30 weeks blah…

Well, unfortunately I’ve been put on Insulin since Wednesday where I started with 3 times a day poking my tummy. One right before lunch, dinner and before bedtime.  And today, after the nurse reviewed my blood sugar journal, it’s been increased to 4 times a day because my blood sugar is still high even when I’m eating right.  In addition, I have to poke myself each morning before breakfast.  There were a couple of times where my blood sugar was on a normal range but the nurse said I wasn’t eating enough carbs that time and it is also not good for the baby.  I didn’t even gain the expected weight in the past week.  When I eat right my blood sugar shoots up so Insulin shots are needed.  It’s not painful at all.  The IVF subcutaneous and intramuscular needles I had to endure during the IVF cycle was more brutal.  The only thing is I have to keep track of when I have to test my blood sugar, eat meals and snacks (and what I eat) and when to administer Insulin.  I log everything I eat (I mean everything) to make sure my carb intake is right.

Below is this week's blood sugar journal:

Week of Jan 15, 2018
Day	Breakfast			Lunch		Dinner		Bedtime
	Before meal	Insulin	After meal	Insulin	After meal	Insulin	After meal	Insulin
Mon Jan 15	7:57 AM		11:56 AM		4:20 PM		9:06 PM
	5.4		5.3		6.7		11.3
Tues Jan 16	7:56 AM		10:10 AM		3:18 PM		7:37 PM
	5.9		5.7		6.3		10.3
Wed Jan 17	7:53 AM		10:53 AM		4:30 PM	6h	9:36 PM	4n
	5.4		5.6		9.5		6.4
Thu Jan 18	8:18 AM		11:28 AM	4h	3:27 PM	6h	8:54 PM	4n
	4.7		9		8.2		8.4
Fri Jan 19	8:14 AM		10:40 AM	6h	3:03 PM	8h
	4.4		8.3		9.5
Sat Jan 20
Sun Jan 21

 

More symptoms I’m experiencing are leg cramps, constipation, lower backache and difficulty sleeping due to hip and lower back pain. I easily get tired and easily run out of breath when shopping.

The baby is moving a lot and it is a joy to feel the movements.  And despite the aches here and there, it’s great to know I’m three quarters in. And I thank God everyday for this miracle!

29 weeks and dealing with GD.

Exactly 29 weeks today and on my 3rd trimester.  Second trimester was the easiest and I had no issues.

The past couple of days, my endocrinologist had me on strict low-carb diet due to Gestational Diabetes. I’m keeping track of everything I eat and submit my food journal and blood sugar results every week to the nutritionist and nurse. Food must be eaten in small portions every 2 hours. It’s the carb intake that I really have to watch.  Each meal I can only have a slice of whole wheat bread or 1/3 cup of rice.  But I can have unlimited berries or certain vegetables.  It's hard as I'm always hungry. I learned a lot about nutrition from the diabetes class my doctor sent me a couple of weeks ago.
 
I'm also self-monitoring my blood sugar 4 times a day. I’m 3 days in and still flinch every time. But this is nothing compared to the needles I had to poke myself while doing IVF.  
 
And tonight I ate a lot of slimy okras – not my favourite but I have to.

Next week I have to learn how to take insulin shots. Here’s the photo of the gadget I was given to keep track of my blood sugar.

The gadget that measures the blood sugar. The one that looks like a pen on the right is the needle.



Test strip absorbs the blood.



This is today's reading 2 hours after dinner and I only ate lots of okras, 1/3 cup rice and yogurt.  Yet it's still high.

The target is 6.6 mmol/L or less if taken 2 hours after each meal. And the above picture shows I'm 7.7 and it's still high!

The joys and sacrifices of being pregnant but it's all worth it in the end.

 

Happy New Year, Exciting 3rd Trimester – The Great Unknown

About 11 more weeks to go before I meet my precious baby! I’m still in awe I’ve gone this far despite all the difficulties we’ve faced trying conceive.

The past 2^nd trimester was a breeze. But right at the beginning of my 3^rd trimester, I’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I failed both the 1 hr Glucose Challenge Test and 2 hr Glucose Tolerance Test.  I attended a Diabetes Education class today (with 10 other ladies) and I learned how to self-monitor our blood sugar 4 times a day. A dietician also discussed nutrition and meal planning. It’s the carbohydrates we have to really watch.  It’s been a very educational class that lasted around 2.5 hours. I have to keep write everything I eat in a day and email the food journal to the dietician and nurse on Sunday.  This adds additional work to keep track but the baby’s health is far more important than anything else.

After the class I also met with the endocrinologist who told me my sugar levels were high so she is sending me to insulin class next Wednesday. Then I had my regular appointment with my OB who told me I will have to be induced if I go beyond my due date.  As usual my blood pressure is textbook perfect at 120/65 and has been consistent throughout my pregnancy.   Also heard the heart beat of the baby on the Doppler and sounded like galloping horses.  Due to my GD, my OB wants to do ultrasounds every 2 weeks which I think is a blessing I get to see my baby more often 😊