Living Large

I had my 30 week (ahh!) check up and a growth scan today. We were so excited to see Baby B. because it’s been a while! The ultrasound itself was sort of disappointing. Since it was a growth scan, they zoom in on specific body parts (head, abdomen, leg bones, etc.), so you can’t really see the whole baby which was what we were hoping to see. The tech seemed to be in a big rush and also got the gel stuff all over me, so we weren’t a fan of hers. Then, to top it off, the sonogram she printed out was almost totally black because the printer settings weren’t right. I should have asked for another one, but I was busy trying to clean myself up.

During the scan, she said that the baby was measuring a little big. This was my biggest fear. Apparently the baby is measuring in the 73rd percentile, which my doctor said was nothing to be concerned about now (they start to worry if we get into the 90th percentile range), but it is trending on the high/average side as opposed to just the average/average side and since I've been battling some highs (more on that later), I wasn't happy to hear it. Since I haven’t gained much weight, and my A1C’s have been low, I was disappointed by this, but my doc said that often in Type 1’s they worry about the baby being too small because of damage to the mother’s blood vessels from long term diabetes. Apparently, however, this is not a problem for me—my blood vessels seem to be doing what they’re supposed to be doing. I actually hadn’t heard that before and was left wondering how that tidbit of information had escaped me until now.

During the scan, the baby's head was down—when my husband heard this he got nervous because he thought that meant the baby was in a "ready, set, go!" position, but that is not the case. Hopefully, however, Baby B. will stay head down until delivery. No wonder I’ve been feeling kicks up by my ribs!

Also, my blood pressure was great today, which I was really excited about since I’ve been worried since my last appointment about developing preeclampsia. Phew!

My doc also said we need to start thinking about pediatricians. Luckily, there is an office right in her same building, which we love, so we’re going to start there.

I have my second fetal echo cardiogram scheduled for later this week, and then back to the OB two weeks from today. After that, they want me in once a week at least for an ultrasound to make sure the baby is doing OK. While I know it will be a lot, it will also be reassuring to be able to peek in on the baby that often :)

I hope everyone had a great New Years – I know we can’t wait to see what 2011 brings!

3rd Trimester!

Now that I’m officially in my third trimester, I beginning to really look and feel pregnant. I’m walking around like the stereotypical pregnant woman with her back arched and stomach sticking out, rolling out of bed in the morning instead of sitting up first, and rubbing my belly all the time. I’ve also taken to talking to/singing to Baby B. all the time, and I love feeling the baby move more and more all the time. I sometimes have to pray that the baby won’t kick when I’m on a crowded subway car for fear of the person I’m pushed up against thinking it’s me doing the kicking/pushing.

While it’s all very fun and exciting, I am beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable as my bump gets bigger. I’ve started to feel really uncomfortable for a couple of days, and then I guess when my belly has stretched a bit, I go back to being comfortable. Speaking of stretching, I don’t yet have any real pronounced stretch marks, but I fear their arrival every day. I just don’t see how all this stretching won’t result in marks, but so far, I haven’t put on too much weight too quickly, so I think that is helping. I’m going to try to be really careful about my eating over the holidays, which will be hard, but I think ultimately will be worth it (both for weight gain and for blood sugar control).

My blood sugars are doing OK, not great. I’ve still been running higher than I like sometimes, and then I go overboard with the bolusing and end up low. I’m trying to find the happy medium, and again, better eating will help with this. I’m going through insulin much more quickly now that I’m taking more both for my basal rates and my insulin to carb ratio. I can only imagine how much I’ll be taking by the end of the pregnancy.

We have our next ultra scan scheduled for January 3rd and I really can’t wait for that. They’ll measure the baby’s growth, so I’m a little nervous to see how that goes, but I’m excited to see Baby B. again because it feels like it’s been forever since our last scan in October. The ultrasounds are by far my favorite pregnancy experience. I’m hoping that my higher numbers, even though my A1C is still fairly low, won’t result in the baby being bigger than it should be at this point.

We’re off to California later this week to visit with my in-laws and will be there for a week. I'm worried about the eating situation since we'll be bouncing around to and from various family members' holiday celebrations, but I'll just have to do the best I can.

Preoccupied with Preeclampsia

I went to the OB last week and while everything seems to be progressing OK with Baby B, they did find small amounts of protein in my urine after my 24 urine test (even though when I called the office right after the test the woman on the phone had said everything was fine - arg). My blood pressure was also a little bit higher than it normally is for me and although it’s still in a healthy range because I’ve always had low blood pressure, I was alarmed to see it go up. I’ve heard about Preeclampsia from Kerri, and am concerned what these clues might mean further down the road in the pregnancy. Things have been going SO well, and I’m feeling great, so I’m hoping to keep going like this until as close to the end as possible.

I think more than anything else, this news just reminded me that complications are possible and may even be likely because of the diabetes. This pregnancy has been so uneventful for the past few months, that I think I’ve been lulled into forgetting how complicated things can get. Luckily, as I near my third trimester this coming weekend, we don’t have much longer to go. This weekend we go to Florida for a wedding and then the next week we head to California for a week to see my in-laws. Then, my shower will be in early January and then we really hit the home stretch. I am praying everyday that Baby B is safe in there, and that we’ll both get through the next few months with relative ease.

I’m still battling my blood sugars everyday, which continue to creep up little by little, but with the help of my CDE, we’ve been able to keep them in check pretty well. It seems so crazy that in three short months, this whole pregnancy experience will be a thing of the past!

On an A1C high (not a high A1C)!

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post. Things have been busy and only seem to get busier with work, the holidays, and other things that keep popping up! Life has been fun with all of the baby excitement, and I’ve been feeling great.

I went to the endo today and was THRILLED that my A1C is 5.7. Since my numbers have been slowly creeping up, I was worried that my A1C might be above 6, so I was really excited to still be in the 5’s. I was particularly happy about this because I haven’t had a lot of lows, so this means I have a much steadier 5.7 now than I did several months ago. I still put a lot of emphasis on this one little number, and I wish I didn’t, but it makes me so happy to know that Baby B isn’t going to be affected too much by my diabetes.

My endo also said something interesting—that after I give birth, he will want my A1C to be in the 7-7.5 range for the first three months after giving birth. This struck me as odd and I think my mouth almost hit the ground when he said it. He explained that because I plan to breast feed, that can cause a lot of lows, and since I’ll be caring for an infant, he’d rather I be a little higher for a few months than risk another scary low like I had before. I’m not sure how I feel about this, but we’ll see when the time comes.

The last interesting thing that my endo told me about was a study that my very own Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center is participating in called Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, which is an international network of researchers who are exploring ways to prevent, delay and reverse the progression of type 1 diabetes. Once Baby B turns 1, they’ll check the baby for some kind of antibody to calculate the baby’s risk for developing Type 1. Depending on the risk level, they may have the baby take part in certain preventative treatments. It’s very cool and makes me feel good to know that my child will be able to help scientists learn more about this disease.

In other news, I did my 24 hour urine test, and while it has hugely annoying, wasn’t too big of a deal. Everything seemed fine based on that. Next up is an appointment with my OB, and hopefully another ultrasound soon, it seems like it’s been a while since the last one, and I love those so much!

Fetal echo cardiogram and 22 week checkup

I recently had my first of two fetal echo cardiograms, and also my 22 week checkup (I think most people do this at 20 weeks, but mine just happened to be on 22). The fetal echo cardiogram was a one hour peek at Baby B’s heart via ultrasound to make sure the blood is pumping and everything is functioning correctly. The results are in, and everything looked great, at least as far as they could tell since Baby B again wasn’t very cooperative in being in the right position for a great look (noticing a pattern?). It was a very peaceful test as I got to sit in a dark room with soothing music while the cardiologist looked at the heart on her own monitor. They didn’t have a screen for me to see, so it was an hour of pure relaxation.

I couldn’t get over, however, that the cardiologist (who I assume is pretty smart and well trained), asked me if I take insulin after I told her I have type 1. In disbelief I said yes, and then she asked me if I had been taking insulin before I got pregnant. I couldn’t understand how this medical professional, a cardiologist, no less, didn’t get that as a type 1 diabetic, I need insulin. Those kinds of questions irk me to no end! But, other than that, she was nice and gave me a good report, so besides her obvious ignorance about diabetes, the test went well overall.

I also had my 22 week checkup. They baby’s heart was beating at 155 beats per minute and everything seems like it’s progressing as it should. My weight gain is now right on target since the last checkup, but my OB told me that I should now try to gain ½ a pound a week, which is making me nervous. I’m concerned that I’m going to gain a lot more than that, and I haven’t been doing much to stop that from happening now that I can eat again. So, I really need to start eating better to make sure my weight gain doesn’t accelerate too quickly.

In other news, I sadly need to do a 24 hour urine test, which is basically collecting urine over a 24 hour period of time to make sure the pregnancy isn’t putting too much stress on my kidneys. I was hoping to avoid this one, but no such luck. I am so NOT looking forward to that one, but luckily you can do it on a Sunday. So, I guess two Sundays from now when I do the test I’ll be stuck in the apartment! I am certainly not going out lugging my “collection vessel” around.

Overall, my blood sugar is still trending a little higher than I like, but nothing to be upset about. I’m still increasing my basals to keep up with the higher numbers. I’m feeling great, otherwise, and am enjoying the second trimester.

Also on my list for the next few weeks is registering for gifts. There is so much out there, I hardly know where to begin, so if any of your moms have suggestions, let me know!

D-Blog Day (a day late)

So I’m a day late, but I’m taking part of my first diabetes community post for D-blog Day. D-blog Day was started on November 9th 2005 during Diabetes Awareness Month, to help unite diabetes bloggers and create awareness about diabetes.

This year, the prompt is: what are 6 things you wish people knew about diabetes? So, here are my 6, although I think I ended up writing about what are 6 things I wish people knew about me and my diabetes rather than diabetes in general.  Oh well!:

1. Diabetes is not as easy as it looks. I am one to talk about my diabetes in my everyday life with friends and co-workers as it comes up (a low blood sugar here, a low pump reservoir there), but I am not one to complain about it, or to really discuss how much it takes out of me, both physically and emotionally. I don’t often stop to think about how demanding this disease is, and as a result, I don’t think the others in my life really do either. It’s not just the testing, or the bolusing, or the ordering of supplies, or the carb counting, or the side effects of low and high blood sugars that get to me. It’s the combination of all of it, and the fact that no matter what else is going on in my life, I can’t forget about my diabetes—ever. Diabetes is a constant nagging, and I have a “dia”-log that runs through my head all day, every day: Woke up low this morning, need to grab a juice box before getting in the shower. Need to test again before getting on the subway. Need to grab something for breakfast when I get to work so I don’t bottom out again. Need to test before eating breakfast. Need to count the carbs in my breakfast. Need to bolus for the carbs. Need to test again two hours later. And by then it’s only 9:30am! I sometimes think that because I take fairly good care of myself, people don’t think diabetes is that serious, or that hard to take care of. Even though I am able to be under good control, not a day goes by that I don’t wish for a cure that will take this harassing disease away from me.
2. Diabetes terrifies me. I suppose this is linked to #1, but one thing I really never share is how terrifying the long term effects of diabetes are to me. I myself rarely think of the long term effects, because honestly, I can’t bear to face them. I don’t want to imagine myself without eye site, or kidney function, or even without one of my limbs. Right now I feel like a healthy person, and except for my diabetes, I am pretty healthy, so having to face the fact that diabetes may eventually take a more pronounced toll on my body is scary.
3. There is a difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. I know this topic has been discussed ad-nauseam on various blogs and sites, but all the time I run into people who just don’t get the different between type 1 and type 2, and it’s irritating. Just the other day, I had a cardiologist ask me, after I told her I am a type 1, whether or not I was taking insulin before I got pregnant. Questions like this make my blood boil, and I wish people, especially those in the medical profession would learn more about the difference between T1 and T2. I often feel embarrassed when I tell people I have diabetes, because I know that more often than not, they think it’s may fault or that I could get rid of it if ate better/exercised more/lost weight. I wish I could tell people I had diabetes without the sense of shame that I sometimes feel.
4. Even though I look OK, I often don’t feel well. From day to day, I look like a healthy person. You wouldn’t know I have diabetes to look at me. But, I am often battling symptoms that no one knows I am dealing with. I will sometimes be high, and feel horrible, but I can’t go home from work or take a break every time I go above 200. Or, I might be low, but demands of the day don’t allow me to take a 15 minute time out like I might want to. Or, I might be exhausted because I was up all night fighting a high or low blood sugar. Most days, at one time or another, I am fighting the symptoms of some kind of blood sugar abnormality, but I don’t/can’t stop my life for it, and I usually don’t even tell those around me what I am dealing with because if I were to complain every time this happened, people would get sick of it real fast!
5. Yes I can eat that—or—yes, I could eat that, but I don’t want to. Telling people I have diabetes is sometimes interpreted as an invitation for people to tell me how to eat. I had a pharmacist once tell me that I CAN NOT have glucose tabs because I’m a diabetic and sugar is bad for me. I’ve also had many people give me a hard time for passing on some of the sweeter treats in life from time to time. People don’t get it. I know what I can/should/shouldn’t eat, and those things aren’t always the same from day to day. I may be OK with eating ice cream one day, but if I don’t feel like wasting the last few units of insulin in my pump another day on something sweet, just let it go, and don’t make me feel like a party pooper because I pass on something from time to time.
6. I don’t care to hear about your mother/grandmother/second cousin who died/had an amputation/is on dialysis from diabetes. Again, when people find out I have diabetes, it’s like they feel compelled to tell me to take care of myself because they know someone who died a horrible death or suffered major complications from diabetes. I am sorry for that person’s struggle, and for the suffering that comes with it, but I really don’t want to hear about that. I know the odds that I’m up against, and it is hard enough living with this disease without being reminded of the doomsday scenarios that are possible.

Officially over the hump!

I'm 21 weeks as of yesterday, which officially means I'm more than half way through this pregnancy.  In some ways, it feels like its been eons since I first saw the word "pregnant" pop up on my digital home pregnancy test, and in other ways, I feel like it just happened this morning.  Although I've been through a lot already during this pregnancy, I still feel that hasn't been as intensive as I thought it would be (yet!). 

Although changes have definitely been taking place in and on my body, I still sometimes don't feel pregnant.  It's hard to explain, but I still feel like me, and sometimes I do forget that I'm growing another human being inside of me. I have, however, become much more relaxed about life in general since getting pregnant, which is the complete opposite of what I thought would happen.  But, nothing in the world seems that important right now, other than my health and the health of my child.

This week I started to put on my very first few pregnancy pounds.  It's taken me a while to put on weight since I lost weight from being so sick the first trimester, but I'm afraid they're going to pile on quickly, so I need to be careful and focus on eating better now that my stomach is (mostly) cooperating again.  I must admit, it's a bit unnerving to look at the scale going up and to think that's a good thing when I've fought my weight for most of my teenage/adult life, but I know that's what is supposed to happen.

I'm still waiting for Baby B to give me a good swift kick, but I do think I am starting to feel the baby rummage around in there.  Sometimes my stomach gets hard, which I've been told are Braxton Hicks contractions, and it's incredible to think that my body is reacting to the other person I'm carrying.  We know that Baby B can hear us now, and I laugh hysterically every time my husband talks to the baby, because he's convinced he needs to scream in order to get through my stomach and into the baby's ears.

In terms of diabetes, my numbers have calmed down a bit since I raised my basals last week.  I'm still seeing some more highs than I like, but it's much better than it was.  I'm already getting nervous for my next A1C in December, but I'm doing the best I can.

On the pregnancy itinerary for this week is a fetal echo cardiogram where they'll get an up and close and personal view of Baby B's heart to make sure everything is in working order.  I'm just excited that it means we'll get to see the baby again!

And most importantly, today is my husband's birthday, so I'm very much looking forward to a great bday dinner with him - his last one as a non-parent!