This past week started out wonderfully.  My husband and I had a lovely Valentine’s Day together.  I was able to get out to our favorite restaurant with him and sit down to eat there.  This is something I have been unable to do since the beginning of this pregnancy.  Spending time with him out and about felt extremely special this year.

However, the good vibes were short lived as around 3:00 the next morning I woke up with intense eye pain that only got worse as the hours ticked by.  My husband got me into the doctor that day and I had a low grade fever and was immediately put on an antibiotic cream which worked wonders within 24 hours.  I also was prescribed a steroid eye drop for the swelling in my eye.  I go back for a recheck tomorrow to make sure the infection is really gone.

On the bright side, I got weighed and I am now 158 pounds which is back up again.  My blood pressure was also in the normal range again.  All very good news considering the not so great report last week on those two topics.

Baby girl is growing and moving more than ever now.  She is about the size of a zucchini at approximately 15.7 inches and she is almost 3 pounds now.  Every week her movements get stronger and it is amazing how much she is growing.

As for me, my biggest symptom right now is some intense pelvic pain.  It feels as though I have been biking in a marathon and it is uncomfortable to walk and move.  My understanding is that this could be caused by the baby dropping and putting extra weight on the pelvis and/or the hormone Relaxin being triggered and preparing my body to give birth.  I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday with my OB and I will be asking him about this and see if I am right about this.  Another thing I will be talking to him about is the fact that I have had two hypoglycemic attacks in the past week.  This is another major concern of mine which I will update you on in my next pregnancy update, so stay tuned for that next Sunday.

So, it has been another difficult week but we are getting to the home stretch now.  I am just happy that baby girl is doing so well and still enjoying every moment of her little kicks and movements.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine’s day.  Shalom!

This week has been one of the more hectic of this pregnancy.  I had two appointments this week.   Both went really well overall but still there was a little bit of bad news in both.  However, there was more positive news than negative which is always a good thing.

My first appointment was on Monday with my dietician.  She was pleased with my numbers and how well I am doing on this program to help control my blood sugar levels.  She, in fact, did not feel it was necessary to have a follow-up appointment and instead will be calling in a couple of weeks to make sure everything is still going well.  The only cause of concern is that I have lost a little bit of weight since I started on this diet.  That cannot be allowed to continue so it is something we will be watching more closely.

My doctor, during my prenatal appointment on Wednesday, had a similar reaction to my sugar level numbers as my dietician.  He even mentioned potentially scaling back on the amount of testing I have to do if the numbers continue to stay in the range they are at now.  However, he did recommend that I get another ultrasound in the next couple of weeks, just to make sure she is still growing appropriately.  Unfortunately, my blood pressure was elevated during this appointment.  This could be a warning sign of preeclampsia but since my urine sample was clear of protein everything is still fine.  It could have been some stress from this past week or even white coat syndrome.  So it is another thing that we will be monitoring more closely.  As of right now I am hopeful that this was just a little blip and things will be back to normal at my next doctors appointment in two weeks.  I am now at the stage where my doctors appointments are every two weeks instead of every month.  We’re coming to the home stretch now!

As for baby girl she is becoming more active and I can feel her movements even more strongly than I did last week. At the doctor’s appointment she was balled up visibly on one side which made it easier for the nurse to know where to put the Doppler to find her heartbeat but also more difficult to actually listen to the heartbeat because of the position she was in.  She is now about 2.5 pounds and long.  This morning I felt movements at the same time on both sides of my womb.  It felt like she had stretched out all the way across.  I love feel her prescious little movements as she continues to grow and get stronger.

My symptoms have been about the same since last week.  I have a little bit of heartburn now and the Hyperemesis is becoming more of an issue again but little else has changed.  I am just content to be enjoying my little girl as she grows and develops inside me for the next few months.

Shalom everyone!

As I am now moving into the final stage of this pregnancy, I am really trying to enjoy the time that is left.  I am enjoying her kicks and squirms and taking it all in while it lasts.  Twenty eight weeks is a milestone in another way, other than signifying the official beginning of the home stretch.  At 28 weeks, Little Ones lungs have developed enough that she has a really good chance of surviving outside the womb if need be.  Of course, we want her to stay in there as long as possible, but it is a nice thought to have made it this far and to know that, no matter what, she will be okay at this point.

At this stage she is about the size of an eggplant and she is weighing approximately 2.20 pounds.  Now, her development is all about the finishing touches and gaining weight.  She is growing hair and eyelashes.  I cannot help but hope that she will get her father’s beautiful long eyelashes.  She will be gaining about half a pound a week from here on to her arrival.  She is growing so fast!  It also appears that she is hearing many sounds from outside the womb as I felt her startle at loud noices more than once.

As for me and how I am feeling.  I am doing well and keeping my sugar levels well under control.  This past week I did have a couple of higher numbers than I would have liked but overall they remain low and well within the desired range.  I also have had a relapse into the Hyperemesis Gravidarum which had been much improved as late although still problematic.  Now, I am just feeling extremely sick again with intense nausea.  I am attributing it to the change in diet because of the diabetes and hope that once I adjust the Hyperemesis will subside once again.

I also have been experiencing a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions than I was before.  Early this past week I had a night where they became fairly intense and were only a couple minutes apart.  I became concerned.  I decided to drink some water and relax for a while and they slowly began to subside.

Another symptom that showed up this week was some difficulty sleeping and a constant need to use the restroom, in the middle of the night.  Mostly though I have just been focusing on trying to enjoy the rest this pregnancy.  I love to see my baby bump growing and feeling her movements.  I am working on focusing on the wonderful blessing this child is to us and also looking forward to getting to meet her soon.

Blessings to all!  Shalom!

Well, it appears that I am now about to head into the final trimester of this pregnancy.  I can feel her rolling and squirming around now as well as kicking and she seems happy as a clam.  Right now she is about the size of a head of lettuce and weighs almost 2 lbs.  Her brain is starting to form connections and really develop now.  She is also practicing breathing in preparation for her life in the world.

As for me, I am practicing and preparing myself, as best as possible for a first time mom, for the day she arrives.  I can hardly wait to meet her but for now I am just enjoying feeling her life growing and blossoming inside my womb.  I am adjusting to my new diet to help control the gestational diabetes as well as pricking my finger four times a day.  As long as I don’t think about it as I am jabbing it into my skin and just do it, I have no issues and I find it is not that bad, just a little uncomfortable.  My blood sugar levels are well under control so I am not worried but I am still being sure to remain vigilant.  I do have some more unpleasant symptoms as well this week, such as a constant need to go to the bathroom and backaches but overall I am doing well and really enjoying her movements and just loving this time that I am having with her.  I will only be pregnant with her once and that makes this a special time for both of us.

So, this means we are all caught up and up to date on how this pregnancy has gone up to this point.  Please feel free to to ask me questions about my experiences thus far and if you are currently pregnant I would love to hear from you about your symptoms and experiences.

Shalom! 🙂

I’m a tired mama after my Gestational Diabetes class

Taking the one hour glucose challenge was bad enough but finding out that I had failed it and now needed to take the 3 hour test filled me with dread.  I struggled through this test and hoped for the best.

For those who may not know what the three hour glucose test is I will now inform you.  Unlike the one hour glucose test, the three hour test requires fasting for 8 to 10 hours before hand.  The mother’s blood is drawn in the morning and then she must drink a disgusting sugary drink containing 100 grams of sugar in an 8 ounce bottle.  She must then get her blood drawn again an hour after the drink, and then again after 2 hours and then a final 4th time at the 3 hour mark after having the drink.  She is not be allowed to eat or drink anything other than sips of water until after the final blood draw.  She must pass at least 3 of the 4 blood draws, which depends on the blood sugar level chart her doctor goes by, in order to pass the test.

As you can see, this could be quite the ordeal for a pregnant woman. Unfortunately, I failed two of my blood draws which means I failed the test.  So, I ended up in a class for women with gestational diabetes this past week with a dietician who explained how we need to eat for the next several months and how to use our glucose monitors.  I found the class enjoyable and informative.  I now have to prick my finger 4 times a day in order to keep track of my sugar levels.  Once, upon first waking up and once after each meal.  Ironically, as much as I dread each stick, I also find it strangely comforting to have my meter and perform this test because I now know how the food that I am eating is affecting me and more importantly the baby.

Gestational diabetes is different from type 1 or type 2 diabetes in that it is created by the hormones from the placenta blocking insulin production.  This happens in all pregnant women, however, in some women, their pancreases are not able to compensate appropriately to this change, allowing the blood sugar levels to rise too high.  This can be dangerous for both mother and baby.  The baby can become too large due to the large amounts of sugar they are receiving from the mother which can cause them injury when entering the world and leads to a higher rate of c-sections for the mothers.  The baby can also become hypoglycemic upon entering the world because of the sudden lack of sugar which is also dangerous.  There are other potential complications but I try not to dwell on these things and just do the best that I can do.  So far, this baby is measuring perfectly and so am I.

Now, for the part you may have been waiting for, the gender reveal!

IT’S A GIRL!!!!  YAY!!!!

She has been kicking and moving around in there and her movements are getting stronger by the day.  I love to feel her moving in me and I know she is worth everything I have been going through this pregnancy.

As for me, I have been having some heartburn but nothing major and not much else this week, except the nausea and vomiting from the Hyperemesis Gravidarum which I explained about in my last post.  I am just happy that baby girl is doing so well and that is all that really matters to me at this point.

I hope that the information in this post will be helpful to any women who are going through something similar.  If you have any questions about my experience please feel free to ask me. 🙂

Shalom everyone!