3D, baby!

3d ultrasounds are so cool! I am glad we did it even though it's an optional thing (pay out of pocket). The ladies at Triangle Imaging were so nice & the whole place was cozy & comfortable. The scan room was huge & had a big screen tv along with a smaller one. There was enough room for a whole family to come watch. It was decorated nicely & just all around a pleasant experience.


Jaxon is head down & apparently by this point will stay that way. He had his little head tucked into a 'corner' of my uterus with his nose pressed against my side near my pelvis, so she had a little trouble. I had to lay propped up on my side which got a tiny bit uncomfy. She got lots of good shots anyway. We have tons of pictures (77 on a CD) plus a DVD so everyone will be able to see as much or little as they'd like of him. :)


Apparently he likes his hands & feet up near his face. He spent a lot of time trying to get one or the other into his mouth. This one he's about to suck on his toes.

We also got a couple smiles out of him.

Turns out he's a little bit on the roly-poly side. She guessed he's about 3.5lbs which I think she said would be about a half to a whole pound heavier than expected. Here you can see his chubby cheeks & in the next his thick chest & arms. This just confirms for me that I need to watch the gestational diabetes so he doesn't get too big. But it made for cute chubby pics!!

We were so excited to 'see' him and can't wait until he is really here. I'll be matching up photos of him once he's born to these to see how close they are :)

now what?

Turns out I do have gestational diabetes. The doc at my checkup wasn't too helpful though. He basically just said the dietician will explain it all. What I did manage to get out of him was that they expected it to be controlled by diet (so no drugs or insulin) and that I would need to monitor my blood. I don't see the dietician until next Monday, so I have a little time before I learn all the details.

I do know from common sense, research & watching my BIL, that I'll have to watch sugars & carbs. The question is to what extent. I've got a book, Every Woman's Guide to Eating during Pregnancy, that Jack & I have been pulling some recipes from for our dinners, and it had a little info on GD. It had a simple list of foods to avoid & some to avoid in the morning specifically. I also has a few sample menus (nothing that excited me) and some high level explanation of the condition itself. I won't try to quote the book as that would be boring to read, but did learn that hormones in the placenta cause the cells to not respond properly to the insulin. That results in the glucose to back up in the blood instead of being used in the cells for energy. Thus the high blood sugar levels.

So, for someone widely known as a 'picky' eater, this is going to be an issue for me. I know everyone tells me I'll get used to it and that it's really not that big of a deal. But, this is my blog, and I can say this sucks. I like what I like, and really don't like whatever I don't like. I don't want to change. But I will. For me & my baby. And all along, I'll be glad that I only have to do this for about 11 weeks.

belly shot

28 weeks (third trimester)

fasting while pregnant.. fun stuff

It's really not that bad to have to do the 3 hour glucose test, just kind of a hassle.

I had a lot of different labs to choose from, and the easiest for me was the WakeMed in Clayton. Because of some initial confusion over my appt (my doc apparently didn't get my message indicating which location I was using & never sent my referral over), I got started a little late.

The initial blood test was a finger-prick & was tested using what looked like a simple home diabetes monitor. Then I had my choice of an orange drink or a cola drink. I picked the orange b/c I'd had it before plus she said the cola flavored one was like a flat sugary soda, didn't sound great. They poured it in a cup of ice with a straw which helped it go down easier. Once that was done, she setup blood draws at 10:03, 11:03, and 12:03. They didn't care if I stayed there or not but I did most of the time. It was kinda gray, wet & cold out today & Wal-Mart was about the only place to go. I listened to my iPod or read my book while I waited (though I did pick up a couple of cute pink items at WalMart for my girlfriends upcoming baby shower during one of the breaks).

The blood draws were the regular draw from my arms. I hadn't really thought ahead of time about the math of 4 blood draws and only 2 arms. But as I said the first turned out to be a finger-prick, so that left 3 draws from my arms. The tech was able to take the last 2 draws from my right arm without causing me any extra pain. She was really good at it compared to some I've had before, no bruising or soreness at all today. It turned out she was a Chi Omega alum from my chapter too. (Thanks again Aunt J for my purse, I've met several XOs or XO family members since I started carrying it).

The worst part was after the test was over. The tech asked me every hour how I was feeling (hungry, but fine, thanks) but I was really doing okay. Apparently some women have a rough time, even as bad as vomiting she told me (ugh, then you have to reschedule & start over!). But I felt okay as I left Clayton & headed for Fuquay to meet Jack & his paralegal for lunch. While waiting for them, I started to get a little hot, and the hunger was getting a little more urgent. I ordered an appetizer just as they walked in .. and told the waitress to hurry b/c I was 'pregnant & fasting'. LOL, poor girl. Before it came to the table, I started getting really hot & my limbs were starting to feel tingly. I didn't get dizzy or faint, but felt kinda like that was coming. It was pointed out to me that I also get a little grouchy when I'm hungry. I guess I wasn't quite the picture of politeness. Soon as I had a little food in me, I was back to normal. So any of you ladies that are about to take this same test - don't ignore the recommendation to bring a snack. Bring it, and eat it as soon as the test is over. I had one but didn't think it was necessary & might 'ruin' my lunch. But in that restaurant I was wishing I'd just eaten it before I came in.

So anyhow, I won't know my results today. But I do have my 2 week checkup on Monday, so assume the doc will tell me the news by then at the latest. *Fingers crossed*

A year since IVF

Happy Valentines Day!

It suddenly occurred to me today that it's been a year ago today since my retrieval for IVF. I remember the anesthetologist making some comment about a Valentines baby. If that procedure would have worked, our baby would have come home around November. As much as we wanted each treatment to work & to be the last, I'm glad our baby will be born in the spring instead of right before the holidays!

preggo at the beach

Here's me at the beach at almost 27 weeks. I went to Wrightsville for a scrapbooking retreat & though it was windy, it was very nice all weekend.

Slightly elevated glucose

A nurse called me today to let me know that my glucose was 'slightly elevated' at 166 (normal is 130 or less she said). So I do need to go for the full 3 hour glucose test.

They had a whole page of directions available to print right from their website (convenient). I scheduled for next Friday at the WakeMed in Clayton. And for the 3 days prior, I have to add an extra 150gs of carbs to my diet from their specific list of items. Then, I have to fast the evening before & morning of the test.

They start by taking a blood sample, then I'll drink the lovely glucose drink again. At 1, 2 & 3 hours following the drink, they will take more blood samples. My doc's instructions say to sit throughout the test, but the lab tech told me that was not necessary. She said a lot of women just go down to the WalMart in between the blood draws, lol.

Checkup

My checkup went quick & easy as usual. Weight looked good (12.5lbs gained overall), blood pressure was my normal range (90/60) and my iron is back up thanks to the supplements (11.5). Saw the doc for about 2 mins for a quick baby heartbeat check (160) and then was on my way.

I had also had my lovely O'Sullivan screening, where you drink a super sugary drink an hour before getting blood drawn. I should hear back in a few days on that. If it is high, then I have to take the full 3hr glucose test. *fingers crossed*

I'm also at the point now where I start going every 2 weeks for checkups. 27 weeks today!

belly shots

26 weeks! Getting big :)

Blue, blue, and a little more blue

One of my friends posted all her cute photos of her nursery and it reminded me that I had not gotten around to doing so myself. Jack & I have not added anything to the nursery (well furniture or accesories-wise anyway, I've added a ton of stuff in the closet & dresser drawers!) since the holidays so it's still in the work-in-progress stage. Once we decide on a rocker & are sure of the placement of all the furniture, I'll get everything hung on the walls & get new pics.

First, here's the crib (hand-me down, thanks Dad & Kim for hanging on to it!!). Yes, that's a baby doll in the crib. We've been using that to train the dogs on how to behave around baby. You can also see in this pic our handiwork we are so proud of (we are not naturally skilled DIY home-improvement folks). We painted the top portion of the room a lighter blue and the bottom the dark blue, then installed the chair rail.

I also painted a bookcase thats been passed around the family since I was little. I used a glossy version of the same colors. The backdrop to the books is the light blue & the rest is the dark blue. It came out very nice, if I do say so myself ;)

Here's the matching dresser, also a hand-me down. (I had some of our Christmas gifts & some stuffed animals piled on top. Those will eventually find a home).

Last, here are some of the items for the walls. The letters spelling Jaxon's name will go over his crib (here they are still in the packaging, but you get the idea). Since I just laid them on the floor for the picture, you get a nice shot of the rug too. The other pic is of some of the wall hangings that match the bedding set.

Still counting down! 26 weeks along now & only 98 days to go! WOW!