Everything has been going well...except for one (not so) small detail. I have gestational diabetes. Yee-fucking-haw. It's totally manageable, like having Type 2, but if I'm really unlucky diet and exercise just won't cut it and I'll have to take insulin. I can't see it getting that bad though, unless I was lazy and just kept eating crap all the time. If anything this will put a fire under my ass to eat better. I still have to go to a diabetes clinic on Monday morning, but I'm already taking steps to head in the right direction. Frankly, I'd do the test again a little later to confirm that I do indeed have it. I posted about it in due date club and a couple of ladies came back saying they initially tested positive, but did it again at a later gestation and tested negative. The only thing is that they could have only done the 1 hour test, while I did the diagnostic 2 hour tolerance test. I don't think I could have screwed it up either because I fasted for 12 hours instead of 8 and only drank one cup of water for the whole two hours I was there.
I've been feeling totally fine, though. I don't know what it feels like to have blood sugar levels too high. I get shaky when sugars are low, but who doesn't? This might explain why I gained so much weight so quickly while other ladies in my due date club are doing just fine. I weighed myself at work this morning and I weighed roughly the same as I had on the 20th at my midwife appointment. Obviously I am gaining weight regardless of how much fat I'm putting on because baby girl and my uterus are only getting bigger and, therefore, heavier. Whatever, I don't want to think about weight gain, or at least MY weight gain. I'd rather focus on baby's weight gain and ultimately keeping her at a reasonable size at birth. I'll be damned if I push out a 9 pound baby! So I think it's good to gear up and gain control of my diet now before SHE starts to really pack on baby fat in preparation for birth.
So my focus is on eating more vegetables, cutting down (if not out) on sugars, and cutting down on my carbs. I considered going back to a gluten free diet, since eliminating wheat would be the ultimate diabetes "fuck you", but I'm just not into committing that fully. I still want to eat bread and a muffin or a bagel here and there. It will be tricky to moderate how much of that I eat. I still want to eat whole and ancient grains, and sadly gluten free replacements are merely made of rice tapioca flours with some flax seeds thrown in. Not good enough for me. I'm selectively choosing gluten free foods, like gluten free pasta noodles. I'm cutting back on cereals because they're nothing but carbs and sugar. I'll eat granola instead as it's high in protein and made of oats, not enriched wheat. On my days off or days I start in the afternoon I will make an effort to eat a REAL breakfast with eggs. This is how I'm thinking and this is where my effort is going, but for all I know I could be doing it wrong. I'll see on Monday when I consult with the doctor.
Oh boy...my belly is getting big enough that I feel short of breath while sitting.
Anyhoo, last weekend we had a 3D ultrasound done. It was both entertaining and educational. I know what my baby's up to in there and why I feel her kick only in certain spots. She occupies the right side, with her head at the top and folded her half. We watched her as she sucked on the cord and her knees and tried to such on her feet. It made it a little tricky to get a good picture of her, but we did manage to get some. It was pretty awesome to see her move about, try to grab her leg and shove her foot in her mouth. She got frustrated at one point and made a fussy face. That was pretty cute. All in all I feel like I know her a bit better. She's got a face and a little personality. I'm betting she'll be the kind of baby who will want to be swaddled with a pacifier in her mouth at all times. I'm cool with that. I want to swaddle her while she sleeps at night anyhow since it's supposed to help babies sleep longer by both making them feel safe and preventing them from startling themselves awake.
Her kicking is getting stronger and I feel it more frequently throughout the day. She's been on the quiet side today, but she has really active days and really quiet days. I usually whip out the doppler on the quiet days. Nate felt her kick of the first time last night. He wasn't sure what he felt so he asked "Was that it?" and I had to confirm with him, lol. In a few weeks her kicks will be unmistakable to him and we should start to see her move too. I haven't seen anything yet thank to that cushy anterior placenta, but they day will come. All in good time. I may not ever get a distinct foot or hand poke out, but it'll be cool to see my belly morph into a different shape as she moves.
To put the cherry on the top of all this I'm getting over a cold and have been for a week. That's unusual for me. I rarely get sick and when I do it lasts 3 days at the most. I know my immunity is down from being pregnant, but it would be really nice to pop my ears and breathe through my nose again.