OB visit, check.
Weight gain since prior check-up: 1 lbs; Total weight gain: 18 lbs
Blood pressure: 98/60
Baby's heart rate: Didn't ask.
Fundus Height: 28 cm (on target w/ gestational weeks)
We have officially kicked off the third trimester. Today was my second glucose screening. Again, it was for an hour. After my blood was drawn, I went in the restroom and checked the glucose myself, 241!!! I don't have to wait for the results tomorrow to know that they are going to subject me to the 3 hour glucose test. However, I did perform my own 3 hour glucose test continued after the hour test. My result after 2 hours was 133, and after 3 hours it 80. If my results come back positive for gestational diabetes, which I'm certain it will, then visits w/ the Maternal-Fetal Specialist will be ongoing for the remainder of the pregnancy.
UPDATE: According to the lab results my glucose level was 190 after an hour. There is a huge difference between the 241 I got on my glucose monitor and the lab result of 190. In any case, my glucose was very high. So, as predicted, I have gestational diabetes and back to the Maternal-Fetal Specialist for the remainder of the pregnancy. The positive is that I will also get ultrasound pictures with each visit.
We have also set the date for the c-section. Monday, June 28, at 9:45A at Northside Hospital. We will be there for four days and released just in time for July 4th weekend, my sister's birthday. So, now that we have confirmed date and time, I can finally move forward with planning family caregivers to assist Matt.
I am really surprised that I had only gained a pound since my last check up four weeks ago considering all the Easter candy. I suppose all the running around and lifting Ian has kept my weight down. Maybe. I have, however, been doing a lot of garden/lawn maintenance, ie bagged almost 40 leaf bags, pressure washed the front fence and porch, mowed the lawn, began priming the front fence, etc. Can this be considered "nesting" if I'm not cleaning the actual house?
Maternal-Fetal Specialist: check.
Weight gain since prior check-up: -1 lbs; Total weight gain: 17 lbs
Blood pressure: 98/66
Approx Baby's weight: 3 lbs.
So, my OB didn't make me endure the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. He had me take a refresher course earlier this week on Gestational Diabetes as required by the Maternal-Fetal Specialists. When the nutritionist weighed me, I had lost almost three pounds. I suppose the spring house projects can account for the weight loss, though one wouldn't know it from the look of my arms and pie face. For those who are not aware of what this condition is, the placenta emits a hormone that counters insulin. Apparently I am one of the 3-5% of pregnant women who can/has developed the condition. It is no surprise as I had developed it when I was pregnant with Ian. In any case, I am on pills for the remainder of the pregnancy.
I've been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions as I did with Ian. It is always on my right side. During my first pregnancy, I just thought it was the baby pushing really hard. Later on during the birthing class, I found that the pressure was really Braxton Hicks contractions.
Though it is possible for women to have a Vaginal Birth After C-Section (VBAC), since I have gestational diabetes the baby will most likely be big, or broad shouldered. For my small frame it would complicate a vaginal delivery more. My sister had gestational diabetes with all three of her children. Her second child, David, was so broad he got stuck and the doctor had to break his arm to deliver him. He was bruised and swollen from the traumatic delivery. Today, you would have never known David had a broken arm as much as he runs, jumps, rolls, and tackles. Though I will say that David's hospital picture compared to what he looks like today, one would think he did a Michael Jackson, ie from black to white. The bottom line objective is to have a healthy baby. It is what it is. I am not one of those women who NEEDS to feel the pain of birth to know I am a woman.
I must admit, I almost folded at my appoint. Sitting in the ultrasound room alone without Matt waiting for the technician, I contemplated finding out the gender. No one would know except me. In the end, when the technician came in and fired up the monitor, the first thing I told her was that we didn't want to know the gender of the baby. So, alas my beloveds, the strength of my will prevails! Unfortunately (or fortunately), from this point on, I will have an ultrasound at each appointment, so temptation will bait me during each visit. It was wonderful to see the baby on the monitor again after not seeing it for two months. The measurements seem to be on track for the gestational period; four chambers in the heart, the spine, the stomach, the bladder, the kidneys, the brain, arms, legs, head, everything.
OB visit: check.
Weight gain since prior check-up: 2 lbs; Total weight gain: 19 lbs
Blood pressure: 120/70
Baby's HR: 156-158
Well, over the weekend I not only gained the weight that I lost, I gained an additional pound. I was also informed that starting at 32 weeks, I will be seeing the OB and the Maternal-Fetal Specialist every two weeks instead of four. However, that doesn't mean I will be seeing them both in the same day. Oh no, no, no. Because of the gestational diabetes, they want to closely monitor the growth of the baby. So, it is either two separate visits every two weeks, or weekly visits. Either way I will be paying for parking twice as many times!
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