32 Weeks Recap and a "Mama to Bee Shower"

Another apology for a delayed post...the weeks are starting to really fly by and there is just a lot to do around here!

I am now 32 weeks and 3 days, according to the timeline I've been using all along with the due date being April 21, and with my days turning over on Thursdays.  However, we went for an ultrasound this Thursday, and the tech told us they are using April 18th as the due date from her earlier measurements, so I was 32 + 3 on Thursday at the u/s. Either way, the ultrasound went well and they feel that the placenta previa is resolving.  Baby's head is so close to the cervix they had a hard time getting an accurate measurement of exactly how far the placenta is (needs to be at least 2.0 cm) but they think it's at a minimum 1.70 cm and probably closer to 2.  The OB we saw said she would be comfortable clearing me to attempt a vaginal delivery, but that at this point I would go in with a slightly increased risk of bleeding if it's still low lying like this.  Good news is due to the GD, we have another ultrasound to check her growth in 4 weeks, so they'll look at the placenta again and give us a solid recommendation about how safe a vaginal delivery could be at that point.  Hopefully she is growing appropriately then, and isn't the size of a Thanksgiving turkey ;) Otherwise all this conversation will be for naught, and they'd schedule a c/s anyway.  At least right now she is head down, with her face towards my back, her butt just under my diaphragm (thank you) and her feet still wedged under my right side ribs.  We didn't get very good photos of her this time - she looks like a squashy alien baby because her head is so jammed down and everything is smooshed, so I'll leave those out as they are a bit disconcerting and creepy :)

The GD has been a frustrating and emotionally challenging trial for me.  I've had a few nights where I've not had good readings or can't explain why a level is higher than it should be based on what I've eaten, and just had a meltdown.  It's those nights I feel like I'm not always doing the best I can, and that sometimes I make selfish choices about what I eat because I just want something so badly.  I feel so guilty when I've eaten something that throws my level way off, and I know that every time my glucose is high, she's getting more than she should be too and it puts her at risk.  I told Matt I think this is a really hard way to learn something about the selflessness of parenthood really fast - the choices I make do not affect only me any more, and in fact could negatively affect my child.  I try not to stress about it all the time, but sometimes it just gets the best of me, and I really just can't wait for her to be here so I can start to worry about her in other ways ;) And eat some damn ice cream while I worry about it!

Since my last post, I've had one amazing shower hosted by my best friend, her mom and my mom, and I couldn't have imagined it to be any better! Molly did such a beautiful job planning all of the details and it was a "Baby to Bee and Mommy to Bee" theme.  I'm only sad we didn't get any photos of us together, and we didn't get our usual "all the girls" shot either :( We'll have to recreate that the next time we're all together, but hopefully we'll be +1 girl by then!! 

Here is the 31 week belly at the shower

Tables 

Gift table with a picture of sweet little girl! 

Cute silverware!

The tables set up with honey sticks favors, beautiful flowers, and damask and yellow table runners

The cake - thanks to Lynn, her homemade goodness was delicious! The little bee cake pops were SO good too!

 My two "mamas" looking proudly on

Most of the present opening photos are not the most flattering - I should maybe have re-thought the bare legs and dress thing, since most of the full shots have a lovely view of mah thighs.  And, note to self, look up and smile with the gifts for pics - much better than multiple double chin shots ;) So, anyway, these are not posted due to favorite gifts or anything like that, just ones that I think I don't look like a pregnant gremlin in! That being said, I was overwhelmed with how much our little baby is already loved.  We wouldn't be able to do so many of the things we hope and plan for her in the beginning without help from all of you, and we are so lucky to bring our girl into this world with so much love already here.  Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Yay, diapers! 

Bee onesies and socks! 

Love it :) 

The child can now eat in style!

Ok the next two are hilarious - Ashley lent us the snap n go stroller to use until we get our bigger one, or don't want to use the infant seat with the stroller.  It was assembled, and we needed to fold it down to get it home.  It took 2 adult males and at least 3 adult women to figure out how to collapse this thing!! We were caught on camera experiencing our first parenting gadgetry fail!

Finally - the 32 week belly pic - not the most flattering shot, but it's what we have this week nonetheless! 

8 weeks to go! Can't believe she still has room to double in size...

30 Weeks

30 Weeks

Figured I'd just jump to the chase and put the pic first, since I know that's what most of you want this week! This is taken in the nursery and the wall color is "Hush" :) Afternoon sun is coming through the windows and the room is bright and light and fresh! I love the color, and can't wait to get some pieces in there and see it come together.  This weekend we plan to pick up our furniture, get some of it painted, and then we can start bringing things in from the piles in the living room and getting them organized.  I'm sure my mom will appreciate that, too ;)   None of the major sewing projects have been tackled yet, but I wanted to get the basics of the room ready first.  Once the furniture is ready, then we can devote time to sew, organize and get the other things ready.  Very Excited! Pics to come of the actual room soon...right now it's all just paint rollers and drop cloths :) 

So, 30 weeks.  10 weeks to go! I'm now into week 2 of dealing with GDM, and things have sort of been up and down.  Namely, my blood sugar levels.  I've had a hard time predicting what will work and what won't regarding food choices and corresponding readings.  Sometimes, I'll eat the same thing for breakfast 2 days in a row, and one morning my after-breakfast level will be perfect and the next it will be high (that would have been today...).  I'd say out of all the readings I've done, probably 70% have been normal, and 30% have been slightly elevated.  We had an appointment with Holly today, and she talked to us about what to expect in the event that I do get put on an insulin regimen.  I will keep sending my numbers to the nurse and they will let me know if anything needs to change - maybe a first step would be to tweak the diet plan a little, or they might go straight to putting me on insulin.  If that happens, I will not be able to continue to be followed by the Midwife practice, and would have to transfer to the High Risk OB team.  Not that any of the OBs would be so bad, and I'm sure we will still have a lovely birth outcome (in the very least, a lovely little lady!) if that happens, but it is really disappointing to think about altering our birth plan to include a high risk team for me and for the baby, constant fetal monitoring, potentially a constant insulin drip during labor, etc.  None of that is going to happen for sure yet, but Holly wanted to put it out there in the event that it becomes a reality for us.  

The placenta previa will be rechecked in 2 weeks by ultrasound, and we are so hopeful that it has moved enough to chuck at least that risk factor out the window! It was going in the right direction, so statistically it should resolve by 32-34 weeks, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it happens for us!

Baby, on the bright side, looks to be fantastic! My weight gain and her estimated growth are right on track for 30 weeks (I'm up about 13 pounds and the fundal height of the uterus is 30 - exactly where it should be).  She should weight just about 3 lbs now, and be nearly 16 inches head to toe.  She's putting down adipose tissue now (aka gettin' her mcFatty on!). Her heartbeat was great today in clinic, and her movements have been rockin' out all the time.  She's head down with her feet under my right ribs for the most part, and her spine is towards my belly - perfect placement for a vaginal delivery! So let's hope she stays just like that and everything else works out to have that outcome too! 

That's about what is going on at 30 weeks.  I'm so looking forward to my shower next weekend with all my best lady friends - it will be a MUCH needed stress reliever and wonderful company.  I am so lucky to have such lovely ladies in my life who are here to celebrate and support me through this adventure.  

Gestational Diabetes Part II

So I had my diabetic education class today, and I'm feeling better about the situation overall.  We discussed how to moderate our food choices and came up with meal plans for appropriate amounts of carbohydrates throughout the day.  Truthfully, it's not that different in most regards from how I usually eat, so I don't think it's going to be totally hard to stick to.  I do have to test my blood glucose levels 4x/day, which is obnoxious, but so far the two readings I've had today have been well within normal levels. My fingers produce like NO blood from the stick though, and both times I've had to poke twice to get a big enough drop...nice.  And, what's really frustrating is that my 2 and 3 Hour GTT results were just barely over the cutoff for having GD at all (like 5 mg above the cutoff... seriously). But nonetheless, I feel like I can manage this with diet and adding some exercise back in as I am able - modifying what I can do at the very least. After a week of testing regularly and sticking to my meal plan, we'll reassess and make sure it looks like it's doing the job of keeping the glucose levels controlled, and if not we'll talk about insulin.  I REALLY don't want to have to take insulin, mostly on principle that I should be able to manage this myself with some minor changes to my routine.

On a somewhat separate note, people can be so rude and self-centered, and it makes me crazy! The class was scheduled to start at 8:15 am, so I checked in around 8:05.  I was the only one there. A few more rolled in by about 8:25-8:30, and we finally walked over to the classroom (which I could have just gone to since it's 2 floors below my office, but whatevs) about 8:55.  Class finally started a little after 9, and 3 people rolled in after that - some as late as like 10:50! Then, one obnoxious husband (who was of no help to anyone being there, if I do say so myself) couldn't keep his comments to himself and even though they were the last couple to arrive they were the first to get with a dietitian 1:1 since they missed most of the informational part of class.  WTH? So there were 9 in class, 3 dietitians, and those who were late got their 1:1 education first while the rest of us waited.  Needless to say, when my dietitian came around, she pretty much looked at my meal plan and said, "Oh you get this. You're all set! Let me just mark a few things on here... ok, good. Call if you have any questions!" Super :) Class ended at 12:30 (after I was told by the nurse last night it would be about a 2 hour teaching...). It was certainly an interesting example of people watching though! One lady basically cried through at least half of class, there was a Chinese couple with an interpreter talking through the whole thing, and another woman who kept asking me and the woman next to her questions because she wasn't sure she understood, while the instructor continued on to the next thing. Oy.

So that's done.  Now I faithfully check 4x/day and hope things look good. Just don't offer me any cake, ok?