Unexpected Complications

Well life always seems to throw a curve ball at you when you are least expecting it. I got a call from my OB (Dr Spoon ~ who I love) nurse that my 1 hr glucose test (the one you drink the nasty 50 ml glucose orange drink & they draw blood) came back high. So could I come in tomorrow morning & take the 3 hour test. (Fast for 12 hours then draw blood, drink 100ml lemon lime drink, then for the next 3 hours take blood on the hour). I was a little irritated to be honest to have to take the test. I have known friends that had false positive from eating to much sugar the morning before the 1 hour test & thought that is what MUST have happened. Because I couldn't have it, right? I eat healthy, walk almost every day, haven't gained excessive weight. Well not so much...

So I get another call... I have gestational diabetes. They need to have me see a perinatologists (high risk OB) on their first available appointment. My response "Oh, great". So basically I get to be put on a very strict diet. Luckily I have some great friends that know about a diabetes diet so I have already started the diet & continue to exercise. Now I hope to get good news from the perinatologists on Tuesday when I go in. I have a feeling I will be going to the Dr, a lot.

Here are a couple of facts:
*4% of woman get gestational diabetes
*You can get it without any risk factors (like me) ~ risk factors include

• Being overweight prior to becoming pregnant (if you are 20% or more over your ideal body weight).
• Being a member of a high risk ethnic group (Hispanic, black, Native American, or Asian).
• Having sugar in your urine.
• Impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose (blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to be diabetes).
• Family history of diabetes (if your parents or siblings have diabetes).
• Previously giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds.
• Previously giving birth to a stillborn baby.
• Having gestational diabetes with a previous pregnancy.
• Having too much amniotic fluid (a condition called polyhydramnios).

*3rd trimester complications can be large baby or small baby that fails to thrive
*My diet (until I have my appt & get specific guidelines)
*6 small meals every day ~ going no more than 3-4 hours apart
*30 gr of carbs + at least 12 gr protein + fiber ~ limiting fat
*No fruit juice
*Exercise ~ fast walk 1.5 miles every day if not twice a day (fast walk for being 8mths preggo) (I had been doing this before I found out so it should be fine to continue it)
*Stress can cause blood sugar to spike so try & reduce any stress I have (I am trying)
*They usually induce GD patients early (37 weeks) depending on how the baby is doing
*I will have a 60% chance of getting type 2 diabetes later in life
*I have a 40-50% chance of getting GD if we try & have another baby
*The insulin resistance is in the placenta so normally after delivery everything goes back to normal
*Babies born to moms with GD have a 30% chance of being obese as an adult (though the research shows if the mom controls the GD during pregnancy the risk is the same as a normal pregnancy)
* http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/gestational_diabetes

When I first found out I felt so ashamed, like I had done something wrong. That somehow if I had exercised more, ate better food this wouldn't have happened. I am trying to get past that feeling, there is nothing I could have done to prevent this. It is just something that my body did. All I can do now is try and maintain so I have as little complications as possible. It is really scary to me to not be in control & to think my baby could be in danger. I am trying to have faith, do what I can to manage it, and put the rest in God's hands. So wish me luck & hopefully the Dr will have good news for me.
Here is a picture of our baby at 18 weeks sucking his/her thumb. I love you baby!