Gestational Diabetes & General Update

In the US it is normal practice to test for gestational diabetes, but it is not normal here in the UK. I'm sure it's a cost-saving measure to avoid routine testing. Typically the NHS will monitor glucose levels through sporadic blood tests and urine. However, these aren't always reliable tests unless you're specifically looking for gestational diabetes. I requested a Gestational Tolerance Test and was told I didn't need one. I was adamant that I wanted one. I wanted one, because I had concerns before my pregnancy that I might be hypoglycemic and also because my grandmother had type II diabetes.

after fasting you consume sugar water and they monitor your glucose over a three hour period. if one of your tests is high for glucose they assume you're normal enough. if two or more or high they diagnose you with gestational diabetes. i had two that came back borderline and so i am now being treated as having gestational diabetes. this means i take five blood tests a day to monitor and record glucose levels. basically, gestational diabetes occurs when the body is fighting itself to give what the mother needs after having given the baby what he needs. the mother can lose out in the 26th week and require additional insulin through injection and a change of diet which excludes all sugars like other diabetics. luckily, most often gestational diabetes goes away after birth. chances are increased by 50% that the mother will contract diabetes later on and potentially with future pregnancies. gestational diabetes can be managed effectively through diet and proper care. it is on the rise in most parts of the world.

during my last visit they wanted me to start injecting insulin, but i asked for more time to manage the diabetes through diet. i had only removed sugar and fruit juice from my diet prior to my last appointment. now, I've removed all carbs, fruit juice, all beverages except water and non-decaffeinated tea and am eating five times a day of smaller portions. i am allowing myself one small starbux chai tea a day, so that i don't go completely off the wagon. it's a big lifestyle change for me. it's hard to remember to do the blood tests and to eat, so I have my phone set as an alarm to remind me to do this at various points throughout the day.

I am trying to avoid insulin, because once you're on insulin they classify you as high risk. this means that they may look at inducing me on the 29th of august rather than me going completely naturally where the baby decides to come on his own. they do this to avoid risk to the baby and also to the mother, but primarily to the baby. babies delivered via induction are typically more challenging births. this also means that I'd be on a drip and unable to do a water birth which is my preferred approach. I have an appointment for a scan tomorrow, so we'll see how things are progressing. So far, bambino is in perfect condition and in position for delivery.

i am listening to my hypnobirthing guided meditations and hypnosis which is all about how natural (and peaceful!) childbirth can be. the woman's voice is very calming and I'll have it with me on the day i deliver to help in whatever way it might. I'm also practicing breathing and visualisation of the type of birth I'd like to have.

i think he may come early... i have so much left to do to prepare the flat for the baby shower and for his arrival as well as my mom's arrival, that i hope he doesn't come too early! my mom's just had knee replacement surgery which is obviously fairly serious, so I'm a bit worried that she won't have enough recovery time. i want her to get better and i also don't want to be in the position where i have no one to look after mer much less me having to look after three people when I'm physically weak. hopefully i won't experience the baby blues like so many as that would all be a bit to much really. positive thinking! they're going to let her fly, so she must be okay enough to fly... some people get very depressed after major surgeries, i hope she's able to avoid this...

speaking of depressing, my cousin died in a freak accident recently. it still feels surreal as i had just been speaking to my cousins on email about flying out to London for a visit. We were debating about whether they should come for the shower or after or possibly even before and met the baby during my US trip in December. He was walking the dog, stopped by to talk to a neighbour and while they were talking the neighbour's car started to roll down the drive. Keith tried to stop the car (he's a big guy), but lost his footing. my cousin Lori, his wife, is struggling. they had only been married just over a year. it was their first marriage having waited 40 years to make that commitment. shocking really. we must all feel thankful for our own lives, even when things get stressful, we still have our friends, family and our future.

well, back to the flat for me! more stuff to finish and less energy to do it with! i really do love pregnancy, but i really am getting a bit worn down... I'll have to stop working soon. my office thinks I'm nuts for still working, but they still want me to be at meetings etc etc.... we're small, so it's understandable. i do love my work though, so i don't want to stop. my body is telling me i must though. I'll finish off the big stuff and hand over the other stuff soon...