I had to have a glucose test (required for all moms-to-be), which checks your blood sugar level and screens for gestational diabetes. Apparently, you can have diabetes just while your pregnant, and your heightened blood glucose levels force your pancreas to overproduce insulin to lower it. However, even though the insulin doesn't go through the placenta, the high glucose levels do, so the baby also has too-high blood glucose levels...which causes the baby's pancreas to produce more insulin, which can result in lots of stored fat (because more is being produced than the baby needs to grow). This can lead to several things, including shoulder damage during birth, and the increased level of insulin can result in low blood glucose levels at birth (can cause breathing problems), or higher risks of obesity and adult-onset Type 2 diabetes.
All in all, it doesn't sound very nice.
The first test isn't so bad. They make you drink this Orange Crush-type stuff (and you have to get it all down in 5 minutes...made more difficult by the fact that it is (slightly) carbonated...I was trying not to burp in the blood lab's waiting room), wait one hour, and then they draw blood. Side note: I had this done last Monday - so, over a week ago - and I still have a gigantic bruise at the injection site. I have never, ever bruised for any blood test or as a result of any blood donation experience. I'm so pale that my veins are visible enough for ME to draw my own blood. Now, I'm not automatically blaming her, but I do think my phlebotomist might have been having an off day...
Anyway, as I said, this first procedure isn't so bad. The next one, however, (ordered if you fail the first one) requires you to fast before the test, drink even more of that stuff, and hang out for 3 hours while they take blood several different times (4, I think...). No, it didn't sound pleasant to me either.
However, at my appointment on Monday, I was informed that I passed the test "with flying colors." They want you to come in below 140 (140 what? I don't know...), and I scored a 101. Yay! As I told the doctor, "I love doing well on tests!!" As you can imagine, she just looked at me like the dork that I am.
I was also congratulated on my blood pressure at that same appointment, so I felt some sense of accomplishment...a needed pick-me-up since I'd just gotten off the scales. No, I don't want to talk about that part.
In other news, Mom came to visit me and was able to come to that appointment... but just barely. I had already called to reschedule when I knew she'd be in town, and it was a tight fit trying to get a slot early enough for us to get her to the airport on time. THEN, they called me about an hour before my appointment to tell me that my OB had been called in on some emergency (has never happened before, by the way), and could they reschedule me for later in the afternoon. Who knows why (though hormones are a likely culprit), but I started crying on the phone with the nurse/scheduler/whoever, and she got all concerned about me. She remembered talking to me the first time to schedule the appointment around Mom being here, and she just kept saying, "We'll work something out!" I was apologizing and telling her it was just the hormones...so embarrassing. My outburst must have made it around the office, too, because when we showed up for the appointment (they slipped me in first thing...they're wonderful), my doc hadn't shown up yet and they kept updating me, telling me any minute now, and then coming out and asking if I'd like to see the other OB in the practice so we could get to the airport on time. I think they might have been scared I'd have a repeat performance and break down in the waiting room.
We did end up seeing the other doc, but Mom still got to hear the plus one's heartbeat and hear that I'm doing well, and she did get to briefly meet my doc on the way out - so it all ended up okay after all. God bless that office staff, though. They were so good to my pathetic, weepy little behind...
Mom's visit was great - we didn't do anything exciting, but that wasn't the point. It was nice just to be able to hang out and spend time together. We did a little baby shopping, as well as some unsuccessful searching for a pair of black, maternity capri pants. I'm just looking for a nice pair of capris that are slack material so I can wear them to work, dress them up a little, etc. Every place I look, they either don't have capris (come on, it's April!) or they're all made out of some crappy polyester material that looks like the stuff they sell in Junior's departments. I don't wear that stuff when I'm not knocked up - like I'm in any hurry to own it now that fit and comfort is of paramount importance! I'd be grateful for any suggestions on where else to look.
We also had a cookout with Alyssa and Jeff - friends of ours with a brand new baby - who also had a mom in town, lunch with Andy and Jen, and did some cooking of our own. Mom brought some great vegetarian recipes for us to try, and even though we only got one of them made (and it was good...portabella stroganoff, yum), we got ingredients for another and I hope to make it soon. She's working on crocheting a baby blanket and so am I, so we compared notes on those as well. We went to the public market downtown and had a combo Greek/Thai lunch from two different vendors, bought some random food items, and Mom bought a Kong for Kacie and Abbey (but got stopped at airport security on her way home and had her bag searched because of it!). All that, combined with watching a few movies at home when it was rainy, a little walking, and Sunday School/Church made for a pretty full long weekend. And she still found time to do dishes, laundry, and some cleaning while I was in class! What a mom.
We forgot to take pictures the whole time, but we managed to snap this one on our way out of town to the airport...
I know, Mom - we've both taken better pictures, but what are you gonna do? I needed to document this somehow...
Yea, the glucose test blows. I had to take the three hour test this time around. They must have different numbers here because I had a 133 and they were worried. Anyway, pass the 3 hour with no problem. I should have just talked my way out of it. Oh well. Good luck finding clothes you like, you might try online, or one of the higher priced maternity stores. I always like www.japaneseweekend.com but never purchased anything from there.
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