Pregnancy Check In (January 18)

[wittyandwaiting]

This is our weekly check-in for expectant families!

Congratulations to all who have recently received BFP's! Jump in when you're ready and let us know when you'd like to be added to the roster.

1. General overview (examples--answer what you like: How many weeks? First baby/, second, etc.? Do you know the sex of the baby?

2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?)

3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things?

Due Date List
amandflo - January 16
cetcar - January 16
kh826 - January 22
daisyflower - January 26
wittyandwaiting - March 28
honigbiene - April 24
crazyaunt84 - May 15
bexincanada - June 1
mahler5 - June 9
Stringy - June 9
Kona - August 14
Esquette - August 16

QOTW: What has been your biggest pregnancy challenge thus far and how are you overcoming it

[wittyandwaiting]

30 weeks today with a little lady!!!!

2. I met with the GD specialist and my midwife last week. Everything is good, except for the GD of course (I'll get to that).

3. Ugh. Gestational Diabetes is making me sad. I need to have my sugars on track 75% of the time or else I lose my midwife and have to be transferred to a high risk OB. I test 4 times a day and so far my morning (fasting) blood sugar is always high, which is 25% of my tests.

I'm open to any tips, ideas, etc.

Oh, and cutting out the majority of carbs means that I've started throwing up again!

QOTW: besides actually getting pregnant I think gestational diabetes is my biggest pregnancy challenge this far, just continuing to work with the dietitian and try not to be too hard on myself.

[kona]

We are 10 weeks. I really need to get a tracking app, I can't keep the week straight! Baby #2. Pretty sure we are staying team green till the end.

M just made the first apt at the midwife's group for a week from today. I really hope that things go smoothly with this pregnancy there. I can't believe that the first trimester is almost over. M is still having some nausea mostly at night. We are setting her up with a personal trainer who specializes in pregnancy exercise. M is having a really hard time focusing on anything besides O right now so I hope this helps.

QOTW:
The biggest challenge so far has been that it's baby #2 and we are so focused on caring for baby #1! I think we both feel disconnected from #2 right now. I still keep hoping that time will fix that and as things progress with appts and M physically getting bigger and the family/friends knowing it will be more real and exciting.

[kona]

wittyandwaiting, I don't have any words of wisdom but I hope things improve! thinking of you.

[kh826]

1. 39w3d
Baby No. 2
Team Green!

2. OB appointment on Thursday
Dr will strip my membranes at Thursday's appointment, if I am still pregnant
Plan is to induce on Monday, 1/25 if I am still pregnant by then due to baby's large size and some complications that both baby and I had last time around due to baby's size. Fingers crossed baby comes on his/her own this week and we are able to avoid complications and induction!

3. I'm hanging in there. The last week of pregnancy isn't super fun, but that's OK. The end is near, and I will of course miss it when I am no longer pregnant!

Swelling is ever present.
Sleep is pretty much not happening.
Periodic contractions come and go but nothing strong or consistent yet.
Lots of strong movement these days that occasionally make it feel like baby is trying to kung fu kick his/her way out.

Of course, they are predicting snow for this weekend (right now the forecast is vague, but they are saying there is at least a chance for "significant snow" Friday-Sunday this week). We haven't had a single snow flake this winter except for a few flurries yesterday, and now they are predicting a storm on my due date. I am not worried about getting to the hospital. J and I both drive well in the snow and we are not nervous drivers. What I am REALLY worried about is my MIL. She is coming to watch William when we go to the hospital, and she is coming from an hour away. She is the MOST nervous driver I have ever met. Yesterday we had a short period of snow flurries in the afternoon that didn't accumulate and she texted me joking that I needed to keep the baby on the inside until "the weather cleared." We will watch the forecast closely this week, but if they are predicting a large storm for the weekend and I am still pregnant, I think we will just ask my MIL to come stay with us for the weekend before the snow starts so that she is there in case I go into labor. Not my favorite plan b/c I would really like to enjoy our last few days of being a family of 3 just the 3 of us... and I also don't really want to labor at home for the early stage labor with my MIL there, but it will be fine. I love her and we are close, but I just would prefer it be J, William and I until we are ready to leave for the hospital. We will just play it by ear and see what happens....

QOTW: The last 1-2 weeks have been the most challenging. The swelling has been uncomfortable and my mobility has been a bit more limited. Having William makes it really hard to sit down and put my feet up. I haven't really slowed down too much (still lifting and carrying him, still giving him baths, still getting on the floor to play with him, etc.) So really I am just pushing through and ignoring the fact that I am 39 weeks pregnant and not at the top of my game. I actually think recovery from birth will be the most challenging part, so I am trying to prepare myself for that. I was in rough shape for about 2 weeks after I had William. Lots of tearing, an infection, swelling that was even worse postpartum due to IV fluid, etc. ... I dread having a 19 month old and a newborn and feeling physically in rough shape and having limited mobility. J will be great, and I know my MIL will stay if we need her to, but I just don't look forward to it being difficult, so I am hoping that I am pleasantly surprised this time around!

[crazyaunt84]

wittyandwaiting - No tips to offer, but sending good thoughts your way. Sorry GD is being such a PITA!!

kona - I really like the What to Expect app...and it's free!

kh826 - EEK!! This could totally be your last check-in with us! Or you could be checking in next week saying "I'm in labor!!" Come on Dosey!!! Do your thing!

1. 23w1d with twin boys

2. We have an u/s and OB appt on Thursday. They haven't seen us since 19 weeks, which they're less than happy about. However insurance still continues to be the bane of my existance so I'm going as long as possible between visits. Our coverage through work ended 12/31 so I signed up through the marketplace on 12/28. They lost our paperwork, so I resubmitted on 1/8. They found the original paperwork on 1/12 but noted that I was missing something (thanks, lady on the phone, for not clarifying EVERYTHING you needed when I called and asked 2 weeks earlier). So, everything is in now but they need 10-14 days to verify it and determine eligibility. However the deadline for February 1st coverage was January 15th which we missed, so we're out of pocket. We won't have insurance coverage again until March 1. The good news? They qualified me for temporary Medicaid because I'm pregnant. However, our OB doesn't take Medicaid. So we're out of pocket unless we decide to switch practices, which at 23 weeks I don't really care to do. Medicaid will cover sonograms at the hospital, but that makes for 2 appointments in 2 locations. And they've failed to send me my medicaid cards, even though I've requested them twice. Rant over.

3. Still plugging along. Baby A put on a pretty good show this morning, which was awesome because I don't feel him nearly as much as Baby B. I also had a reprieve from back pain yesterday, which was glorious!

Sleep is becoming difficult and I haven't slept well in several days. I'm debating dragging the recliner into the bedroom so that I can sleep in the chair. C isn't crazy about me not being in bed with her, but I'm tossing and turning so much that now she's losing sleep, so I have a feeling she may be on board before too long.

I also put in an availability change at the evening job. Going back down to 5 nights a week (I've been at 6 nights a week for 2 months.) My personal goal is to keep waitressing until the end of march, which will put us at about 34 weeks. We shall see!

QOTW: Insurance has totally been the most challenging part of this so far. I'm pregnant, not dying...so why the heck are the medical bills so incredibly staggering?! It is my most major WTF.

[crazyaunt84]

paging amandflo and cetcar -- any updates?!

[bexincanada]

Jan 18, 2016 11:33:09 GMT -5 crazyaunt84 said:

paging amandflo and cetcar -- any updates?!

New babies?!?


kh826, hang in there - come on Dosey, we're all waiting for you!

wittyandwaiting, no clue about GD... but thought you might like this:


Hoping it works out so you can stay with the midwife.

crazyaunt84, sorry about the insurance woes.  It sounds like you're working your butt off, hoping you're getting some feet up and relaxing time too.

20 weeks, 6 days with our first; a girl, though shhhhhhhh.

Midwife appointment on Wednesday.  Worried I may fail my pee test again, I had no symptoms when I went on the antibiotics for the UTI before, noticed no change on the antibiotics but over the past week have been feeling some discomfort when peeing - it doesn't help that I had to hold it for the ultrasound last week.  I've been drinking gross unsweetened cranberry juice everyday just in case.  Oh well, we'll see what happens.  

Our basement is coming along super quickly.  I'm super excited about this, and about purging useless stuff and nesting for baby.

The weather here is crap today.  I'm hoping for smooth driving too and from work, but I'm already ready for spring... shoveling snow after work isn't my favourite chore.

QOTW: I feel like it's too early for me to feel like I have a legitimate "hardest thing" at this stage, I feel like birth will be the absolute hardest thing.  I think it's been a challenge for me to adjust to just how much of everything I do has an impact on the baby.  Stress is the biggest thing, really having to take care of myself.  I hate doctor's appointments - so the poking and prodding of the TTC and pregnancy have probably been the hardest parts for me... I'm considering it exposure therapy for the birthing process when everyone will be all up in there.

[crazyaunt84]

Jan 18, 2016 12:06:12 GMT -5 bexincanada said:

20 weeks, 6 days with our first; a girl, though shhhhhhhh.

AHH!! Congratulations!!!

Mums the word.

[cetcar]

crazyaunt84, Hey! Was just catching up

wittyandwaiting, I don't have any advice but sending you support and encouragement as you figure it out.

1. 40w2d pregnant with a little girl. It's our first.

2. We had an appointment last Thursday and she was still low but that was about it. No dilation yet, some effacement. Our next appointment is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Our doctor tries really hard not to induce first time parents.

3. Last night was a bit interesting though! I was having cramps in my lower abdomen and back that would start mild, peak, and then fade. I had a couple when we were falling asleep then they woke me up a few times in the early part of the night and from 1:30-4 we were up and they were pretty consistent, about 15 minutes apart. Our doula thinks they were practice contractions, guess it's common to happen at night and may not happen again until night tonight. She suggested having a quiet day today, just in case. I've felt a few this morning but not as regular as last night. Guess we'll see if we have our Tuesday appointment.

I will say passing our due date was a little anticlimatic. As our pregnancy is nearing its end, I'm finding I'm getting more sentimental about it being over. We took some more pictures this weekend (including a different kind of silhouette). A friend came over to take some pictures of the two of us but it was getting dark so they aren't the best. I would like to try again.

QOTW: Besides the OHSS in the very beginning, I think our biggest challenge has been managing the fast pace of our daily lives and the stress/excitement and somewhat overwhelming feelings that go along with getting ready for a baby. We've both had some sleepless nights worrying. Overall we're really excited but it has come with some anxiety.

[karlamo]

wittyandwaiting, I saw the GD bat signal go up:)

How high is your fasting number? What does your last reading of the night look like?

Depending on how high your fasting number is you may need to modify your bedtime snack. The way I tested at night is I ate dinner then tested 2 hours later and after that I had my bedtime snack so I never tested right before bed. When my fasting number was high I knew it was from my bedtime snack.

[karlamo]

kh826, Girl, I feel for ya with a winter baby. I was a nervous nelly when my wife was pregnant with R. I was OBSESSED with watching the weather report and always made sure to have a full tank of gas for our 3 mile drive to the hospital. Every snow storm I held my breath and shoveled like mad just in case.
For kid #3 may I suggest a summer baby, they're low stress....except when your central air breaks down 3 days before your induction. First world problems.

[wittyandwaiting]

Thanks for the warm fuzzies all.

25% of the way there kona !! I like the Ovia app because it's fun and not ever the top information overload.

kh826 Here's hoping that your baby avoids the storm! Sorry that you aren't feeling awesome. I'm thinking of you!

crazyaunt84 TBH I totally don't understand how the US Healthcare System works (is it a system) but your experience sounds like a total nightmare. Sorry for the added stress. Also, I am loving sleeping sitting up, I usually do it for half the night. C also gave it after she had about 10 nights of heavily interrupted sleep.

bexincanada Yay baby girl! And I love that pic so much! Thank you!

cetcar , thanks for the warm thoughts! Wishing you two the best for a happy and healthy delivery whenever your little one decides to arrive.

[wittyandwaiting]

Jan 18, 2016 14:10:32 GMT -5 karlamo said:

wittyandwaiting , I saw the GD bat signal go up:)

How high is your fasting number? What does your last reading of the night look like?

Depending on how high your fasting number is you may need to modify your bedtime snack. The way I tested at night is I ate dinner then tested 2 hours later and after that I had my bedtime snack so I never tested right before bed. When my fasting number was high I knew it was from my bedtime snack.

LOL Totally bat signalling you!
Thanks for responding! 

My fasting number ranges from 5.6 - 6.1 and my last reading of the night is pretty consistent around 5.8.  

Any tips on what I should be thinking of in terms of a bedtime snack?

I'm thinking of going mega protein and high fibre tonight as part of my trial and error; I had greek yogurt (17g of protein), blackberries and hemp hearts last night and was at 6.1 this morning. YIKES!

I've been testing the same way so I am sure that it is related to by bedtime snack. 

[karlamo]

wittyandwaiting, yogurt with blackberries for breakfast would be great but probably too many carbs for a bedtime snack even though the protien is high.
The funny this with GD is one day you can eat that and get a high reading but then eat it again on another day and be fine. I couldn't eat veggie burgers without my blood sugar going high. Totally doesnt make sense but there you have it. The first day I got my meter I got a high reading at dinner so I skipped a snack. When I tested in the morning my fasting was 35! I felt like crap and was shaking. I drank lots of juice and got it up to 110 in 15 min. Lesson learned, ALWAYS eat a bedtime snack when you have diabetes.

My bedtime snacks were: cheese and triscuits, Apple with peanut butter, cheese stick, coco dusted almonds, carrots and hummus, 2 spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream, popcorn, toast with peanut butter, sometimes chocolate milk which is loaded with protien.

[wittyandwaiting]

Jan 18, 2016 21:08:14 GMT -5 karlamo said:

wittyandwaiting , yogurt with blackberries for breakfast would be great but probably too many carbs for a bedtime snack even though the protien is high.
The funny this with GD is one day you can eat that and get a high reading but then eat it again on another day and be fine. I couldn't eat veggie burgers without my blood sugar going high. Totally doesnt make sense but there you have it. The first day I got my meter I got a high reading at dinner so I skipped a snack. When I tested in the morning my fasting was 35! I felt like crap and was shaking. I drank lots of juice and got it up to 110 in 15 min. Lesson learned, ALWAYS eat a bedtime snack when you have diabetes.

My bedtime snacks were: cheese and triscuits, Apple with peanut butter, cheese stick, coco dusted almonds, carrots and hummus, 2 spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream, popcorn, toast with peanut butter, sometimes chocolate milk which is loaded with protien.

Thank you!

I just had a moment where I was so confused by the difference in our numbers and then realized that we are on different systems. I found this Conversion Table. 

[kh826]

Jan 18, 2016 14:29:16 GMT -5 karlamo said:

kh826, Girl, I feel for ya with a winter baby. I was a nervous nelly when my wife was pregnant with R. I was OBSESSED with watching the weather report and always made sure to have a full tank of gas for our 3 mile drive to the hospital. Every snow storm I held my breath and shoveled like mad just in case.
For kid #3 may I suggest a summer baby, they're low stress....except when your central air breaks down 3 days before your induction. First world problems.

William was a June baby. I might have to try that again for #3

[esquette]

1. General overview: 10 weeks today with baby number 1. Will find out the sex in two weeks when our prenatal tests come back. How freaking cool is science???

2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?): Had our "intake" appointment at the OB on Friday. Spent 45 minutes telling the intake nurse my life's story, and trying to answer questions about the donor's genetic history using the long profile I printed out from the bank. It kinda worked. Decided to do the 99$ prenatal testing, since I'm a worrier and there is literally 0% risk to the nugget, since it's just a blood draw from me. Saw the doc, she saw my vagina, had a T/V ultrasound and saw the nugget, who was measuring right on track and had a happy little heartbeat. We'll get lab results back over the next two weeks, and won't see the doc again until 2/15.

3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things? I've felt terrible for 3 days and am just starting to perk up tonight. Sweetie (who I've been within 15 feet of for the past 96 hours) told me she missed me. I've been just queasy and uncomfortable and fatigued and felt pretty much like laying on the couch was the only thing that I was capable of. A self-fulfilling prophecy? Anyway, I'm actually (almost) excited to go to work tomorrow!

QOTW: Biggest challenge? Well, they've all been blessedly manageable, if un-fun. Feeling like a hot bag of ass has sucked. Keeping a secret has been tough. Being trapped in PMS emotions (eg: numb, anxious and sad) hasn't been stellar. I've managed all of it by resting when I can, talking to my Sweetie and knowing that I'll probably feel better really soon. Anyone can do anything for 2-3 more weeks. (Please, don't tell me about how you were sick your whole pregnancy. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Livin' on a dream right now.)

[karlamo]

Jan 18, 2016 21:16:55 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

Jan 18, 2016 21:08:14 GMT -5 karlamo said:

wittyandwaiting , yogurt with blackberries for breakfast would be great but probably too many carbs for a bedtime snack even though the protien is high.
The funny this with GD is one day you can eat that and get a high reading but then eat it again on another day and be fine. I couldn't eat veggie burgers without my blood sugar going high. Totally doesnt make sense but there you have it. The first day I got my meter I got a high reading at dinner so I skipped a snack. When I tested in the morning my fasting was 35! I felt like crap and was shaking. I drank lots of juice and got it up to 110 in 15 min. Lesson learned, ALWAYS eat a bedtime snack when you have diabetes.

My bedtime snacks were: cheese and triscuits, Apple with peanut butter, cheese stick, coco dusted almonds, carrots and hummus, 2 spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream, popcorn, toast with peanut butter, sometimes chocolate milk which is loaded with protien.

Thank you!

I just had a moment where I was so confused by the difference in our numbers and then realized that we are on different systems. I found this Conversion Table. 

HAHAHA!  I knew what you meant.  We use mg here in 'merica:)  You were probably like holy sh*t her numbers were high!! 

Managing it will get easier, it took me about 2 weeks to figure out what foods were my triggers.  The silver lining, if there is any to GD, is that once I got dx I stopped gaining so much weight and it's been helpful PP because I know what to eat to lose weight.  The times where I indulged like eating Chinese food or pasta, I wrote it down so I knew why that number was high.  I was allowed one high number every 2 weeks, otherwise they considered it unmanaged and would put me on insulin. 

Not sure if they are talking induction for you, but there is new research out that if your GD is well managed through diet then you shouldn't need an induction unless complications arise.

[mahler5]

wittyandwaiting-- sorry your fasting sugars have been high. My morning sugars would sometimes be high if I didn't have enough protein for bedtime snack. I also would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night absolutely starving. On those nights sometimes I would go ahead and eat something, like a high protein yoghurt with low sugar (Siggi brand has a low amount of sugar. So does chobani) and ironically my sugars would be lower in the morning. I think this is generally abnormal. But what happens sometimes is when your sugar gets low your body will go ahead and release glucagon from your liver and concert to glucose. So I think that is what would happen on days I didn't have enough protein at bedtime snack. My body would be starved in middle of night and break down stored sugar causing it to be ironically high.

Anyway, if you can stomach it, I would try eating some meat at your bedtime snack (assuming you are t vegetarian). Whenever I did this, my sugars were good in the morning. But everyone is different, so trying different things out could help too. I am not a huge meat eater but it really helped at times to keep me full etc.

For snacks I would do apple with peanut butter, yoghurt, peanut butter on bread (with lower carb bread. Read the labels. I think I found one that was 17g carb and still tasted ok). Sometimes cheese. But like I said, bedtime snack was better eating a couple ounces of meat.

Good luck.