28 Weeks Pregnant+ Gestational Diabetes Diagnosis

Hey there, third trimester! I can't believe that we are already at the 28-week mark. 

Yesterday my pregnancy took a little bit of a wonky turn as I received a gestational diabetes diagnosis. I am going to just stream-of-conscious write about this for a little bit if you don't mind. Here goes...

So, I went to the doctor a little bit apprehensive of the glucose test (typically done 26-28 weeks from what I've read, and you fast for 2 hours, then drink a very sugary drink that contains 50 grams of glucose, then wait for one hour to see how your body processes it, and then get a finger prick to validate those results). The reason I was apprehensive was because I did not pass it the first go-round with Camille and I had to go back for the repeat 3-hour test. The three hour test consists of four blood draws (if I'm remembering correctly) and it had me waiting there at the lab for about 3.5 hours -- of course I left my book at home that day, too. So, basically it was a big pain in the neck (and crook of my arm -- OUCH!) just to find out that I did not, in fact, have GD.

Yesterday I'm sitting there thinking, oh gosh, if I don't pass this first test, then I have to do that stupid repeat test, and now with a toddler! Have to plan it for a day when my mom can come into town to help me out or hire a babysitter. (At this point, I truly was dreading the repeat test more due to the time it would take ... didn't even cross my mind that my results from that repeat test would be anything different than a negative diagnosis, as they were with Camille.)

I last ate at 11:00 yesterday for my 1:40 appointment. I had a few cheese cubes and two tablespoons of peanut butter -- a protein-filled snack that I was hoping would hold me over for lunch, and then I'd eat a super late lunch when I was home. I started drinking the sugary drink around 2:15, so my fingerstick was at 3:15. 

The tech walked over to the machine to glance at the read-out and made a weird sound. 

She walked over to me and said, "Honey, what did you eat today?"

I told her about my morning cereal and mid-morning high-protein snack. She said, "Something must be wrong with the machine. Let me see if your finger is still bleeding. Your glucose level was 234."

In my previous line of work, I did a TON of health screenings for company employees, so I'm pretty well-versed in glucose levels. This number was sky-high. Mine typically is in the 80-90 range, never above about a 96. We repeated the test on another finger and that reading was 220.

The good news? I don't have to do the repeat 3-hour test because my levels were SO HIGH that it is abundantly clear that I have Gestational Diabetes. The not-so-good news is pretty apparent, I think.

This is not the end of the world and I CAN DO ANYTHING FOR THREE MONTHS (that is my mantra). But this will mean that my diet will have to change a fair amount once I start pricking my finger four times daily to see how my body is reacting to certain foods. 

Interestingly enough, I have more best friends than not who have also had GD -- and who I immediately texted. I've already been given sample meal plans, insider tips, empathy, and lots of reassurance from them that this is totally manageable. 

From a non-selfish side ... I, of course, am thinking about this sweet baby. The last thing I want to do is to create a non-healthy environment for this little one in the last three months of my pregnancy. This pregnancy has been so wonderful and almost a complete repeat of how I felt with Camille. No nausea. No crazy aversions or cravings. A little bit of tiredness but no out-of-control exhaustion. Healthy weight gain. Pretty darn good sleep. Sort of the dream pregnancy!

I was hoping that this pregnancy update would be all "Wedding rings off or on? ON! Mood? Feeling HAPPY!!!" but yesterday's news definitely put a different spin on things. Again, this is a three-month deal (trying not to think about the approximate 360 times I will be pricking my own finger over that time) and I have girlfriends with type 1 diabetes who live under much harsher restrictions every single day of their lives. Perspective. 

With that said, we are looking forward to a nice long holiday weekend together and I will be doing lots more research online. If you have experience with GD, I'd love to hear from you via comment below or email (alizadventures@ymail.com). 

And, just for fun, here I am at 28 weeks with Camille (gosh, that was a good hair day) and a link to my 28-week pregnancy journal with her.

And just because I'm giving this one final proofread and I really don't want to end on a negative note, I can't say enough how excited I am to meet this sweet baby. I am proud of us for holding strong on not finding out the gender -- I am sort of thinking boy, strangers think I am carrying like it's a boy (although they said that about Camille), but Ian thinks we have another girl on the way. The nursery is about 10% done, if that, and we can't really agree upon names just yet. But laying in bed at night, feeling this baby move around and give me those reassuring little thumps, well -- it's just about the best thing ever. I am so excited to see Camille in her new role as big sister, and I just can't wait for Ian to announce to me whether we have a son or daughter!