Fail, Pass, Fail..

I feel like I have fallen off the face of the earth. Sorry about that everyone. My body has been fighting off a cold and its kicking my butt. I am normally not a complainer and I will weather the storm but I went home early yesterday and slept for hours. That means I am sick sick. Bummer.

Well I can happily say that camping can be enjoyed 29 weeks pregnant. There were a few moments i.e. rolling of of the air mattress was difficult, traveling back and forth to the bathrooms a million times, and  the hills oh the hills. But for the most part the weather was nice and warm, it rained a little but not too bad. Everyone commented on what a trooper I was, I felt good about that but its one of the last times we will all be together before our little one arrived and I wanted that.

Last week I also went for my glucose screening and I got a call from the doctor yesterday. Bad news bears. I failed two of the three hours of my test. For those who don't know or have not experienced this super awesome test before, the take your blood, give you a drink that is really sugary and then test your blood every hour on the hour for three hours. I asked the doctor what my numbers were as 1. I am curious about my health 2. Although I may not be a doctor I feel I have a right to know. The doctor told me my fasting was at 91 which is perfect, before I got pregnant a while back I used a friends glucose screening kit because I wanted to know what it was and it was 97 so not much has changed on that end. She then went on to tell me that my one hour was 197, it was supposed to be under 180. FAIL. My second hour was 146, it is supposed to be below 155. Pass!!! And my third was 165, it is supposed to be under 140. FAIL.

So as I explained this to my husband and my mother this is whats going on in my body.

Pregnancy hormones can block insulin from doing its job. When this happens, glucose levels may increase in a pregnant woman's blood.

You are at greater risk for gestational diabetes if you:

• Are older than 25 when you are pregnant (I am 25)
• Have a family history of diabetes (Not that I know of)
• Gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds or had a birth defect ( First pregnancy to term)
• Have sugar (glucose) in your urine when you see your doctor for a regular prenatal visit (did in the beginning, not since about 10 weeks)
• Have high blood pressure - (Have been in the normal range this whole pregnancy)
• Have too much amniotic fluid (Measured normal at my last Ultrasound)
• Have had an unexplained miscarriage or stillbirth (Have had two miscarriages in the first trimester)
• Were overweight before your pregnancy (My BMI classified me as overweight)
  
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001898/
  
  
  The doctor told me that because my fasting level was normal and the results from this test she believes that I can manage this by my diet. I had the diabetes clinic call me this morning to schedule an appointment for next Friday. At this point in the pregnancy, I will have to watch what I am eating for 10 weeks, while probably gaining some great knowledge about food. Positive spin on it! 
  
  
  For now I am going to blow my nose, eat some more Zycam and poke around on Pintrest.com, my new obsession.

Booger Factory!!!!

At 10 weeks 6 days a common cold is a nightmare! Not being able to do anything but shoot saline spray up my nose and rub Vicks Vapor Rub on my chest stinks!!!! (Well not that I can smell anything.) I am a booger factory!!! It's disgusting!!! Just hearing myself blow my nose, all those nasty, slimy boogers flying into the tissue kicks in my gag reflex. Ick! Today I'm nauseated on top of it so I'm just a mess. But I went to work so I could save my days for when I'm gonna need them most.

Enough about boogers.

Since I heard the heartbeat and got to see my lil one in the ultrasound last week we are finally telling extended family members and people at out jobs. I let my bosses know Monday and they are all saying prayers for us. I was a little apprehensive about telling administration about my pregnancy because we are undergoing budget cuts and performance evaluations like crazy. I didn't want my pregnancy to be used against me, to be said that because I was pregnant and won't be around for end of the year testing that I shouldn't be allowed to stay in the position that I'm in. But I figured since I am already popping out and having to leave early or show up late for appointments that I needed to divulge in my secret. So far they are supportive and understanding. I'm just hoping for no or little complications to keep everything running smooth and can ride this pregnancy all the way to April!!!

P.S. Thanks Jerseysaur! I'm having a great time reading your posts! Hope your test went well.

three hour glucose screening

So I have to go for my three hour glucose screening tomorrow morning. Boo. I did not pass the one hour, I am slightly nervous that I won't pass. I don't have any issues but it would just be my luck.

My ribs are still killing me and I am exiting the honeymoon stage. I think I had my first braxton hicks contraction this week. My belly got all tight and slightly uncomfortable while in the grocery store, of course I was in the baking isle near cake so I may or may not have have placed a box of brownies in my cart.... Sue me!

Other than that, things are going well. I got my shower invite in the mail from my mother. YEA! It was really adorable, thank you Tiny Prints. I am so in love with the fact that its my baby shower.  Mine. All Mine. Well and babies but I have been to so many others and this time its all for my baby!

This crazy almost 30 week pregnant lady is going camping this weekend so I am sure I will have some fun stories when I return. It is our annual Clam-O-Rama as we call it, pretty much its all the old college buddies meet up and act like we are in college again. Its fun for a weekend of no cares and camping. My main concern is the air mattress. Hm. We will see. My belly doesn't seem to have grown much this week, but I have not seen these people in a few months so I am sure they will all be surprised.

Any-who I have my test tomorrow, wish me luck. I will post the results as soon as I know. But for now its off to the wilderness and there are s'mores with my name all over it.

P.S. Congrats Hungrysaur! I am so thrilled for you, keeping your family in my thoughts.

We heard and saw the HEARTBEAT!!!!

Friday was my doctor appointment and through the ultrasound we got to see the baby, see it's little heart beating and they turned on the sound so we could hear it! YAYYYYY! Finally. This is the furthest I've gotten since I gave birth to my son (10 years ago) so we are sooooo ecstatic and optimistic. I saw my doctor's Nurse Practitioner and she thinks I may have a shortened cervix which will get checked out again in 4 weeks and I may be a candidate for weekly progesterone shots once I hit 14-15 weeks. If I end up with a weakened cervix I may need to have a cerclage done (a procedure where the cervix is sewn together with a surgical stitch). If it comes to that and with the progesterone shots I pray I will carry to term.

I have a cold. I can't think right now but I had to share my good news. We're just taking this pregnancy day by glorious day. Back pain, stuffy nose, head cold, going potty all the time, already fat belly, every day that I don't see any kind of spotting, is a GREAT DAY! They are all signs that Baby is doing well!!! Keep the faith ladies!!!

Reminiscing about the past

This weekend was great, Mr. Jerseysaur and I cuddled in bed and giggled every time baby girl kicked. We entered our third trimester, it is so surreal. The last time I remember laying there with him, saying nothing but smiling was when we found out we were pregnant (the first time). This made my mind go back to that place and I just wanted to share some thoughts I had a year ago, I was so broken.

How much strength do I really have?

So I have still been numb to this situation, not really having much thoughts or hopes about anything. We had another cycle and now we are in the middle of the third one since the miscarriage. My cycles still are not back on track, I am not ovulating at the right time. Its just annoying. Mr. had a really good fortune last night with our Chinese food, it said "When Love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece".

I started to get teary about that. I am emotional I want this badly.

I have been down in the dumps lately and having negative thoughts. I just want to be happy again.

...

I can sympathize with everyone reading this blog and the struggles you have had or are having. I just wish to impress upon you that YOU are important and your relationships with the ones you love will strengthen you.

Look outside yourself to find others to help you, scream, rant and rave. For me I would lay on the horn of my car and scream, it worked. Let it out if you need to. There is a secret network of fantastic women who have been there and are so willing to hold your hand.

The daycare situation

Along with all this wonderful baby stuff I have to think about what we are doing with our baby once she gets here. Boo. For my family we need to have two incomes, which means this mama has to go back to work. Maternity leave is 6 weeks for normal deliveries or 8 weeks if it is a C-section. That means that I am going to leave my 6 week old with someone. That notion breaks my heart a little, I love that I have her all day with me and I am reminded with every wiggle and kick.

I have been putting this process off because I just don't want to do it. As the days click by and the Mr. asks where I stand on it I have to get going on it. (The Mr and I split large responsibilities, he is researching car seats and strollers and I get sitter duty.) So I have started to put my feelers out there, I am looking for a Stay At Home Mom who has a younger child and willing to take a newborn. I believe that my work will allow for some flexibility in my schedule so I can work from home two days a week.

This part is the pits. My heart hurts a little already and I haven't even given birth yet. The worst part is I am really looking for a stranger to raise my baby. My family lives out of state and my in-laws who are close all still work. I just hope that I can develop trust with this person right away, I need trust.

I will keep you posted on where we go from here. 

Monday Monday

Another week is here, another pain is present. I don't know that anyone can explain all of the crazy beautiful things happening to your body, experiencing it is so different.

Sleep is becoming more difficult. I feel like I need the 'wide load' sign because I have to sit up to turn over every time I want to switch positions. I also must drag my body pillow along for the ride, at that point I am more awake and trying to find a comfortable spot.

My newest friend is a pain in the ribs. Hmm, yes in the ribs. It started on my left side and today it is full force on both. I know it must be my belly stretching and making room but ouch!  I try to lean back in my office chair as much as possible to alleviate the natural forces of gravity.

It is hard for me to imagine my belly not being there. I so much enjoy feeling her move and kick, it is a constant reminder that she is doing ok. My fears and anxiety has decreased some now that I can feel her. We are 27 weeks as of yesterday, it is shocking to me that we have 13 weeks give or take and less than 100 days. There are so many things running thru my tired brain... daycare, nursery, traveling, cleaning. Its tough to keep it all straight when I feel so drained like I do today.

Maybe I worked it a little too hard this weekend. Maybe baby is just taking what she needs. Who knows.