Week:35

Weight: +1

As my due date looms nearer and nearer, I get to up the ante on all doctors’ appointments. My regular OBGYN appointments have now turned from bi-weekly to weekly. Since the gestational diabetes diagnosis, I get to have ‘extra’ monitoring which comes in the form of twice-weekly nonstress tests (where they hook you up to a belt contraction and monitor the baby’s reactions and movements), tri-weekly fetal growth ultrasounds (to make sure the diabetes is not affecting the baby by making him too fat or have undeveloped organs), and diabetes counseling with nutritionists, fetal endocrinologists and nurses. You’d think my sugar was completely out of control or severe with all this extra monitoring, but that’s the crazy thing, they’re not! My numbers, at worst, are ‘borderline’, but apparently this late-term they just don’t take chances. Mixed bag, of course. It’s great that my medical team is being cautious but it really sucks driving to three appointments a week and having to fuss all the time with my diet and glucose levels.  Not to mention all the other special appointments I have at CHOP to monitor Baby AM’s condition. My life has turned into nothing but medical appointments. I seriously don’t  know what I would be doing right now if I wasn’t on maternity leave from school and if I was holding down a full-time job. I guess I would be forced to seriously reschedule my life or go on early maternity leave.

When I called in my glucose numbers to the nurse at the Diabetic Center this week, she informed me that there were too many ‘borderlines’ and that the doctor was sure to put me on Glyburide, an alternative to injectable insulin. Glyburide is a pill that helps with your insulin resistance and production. My fear is since I’m ‘borderline’ I’m going to get sugar readings that are too low. I’ve seen my dad experience low sugars and it’s quite scary! He gets disoriented, shaky, clammy, etc. I was warned this could happen to me (especially in the middle of the night) until I ‘adjust’ to the dosage of the medication. I have no idea why a very low sugar reading would be better than a borderline, but I’m no medical professional! I was advised to keep a snack next to my bed that could increase my sugar levels fast if they were dangerously low or to even snack in the middle of the night if I have to.  Both my mother-in-law and mother (who are both diabetic) think it’s ridiculous that the doctor would put me on meds without officially high numbers, but I can understand why the doctors are cautious too. If they wait for my numbers to get high, it could harm the baby. With gestational diabetes your insulin production is blocked by pregnancy hormones. It differs in that way from regular diabetes. No matter how much you control your diet and exercise sometimes, the glucose readings continue to get high because your body just produces more and more hormone as you advance in pregnancy. The same diet plan that helped me last week can fail me next week as my advanced hormones make me insulin resistant. Knowing this, I know I should attempt to go on the Glyburide and work to get my glucose numbers at below borderline levels. It’s just another added stress to the pregnancy! (Did I mention that stress spikes glucose levels?)

I’ve completely cut out sugar for the most part (although making chocolate chip banana bread this week was NOT a good idea!), and I have to say I dont’ miss the sugar in my tea or the occasional piece of chocolate. What I miss is just being able to eat meals and snacks without worrying about each gram of sugar or carbs! Even eating something as healthy as carrots gets tricky when you’re wondering about the amount of sugar in them! As the days pass, I’m definitely getting hungrier and hungrier and I hate having to limit what I can eat or waiting to eat so as not to spike my glucose levels. Hopefully the Glyburide will help with all this! Only another month till I dont’ have to worry about this anymore!

Other than all the gestational diabetes fun, I’ve been feeling pretty great. Pregnancy is definitely still comfortable this week and although my waddle is getting more pronounced and the lower abdominal pressure is getting more intense as Baby AM gains weight, it’s not so bad. 

I cannot believe I’m at the 35 week mark!? In two more weeks, I’ll be considered full term!!!! Although, just to be on the comfortably safe side I’d like Baby AM to stay inside for a few more weeks. I wouldnt’ mind going into labor between 39 or 40 weeks.

This past weekend Saji and his dad purchased cellular blinds for the house along with valances and rods. It’s been over 2 years since we’ve moved into our house and we’ve seriously stalled on window treatments. I can’t believe we let it go for this long. Aside from the aesthetics, the energy-saving insulation factor was something we totally dropped the ball on. I can feel the draft coming in from the windows due to lack of proper shades/curtains.

We had to special order the valances, curtains and rods we wanted for the first floor and bedrooms. It should arrive in a week or two and then Saji and his dad will be installing those. So far the only room that’s complete with both shades and valances is the baby’s room. His room came with matching valances to his crib bedding. The shades also went up in our master bedroom and guest bedroom. This week the rest of them will go up in the den and kitchen area. When the valances/curtains come in, they’ll be put up in the rest of the house. I cannot wait for that project to be done with!

I definitely feel the ‘urge’ to finish up all the projects I have around the house and also to get the last couple of things baby-related done asap! I’m in full ‘nesting’ mode and I’m sure it’ll only get worse as the weeks march on.

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