Things I will NOT miss about being pregnant

I've hit the 38 week mark today on my pregnancy. This is the week I had little A, so I'm about as pregnant as I've ever been. I thought it would be a good day to take stock of the things I will NOT miss when this is over to get me through the next few days. (If I'm still pregnant on Friday my ob is scheduling an induction for Monday.)

1. The +4 pitting edema

You've seen the swelling pictures. I've now moved from just swelling to pitting. This is when anything leaves an indent in your skin. My indents last a good 5-10 min before returning to "normal." I still have the shooting fire pains upon standing too.

2. The compression stockings

Compression stockings are oh so sexy. They look like sexy thigh-highs you would wear with garters, but with the consistency of an ace bandage. Hot. They take 20 minutes to get on and then when I attempt to painfully peel myself out of them at night I have large indents on various points of my legs. (see pitting edema) Not to mention I still swell horrendously.

3. The 3 week chronic cough

I'm on a nightly regimen of cough syrup, allergy pill, and Pepcid to attempt to control the cough that could be indigestion, allergy drainage, or viral. Or it could just be normal additional mucous from pregnancy.

4. The pulled muscle

Yup. Due to the chronic cough I have pulled a muscle on my right side in my ribs. It's not like I have the easiest time moving as it is with no ab muscles at the moment. Now I'm down a side muscle too.

5. The gestational diabetes

Pricking my finger, examining everything I eat, not eating too late, abstaining from yummy seasonal goodness.... The thing with gd is that the diet is MORE strict than a type I or type II diabetes diet so it's even harder.

6. People calling everyday (or in my mom's case 7 times in a row if I can't answer the phone) to see if I'm still pregnant.

Um, why would I have a baby and keep it a secret? Especially from my mom? I told her last night if she didn't quit stalking me I was going to make her wait to read about the birth on Facebook. She got the point.

I pretty much am now in excruciating pain on every inch of my body other than my hair and left arm maybe and have been for weeks. If this baby doesn't come out ASAP I may seriously injure and innocent bystander.

Caution: Crazy Hormonal Pregnant Woman

I have been very even tempered this entire pregnancy. Until this week that is. Now I cry over nothing and everything irritates me. I've been sitting at work this morning crying all morning over nothing. I'm working away with tears just streaming down my face.

Even stranger, I feel like little A's stalker. All I want to do is spend time with him. I can't get enough of him this week. I want to spend every minute with him. I don't want to focus on anything else. I'd love to go get him from daycare and go to McDonalds for a McRib combo meal with fries and a HUGE coke and then go play somewhere. (Of course I can't take the time off work or eat the McDonalds thanks to my gestational diabetes.) I even got up in the middle of the night last night just to go lay with him and cuddle.

I seriously feel like a crazy woman this week. This morning I decided I resented the baby because this pregnancy is seriously limiting my ability to do the things I want to do with little A and I don't want someone taking my time away from my baby. Then I started crying because it's just inevitable that things will change. (Of course I want this baby and I'm not doubting my ability to love them both. I'm just crazy and hormonal.)

I don't tend to bond with my kids during pregnancy. I have to see them outside of me as a real person and it takes a few days. So, right now little A is my baby and E is still just the fetus of a difficult pregnancy. I'm full term today and I think E needs to come out sooner than later for all our sanity. I may go all paparazzi on little A if not.

Pregnant Centaur

Remember back to high school when you studied Greek mythology and there was the half horse half man; Centaur. The top half was man the bottom half was horse. This is what I have become; a pregnant Centaur. Only, instead of half horse half woman, I'm half woman half hippo.

One of the joys of late pregnancy can be edema or swelling. I had it a bit with little A, but I have it full force this time. At first the dr thought it might be a blood clot (dvt) and sent me for a Doppler and bed rest. Thankfully it wasn't a blood clot, but cellulitis which is an infection that can mirror dvt. After a week of antibiotics, Benadryl, and aspirin the Cellulitis seems to have cleared, but the edema is still rocking full force.

Here is a progression of my swelling as the day goes on. Keep in mind one of the solutions drs give you is to keep your feet up. These pictures are even with keeping my feet propped on a chair all day at work.

8 am - starting out a bit swollen


12 pm - puffing up some more


6 pm - 3x my normal size


Thankfully at my appointment on Friday the ob cleared me for compression stockings since the other issues are gone. Hopefully these help. Not only do I puff up, but it sends shooting fire pains down my legs when I stand as well as a constant ache. Friday night when I got home I was so swollen I literally could not bend my legs or flex my foot.

I just keep reminding myself I have 3 more weeks max and then I'm done. I would definitely appreciate E deciding to come early.

Meeting with the dietician

I had my gestational diabetes meeting with the dietitian this morning. I'm apparently 5 lbs lighter with this pregnancy than I was at this time with little A. Of course I started heavier so I guess I really was a heifer with little A!

There are some new guidelines and findings since I had gestational diabetes last. Apparently now they suggest no juice, fruit, or milk in the morning because that's when the placenta is at the height of sugar production or something like that. A team of health care providers in California started a program called Sweet Success just for gestational diabetes and women who have pre-existing diabetes who are pregnant. I can't wait to check out their resources more. I wish this had been around with little A!

The goal with any diabetes is to manage your carbs which includes sugar. I get 2 carbs for breakfast, 3 for lunch, and 4 for dinner. 1 for each snack and 3 snacks per day. Each carb exchange is worth 15 grams, so for breakfast I can have 30 grams of carbs. This is basically an english muffin with some peanut butter.

The dietitian gave me some great protein suggestions too since I'm still having some meat aversion. I have no limit on eggs even though they are higher in cholesterol since I'm not eating other proteins. (Normally it's suggested not to have more than 3 egg yolks per week.) She also suggested cottage cheese at meals. It has as much protein as meat also. It is higher in sodium though.

Speaking of sodium, they want me to watch my sodium intake this time too since I ended up with pre-eclampsia with Little A as well. Sodium can of course increase blood pressure. Women with gestational diabetes are more likely to develop pre-eclampsia. This was the worst part of my labor and deliver, so I'd really like to avoid it this time if possible.

I have to test my blood sugar 4x per day 1x per week and then at least 1x per day throughout the week. The dietitian had me test in the office since it's been 4 years since I've done it. I was at 117 1.5 hrs after breakfast and I need to be under 120 2hrs after a meal. I guess tomorrow will be my full testing day which includes a fasting test.

She gave me a big packet of meals just for gestational diabetes too so I'm excited about that. It will be nice to be able to have some suggestions and not eat the same thing over and over. She did tell my my breakfast this morning was perfect; cinnamon raisin english muffin w/ peanut butter.

My fat pregnant butt broke the toilet!

I can't reach my feet very easily, so I sit on the toilet with my feet on the tub to paint my toes. I was doing this last night when all of a sudden the toilet seat moved. I gasped and thinking I was going to fall in and then have to yell for B to come get me out. When the seat stopped I looked down and the lid and the seat slid in different directions and broke the hinge!

I finished my toes and went out to the living room where S and B were sitting. I told B "it's a good thing they're putting me on a diet. My fat butt broke the toilet seat." He was trying so hard not to laugh. S said "you're not fat even pregnant." Then B asked what happened, so I told him.

Looks like he's officially in charge of all grooming activities below the waist until Nov.

Bring on the finger pricks

I'm 27 weeks pregnant tomorrow which means I got to take the glucose tolerance test last week. Originally my ob wasn't going to have me take it. I had gestational diabetes with Little A, a family history on both sides of diabetes, and I follow the pattern (but miss the cut-off barely) for hypoglycemia not pregnant. Because of all of those factors he was going to have me just do the diabetes diet automatically. Last week I saw another ob in the practice because mine was on vacation. This ob suggested I take the 1 hour test just in case I passed. Well, I didn't.

The nurse called this afternoon to let me know I failed and to set up the 3 hour follow up glucose test. I declined. I explained my ob's initial plan and said I'd rather skip the 3 hour and just go on the diet. Since it's been 4 years since I was pregnant and had to deal with this with Little A, I requested to see the dietitian again. I need a refresher on using the glucose monitor, what my testing numbers should be, how many carbs I can have, and other details.

With Little A my diet consisted of lots of protein and veggies. I'm not sure what I'm going to do this time since I have aversions to poultry and can only manage to get other meats down in small quantities a limited number of times per week. I guess I will become a creative rabbit. I'm also interested to see how the boys take this. I'm not cooking 3 seprate meals (one for me, one for Little A, and one for them). Everyone gets to diet along with me!

Overall, it's not that bad. It's only a few weeks. I just hope that I can diet control it again and not have to go on insulin. This is the fear that keeps me from cheating.

Snap, Crackle, POP!

I have been having major pain in my tailbone with this pregnancy. I'm not referring to normal pregnancy discomfort that is tolerable. I'm talking bring tears to your eyes pain. It hurts to sit and it really hurts to stand from sitting. I mentioned it to the ob and he suggested I get a coccyx cushion and not sit so much. The cushion I can do, but the sitting? I have a desk job. Not so feasible.

Then I asked my yoga instructor & massage therapist if she had suggestions. Her suggestions were pretty much the same as the ob w/ the addition of sitting on my birthing ball. The ball really does help and has become my chair at home for the most part. There are some yoga exercises that help with tailbone pain, but they're generally not suggested in pregnancy because of the twisting involved.

Finally I decided to try the chiropractor. This morning was my first appointment. I've never been to a chiropractor before. While I've heard the general gist I haven't heard about it in pregnancy other than that it's safe. I learned that chiropractic care in pregnancy can shorten labor! Now there's a selling point. Why doesn't your ob tell you that?!

After my initial exam where they looked at and felt my spine and neck they put little heat things on my back that showed them where I was out of alignment. Then the chiropractor came in to talk to me and finally my adjustment.

The table was awesome! It dropped down in the middle so I could comfortably lay on my stomach. I think I want to trade in my bed for one for the next few months. Then she adjusted my low back, my side, and my neck. I could do with out the neck adjustment, but the rest seems to be helping so far. The true test will be the end of the day though after sitting.