Oh Happy Day!

Last Friday I had my additional gestational diabetes screening.  For the three days leading up to the screening, I had to "carb load," which involved eating either three candy bars a day or six slices of white bread a day, in addition to my regular caloric intake.  Then, I had to fast for 12 hours prior to the test.  I swear, those were my doctor's orders.  I know that eating three candy bars a day sounds like fun, but even with my tremendous sweet tooth, it was not exactly enjoyable.  In fact, eating that much sugar just made me feel a little nauseous and slightly jittery.  On the day of the test, we arrived at OBGYN of Atlanta at around 7:20 and were almost immediately taken back to the lab.  My blood was drawn and then I had to drink a sugary, orange-flavored drink in under two minutes.  After that we had to sit in a waiting room for an hour until my blood was drawn again.  We did this for three hours and the first hour was definitely the worst because the drink made me feel very sick.  Luckily, the longer we sat there, the better I felt.  By the end of the third hour, I wasn't feeling sick anymore, but I was very thirsty and ready for some food. 

Overall, the test was pretty awful, but I am thrilled to report that I do NOT have gestational diabetes!  Brad and I are so relieved and I can finally check that one off of my worry list.  I am so thankful for the favorable results, but I am also thankful for two very special people.  I am thankful for my sweet, supportive husband, who has come such a long way from telling me corny jokes in an effort to distract me.  These days he does such a great job of getting my mind on other things and helping me to focus on the big picture, a healthy and happy baby.  I'm so glad he was able to make it to the appointment because I don't think I would have handled it all so well by myself.  I am also thankful for one amazing phlebotomist, who drew blood from my left arm four times in three hours with hurting me or even leaving so much as a mark or bruise.  She even made me laugh a little in the midst of everything.  She just might be my new BFF!  I asked her to accompany us into the delivery room when the time comes, but she just laughed. 

I know that no matter what the results of the screening, we would have done whatever needed to be done to ensure that our little guy remains healthy, but I am just so happy to know that we are still on the right track and that things are still going smoothly.  This good news was such a wonderful Christmas gift!  

24-Week Check-Up

Last Wednesday we had our 24-week check-up.  As a part of this appointment I had my glucose screening test, which is the initial screening given to all pregnant women to test for gestational diabetes.  The screening involves drinking a sugary liquid, waiting an hour, and then having blood drawn.  I am very sad to report that Kim, a nurse from OBGYN of Atlanta, called today to let me know that my blood glucose level was too high.  This does not necessarily mean that I have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that another test must be run to rule out the possibility one way or the other.  I will go in for the next test on Friday and will have to stay at the office for three hours so they can draw three different samples on the hour.  It turns out that between 2% and 5% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes and it is a manageable condition, but I am really sad and worried about it because I am trying so hard to take the best care possible of Little E and myself. 

On the upside, we also saw Dr. Wooten, my favorite doctor so far.  He said that everything else seems to be right on target.  My blood pressure is great and my weight gain is right on track.  Little E's heart rate is still right where it needs to be and he is moving around more than ever these days.  We even heard a couple of hiccups while Dr. Wooten was checking his heart rate.  So cute!!

I hope to report back with good news soon!