Category: Family

I’m feeling a little grumpy today.

Well, actually I feel like if one more thing falls on my shoulders I might freak the heck out and start screaming and throwing things.

However, since I’m working until past 9:00 tonight, I’m going to have to somehow keep that under control so that I don’t scare the crap out of my super nice new coworkers.

Most of the problem is the fact that I haven’t slept for more than 1 ½ hours at a time in the past few weeks. Every hour or so, I wake up for various reasons. I can usually get back to sleep pretty quickly, only to wake up again before my body even really gets the chance to relax. I know that this lack of sleep has made me a little less (okay, a lot less) easygoing.

My double diagnosis of gestational diabetes and cholestasis has also pissed me off. I’ve moved on from the “poor me” internal whining and I’m now at the angry stage. I’m angry that I need to take off work for a couple hours on Monday to meet with a special dietician who will inform me what I’m now allowed to eat and teach me how to use a glucometer. I’m pissed that I have to use a glucometer at all – much less poke myself 4 times a day from now until my baby is born. And I’m really annoyed about the fact that I’m going to need to follow a special diet. I HATE diets! The only thing that makes them worthwhile is when you lose weight and you’re so pleased with yourself for sticking with the hard work that made it happen. Well, since my goal (right now) isn’t to lose weight, it is just adding to my irritation.

Something else adding to my hulk-like anger… moving. We just moved three months ago, so the fact that we need to pack everything up again to move really sucks. Now, the good part is that we’re doing our “final move” into our amazing new house. The bad part is that I really wanted a couple projects completed at the house before we moved in, and they’re just not happening. I don’t have a spare moment to do them. In fact, I haven’t even had a chance to pack up our current house. I really like things to be nice and orderly, such as our last organized move. This move, however, is the opposite of organized and it’s driving me nuts.

Lastly, on my scale o’ anger, is revisiting checked off items on my list. Once I complete something and check it off, it should be DONE. I shouldn’t have to go back and forth a few more times to revisit the issue. For example, we settled on the house last Friday. So why in the heck is our mortgage company still annoying the crap out of me for more recent paystubs? We bought the house already, get off my back!

If I could just get through today I have a feeling that my Oscar the Grouch-ness will subside. Tomorrow will be a mess of packing, moving and meeting with the doctor – but at least things will be getting done. Once Saturday night hits, one way or another everything will be at our new house. Then, it’s just up to us to run around and unpack things.

I feel like I need to keep chanting “I think I can, I think I can” to keep myself going. Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Maybe I need a special “I’m not going to kick anybody in the face*, I’m just going to get through the next couple days and maybe even relax on Sunday” ipod mix.

There will definitely be this song on the mix:

 

Actually, just watching that video (for probably the 36^th time) made me smile and relax a little.

I think I can, I think I can…

*Who am I kidding? At 7 ½ months pregnant my foot can barely kick high enough to reach a knee. You should see me try to put on my shoes, it’s pathetic.

As planned, I took the 3 hour glucose test for gestational diabetes on Friday. The test actually ended up actually being a 4 hour test, so I’m not really sure why it’s called the THREE hour glucose test…

Anyways, since they were going to suck me dry of blood anyways, I had arranged for them to also test me for cholestasis since my itching was so severe.

Well, drumroll please because the verdict has come in…

I am the lucky winner of BOTH gestational diabetes AND cholestasis.

While I suspected that the results might come back badly, I still felt my stomach sink to the floor when I got the call from my midwife. I’m usually a ‘look in the bright side’ kinda girl, so the fact that I ended up with both issues was really a ninja chop to the neck.

Because I failed my glucose test (and not just borderline failed, fully failed), I am now considered a gestational diabetic. I will need to meet with a special dietician who will give me a plan for eating from now until the end of my pregnancy. The diet will allow me very limited carbs and sugar – which is pretty much everything that is delicious. I will also have to do a finger prick test to check my blood sugar four times a day. Hopefully the diet will be enough to keep the gestational diabetes under control. If not, insulin shots will be added to my daily schedule.

Once I meet with the doctor, I will have a better idea how they plan to treat my cholestasis. From my internet research on the subject, they may prescribe me a pill to help with the amount of bile in my blood. I will also most likely have to see the doctor more often, have additional ultrasounds to check on the baby, and be induced at 36 or 37 weeks for the baby’s health.

The only bright side I can see at this point is that by having both issues at the same time, I may have to eat a crappy diet but it will only be for 6 or 7 weeks until the baby is induced. This also means that I may be having a March baby instead of an April baby – so there is less time for us to wait to see our son.

Of course, that means we may only have 6 or 7 weeks before the baby arrives which scares the crap out of me. However, after this weekend we’ll be moved into our new house, so that’s a big help!

Honestly (and understandably), I’m feeling a bit down. Typically I assume that things will work out for the best and they do. However, there’s nothing I can do about it now besides figure out how to get through the next couple months successfully and have a healthy baby. Luckily I was able to get a doctor’s appointment for Friday so that I can get more informed about how to conquer these latest challenges.

In the meantime, send me your prayers and have a chocolate sprinkled donut for me!

I have a confession to make.

And I’m going to apologize in advance, because this is something that most women really don’t want to hear – especially if they are currently pregnant or have previously been pregnant. So I’ll understand if you curse at me under your breath.

I’ve had a really easy pregnancy.

The first trimester is known for some fatty boombatty weight gain and massive morning sickness. Yeah, I didn’t have any of that. I never felt sick. I didn’t have any aversions to food or strange cravings. I didn’t have morning, afternoon or evening sickness. Oh, I did temporarily lose my taste for coffee, but that came back after a couple months. Pretty much the only thing that happened was my tummy immediately stuck out and I got even more, um…bosomy.

I figured that I’d gone through so much other drama, that maybe this was where I’d luck out. I’d had friends with complications or 8 months of “morning sickness” so I truly knew how lucky I was. I was appreciative of each and every day of feeling good. But yes, I’ll admit I was a bit smug inside my own head at how awesome I was at this pregnancy thing.

The second trimester was easy peesy too. We found out the sex of our baby super early on and all the additional tests, doctor’s appointments and sonograms went well. I had some acid reflux issues, but I’d had those before I was pregnant – so I didn’t even know if they were the same or worse than before. I didn’t have any of those crazy hormone breakdowns of crying or randomly yelling at my husband.* We also agreed on a baby name super easily and only went back and forth on middle name options for a month or so.

The only yucky thing was that I can’t seem to sleep – I’m up a few times a night to either use the bathroom, quiet the dog down (long story, apparently he has decided that he is high maintenance), or just sit there and stare at the clock. However, I’ve gone through bouts of insomnia many times before, so that wasn’t exactly something new in my life.

Oh and my husband totally earned extra brownie points because he said that I was “making pregnancy look easy” by still dressing pretty cute and not getting super fat. Apparently, I’m one of those lucky ones where all of the baby is sticking out in front of my tummy like a bowling ball.

Yeah, you kind of want to kick me in the shin right now, right?

Actually, I want to kick me – I sound like a total brat. This is why when people asked me how my pregnancy was going I’d just say “fine” and leave it at that. Nobody wants to hear someone brag about how great they’re doing.

Well, the reason I can tell you this now is because it’s all gone to hell in the third trimester. And here is where the whining begins:

In the last couple weeks my acid reflux has gotten so bad that I’ll wake up in the middle of the night to be sick. So sick that I’ve actually burst blood vessels in my eye. Yeah, it’s THAT awesome. Because the best way to get that much needed REM is by being startled awake with just enough time to run and hurl into the toilet.

I had my glucose test, which is a fabulous little thing where you drink a yucky drink and then have your blood drawn an hour later to see how your body dealt with the sugar. Well, after multiple needle pricks (my veins suck and it always takes the technician multiple tries to find one…and did I mention, I HATE needles?) they finally took my blood. And I failed the test. So I get to go back and do the three hour version of the test on Friday. I have to take off work to sit around in the lab for three hours, being poked every hour on the hour to take some more of my blood. If I fail this next test, I will have to follow a special diet for the rest of my pregnancy and may even have to go on insulin. Oh, and many women who get gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes years later. So let’s all cross our fingers that the first test was a fluke and I’m actually fine.

My last complaint is about itching. Imagine that you’ve walked into a bunch of poison ivy and got sunburn all over your body at the exact same time. Now imagine that when you scratch the itchy area, instead of relieving the itch it just makes it angry and it itches even worse. That’s how I’ve been feeling.  It is a non-stop, itchy, “my skin hurts and itches so bad I want to fill a tub with calamine lotion and bathe in it” kind of feeling. Yup, yet another reason that I can no longer sleep at night (this has got to be great practice for the baby, right?).

My wonderful friends on Facebook have recommended lots of different lotions and potions, some of which actually help a little bit. The problem is that the insane itching and some other symptoms I have are pointing towards a condition called cholestasis.

I’m hoping that it’s just normal pregnancy itchiness and I’m just a big wimp. However, until I get my blood test results (probably next week) I will be freaking out because cholestasis can be very dangerous for your baby.

Best case scenario: it’s just normal pregnancy itchiness and I’m going to have to deal with it for the next 11ish weeks until the baby is born.

Worst case scenario: Well, let’s not talk about that. But it may be very likely that the baby will have to be delivered at 37 weeks to protect him.

So, that’s my answer to “how is your pregnancy going?” Honestly, the last 7 months have been great. And it might be great again in another week or so when I have all my latest test results back. But for the moment, I’m going to whine.

I swear I’ll get over it quickly though; nobody likes a whiner…probably even less than they like a braggart.

Luckily I’ve got lots of exciting stuff to keep my mind off my issues – we’re going to settlement for our new house on Friday afternoon and will be slowly moving in over the next couple weeks. My awesome friends have also planned a baby shower for me this weekend and I’m super looking forward to seeing a bunch of my friends & family and opening cute and soft baby presents.

Well, would you look at that – I’m feeling better already.

Now about that tub of calamine lotion…

* At THAT time. Since then I’ve totally ripped his head off for moving the cords where we set up our cellphones. Really. And yes, it was as stupid as it sounds.