, 9 lbs, especially in pregnancy, is not a good thing. Half of that weight was lost in a matter of 4 days. Clearly, I have to work very hard on keeping my calorie intake up and making sure I am getting enough of the right things to eat. Easier said than done. In the last 2 weeks I was able to regain most of the weight I lost, but I don't know that I will be putting much on in addition to that hereafter. I will say this though, I will not be interested in cheese or beans, or almonds for a very long time after this pregnancy, as these are my main quick fixes for getting my calories. One benefit - I've been given the go ahead to consume as much fatty food as I want - bacon, butter in/on as much as I can, and my favorite - whole milk for dairy (I even went a step further for my lattes and now enjoy an iced breve (half & half) latte everyday - my one treat).
With the whole day by day approach, the main thing that concerns me most is that I run the risk of being 38 weeks pregnant, all of a sudden needing to be put on meds, and having to switch to the OB practice at GH w/ 2 weeks to go and only having met one of the 4 OB's who could potentially deliver. This does not help with that relationship of trust I've been so intent on establishing with my care provider. Also, while I am not worried about the nurses at the hospital and my ability to labor as I want (since we were able to accomplish this w/ Steven's birth), I do worry about what we might face during the 2nd stage of labor, when the OB is present and should we run into any complications (shoulder dystocia being a main concern). Would the OB automatically resort to the first medical intervention in the book (more than likely a vacuum or forceps delivery), or would they be willing to approach it with a different technique first (allowing me to change position for instance)? And of course, that's all if I don't have to be induced...if I have to be induced everything I am prepared for kind of goes out the window...I will cross that road when I come to it I guess.
Lots to think about, lots to pray about. I just keep reminding myself to stay positive, to trust that God is holding me and Beanlet in His hands and that this birth will come about as it is meant to. I will only make it worse by worrying about it. Still, if you feel so inclined, I would appreciate prayers that I would be able to manage my numbers without medication (because, ultimately, this is the best way), and that we would be able to have the birth we want where we want with the midwives we've established trust with. I hope to be updating a bit more on the progress of everything as we go.
I only have 5 more weeks until my due date. At 37 weeks I have the green light to go into labor at any time and my midwives are going to help me along in this as much as possible (there are a number of natural methods they will take to try to move things along naturally). We would all like to avoid induction as much as possible. Since Steven came a week before his due date, I do have some hope that Beanlet will follow that same timeline...but there are never any guarantees.
So that is the last 7 weeks or so of this pregnancy in a nutshell. The best part? I only have 5 more weeks to go!!! And time is flying by at this point. Now to prepare and make sure we have all the normal things on hand for Beanlet's arrival.
I plan to update this post when I do the other picture posting this weekend. Need to get some fresh belly shots and the most recent ultrasound pics of Beanlet on here!
In the mean time, I've decided to update you all on the craziness that is my pregnancy with Beanlet. My pregnancy with Steven was a piece of cake comparatively. I feel like I've been thrown one surprise after another with this pregnancy, the first of which were the placenta concerns. To update on my last post - all is well, the placenta has moved and Beanlet is looking beautiful! The ultrasound tech said that Beanlet is in the normal range for growth, but has very long legs. This would explain the constant stretching instead of just kicking that Beanlet seems to do.
In mid May I had the dreaded test to check for Gestational Diabetes. For anyone unfamiliar with this, you go in and get poked a gazillion times on top of having to drink a disgustingly sweet (well, maybe not if you're 4 yrs old) drink, all to see how well your body reacts to it. For my particular test (and Group Health's new standard) I had to go in for the test after not eating anything for 10 hours (torture to a pregnant woman) and get my blood drawn before drinking the drink (this is the "fasting" draw). After that I had to down the drink in 5 min, and then get my blood drawn 2 more times at one hour intervals. It was just so pleasant let me tell you. I had horrible bruises on my arms for 2 weeks afterward! The rest of the day after the test I was absolutely usesless. I was sooo exhausted!
My test was on a Friday and the following Monday afternoon I got the call that I had tested positive for Gestational Diabetes. I had failed the "fasting" portion of the test. I am horrible at explaining it, but essentially, when you are pregnant, your body's ability to produce insulin weakens. By going all night without food, my liver, in an effort to make sure the baby is getting nourishment, starts producing high amounts of glucose (don't ask how this happens...it has to do with food storage, etc, etc...so over my head). Because my body's ability to produce insulin to regulate the glucose is weakened, my numbers end up spiking after the "fast" during the night. I need to be able to keep those numbers down, and without meds preferably.
This came as a shock and I was pretty frustrated, but not too distraught. I didn't think it would make that big a difference in the long run. I met with Carolee at Around the Circle (I made the switch after we met with them and I am sooo thrilled I did!), and then also met with the Group Health nurse and a nutrition specialist. I have to poke myself 4 times a day to test my glucose levels. This in itself has been an adjustment. I have a hard enough time remembering to eat, let alone prick myself an hour after. I was to send my results into GH 2x a week as well as follow up with ATC weekly in person. I made some slight adjustments to my diet per the nutritionist's recommendations (limiting carbs, simple starches, etc and avoiding sugars as much as possible - reminder my craving with this pregnancy has been scones, muffins and all baked goods....goodbye giving into pregnancy cravings!). My numbers were doing okay, but not great. Their main concern was the fasting number. After about a week and a half on my own diet modifications I met with Constance at ATC and she suggested I make further, more drastic changes to my diet. The new plan was to eliminate all simple starches (white rice, potatoes, pasta, corn), all wheat (except for sprouted whole grains) and up my intake of proteins, legumes, fats, and complex carbs in general. I was excited and motivated and felt like I finally had direction instead of having to figure it out on my own.
Two days after the positive appointment with Constance, I got a call from Carolee at ATC that she had gotten a call from GH that said that my numbers were not to their liking and they wanted to get me on medication asap. Once medicated, I would be risked out of ATC's care. I barely made it through the phone conversation with her before I hung up the phone and started crying hysterically. I was devastated. I felt like I had been trying to the best of my ability to make things happen and that just after being given the tools I needed to improve my situation further the rug was swept out from under me and my hopes for a natural birth in the birth center were shot. Nathan was my rock through this emotional roller coaster and tried to help me remain positive (not an easy task these days).
I still had a sick feeling when I went to meet with the GH nurse and OB the next morning, thinking I would be put on meds without being able to have much say. Thankfully, the nurse and OB I met with were both willing to listen and discuss the changes I was making and give me the opportunity to continue to try to keep my numbers down before putting me on medication. They were all for my wanting to avoid medication if possible and were very encouraging as well. Should I come to a point where I do need to go on medication, my care would automatically switch back to GH, not even to the midwife practice, but to the OB's and I would be high risk and would be induced if I have not delivered by 40 weeks. I am able to stay with ATC as long as I am off meds and my numbers are manageable. I will not be able to stay with ATC past 40 weeks regardless of being off meds, but if I am still off meds at 40 weeks, I would at least not have to be induced until 41 weeks. Make sense?? It is a lot to follow.
This brings me to now. I have been able to stay with ATC through all of this so far, but it is really a day by day, week by week, wait and see sort of game. I am maintaining good numbers right now, but as the pregnancy progresses, as with the nature of GD, my body's ability to produce insulin lessens and so the chances of needing medication increase. One of the other concerns they have is that with the new diet changes I lost about 9 lbs. While a few lbs would be expected when cutting a huge amount of carbs/sugars out of one's diet, 9 lbs, especially in pregnancy, is not a good thing. Half of that weight was lost in a matter of 4 days. Clearly, I have to work very hard on keeping my calorie intake up and making sure I am getting enough of the right things to eat. Easier said than done. In the last 2 weeks I was able to regain most of the weight I lost, but I don't know that I will be putting much on in addition to that hereafter. I will say this though, I will not be interested in cheese or beans, or almonds for a very long time after this pregnancy, as these are my main quick fixes for getting my calories. One benefit - I've been given the go ahead to consume as much fatty food as I want - bacon, butter in/on as much as I can, and my favorite - whole milk for dairy (I even went a step further for my lattes and now enjoy an iced breve (half & half) latte everyday - my one treat).
With the whole day by day approach, the main thing that concerns me most is that I run the risk of being 38 weeks pregnant, all of a sudden needing to be put on meds, and having to switch to the OB practice at GH w/ 2 weeks to go and only having met one of the 4 OB's who could potentially deliver. This does not help with that relationship of trust I've been so intent on establishing with my care provider. Also, while I am not worried about the nurses at the hospital and my ability to labor as I want (since we were able to accomplish this w/ Steven's birth), I do worry about what we might face during the 2nd stage of labor, when the OB is present and should we run into any complications (shoulder dystocia being a main concern). Would the OB automatically resort to the first medical intervention in the book (more than likely a vacuum or forceps delivery), or would they be willing to approach it with a different technique first (allowing me to change position for instance)? And of course, that's all if I don't have to be induced...if I have to be induced everything I am prepared for kind of goes out the window...I will cross that road when I come to it I guess.
Lots to think about, lots to pray about. I just keep reminding myself to stay positive, to trust that God is holding me and Beanlet in His hands and that this birth will come about as it is meant to. I will only make it worse by worrying about it. Still, if you feel so inclined, I would appreciate prayers that I would be able to manage my numbers without medication (because, ultimately, this is the best way), and that we would be able to have the birth we want where we want with the midwives we've established trust with. I hope to be updating a bit more on the progress of everything as we go.
I only have 5 more weeks until my due date. At 37 weeks I have the green light to go into labor at any time and my midwives are going to help me along in this as much as possible (there are a number of natural methods they will take to try to move things along naturally). We would all like to avoid induction as much as possible. Since Steven came a week before his due date, I do have some hope that Beanlet will follow that same timeline...but there are never any guarantees.
So that is the last 7 weeks or so of this pregnancy in a nutshell. The best part? I only have 5 more weeks to go!!! And time is flying by at this point. Now to prepare and make sure we have all the normal things on hand for Beanlet's arrival.
I plan to update this post when I do the other picture posting this weekend. Need to get some fresh belly shots and the most recent ultrasound pics of Beanlet on here!
Thank you for the update, and I will be praying like crazy!
ReplyDeleteLove you, Sweetie! Remind Beanlet to hang in there until August 2! Keeping you in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteMom
Thanks for the update, too... I haven't had much chance to catch up with you lately, so I'm sorry this has been so rough on you! It's too bad my dad's not in practice anymore... he would have been a great OB for you to have as back up. Even with complicated births, his approach was never to section unless all else failed. I think his c-section rate was about 8%. Not so shabby.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you'll go into a nice semi-early labor, so that the baby is nice and petite and comes out easily.
Wow, I can see now why it's been a while since you posted. I'm glad your GH care team is letting you try to keep the GD under control on your own. I will be praying for you, that you have a healthy baby that weighs in at less than 16 pounds :-) We need to schedule a playdate still!
ReplyDelete