We've all got baby on the brain over here. Jacob has moved in with the girls, and at first was a little sad. Until we explained to him that his old bed and bedroom were for the baby when he comes out, and then he was fine. "Oh, baby. Oh." and nodded and went on with what he was doing. So sweet.
I am amazed at how much this little guy understands about what it going on, even though he can't talk and communicate as much as he'd like. He is only 2, after all. We were reading a book about baby animals made out of fruits and vegetables, and the last baby was a human baby (made out of apples or something). Anyway, he pointed to it and said, "Momma-baby" and then pointed to my stomach. And sometimes he'll kiss my belly or hug it or try to feed goldfish to it.
The girls have been very excited as well. They've been counting down the days till my scheduled c-section for awhile, as well as a countdown to when my mom comes (today! Hurray!). One day when we figured out we could actually count down the days, Audrey started jumping around yelling the number, while Kierra came up and whispered in my ear, "I can't wait to see what the baby looks like!" Jacob, seeing all this excitement for the baby, came up to my other ear and whispered, "Baby." Oh, the heart melts sometimes.
Anyway, the big day is Thursday, March 4th!! Only 5 more days!! Wish us luck!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Diabetes Continued
Things have been calming down a bit lately. I've gotten over my pity party and am managing the diabetes a lot better. I was really hungry the first couple of weeks on the new diet (which, as you can imagine, is not a fun thing when you're pregant), but I guess my stomach is getting used to it cuz I've actually gotten full a few times in the past week or so. I also lost a pound in that first 2 weeks, maintaining the weight the next 2 weeks. And yet the baby continues to grow and is at the top of the charts (past the charts for belly size- but that sounds a lot like my other babies). Last week, at 33 weeks, he was supposed to be measuring somewhere at 4 to 4 1/2 pounds. But he was guesstimated at 6 pounds 4 oz. So we're expecting him to be ginormous in a month from now, which is when the doc estimates my c-section to be scheduled. (But big isn't always a good thing- it could mean that he'll be an overweight child with a chance of getting diabetes sometime in life.)
The other risks for baby is that he'll most likely have to be on a sugar solution for the first few days of life because of a drop in sugar levels. After a couple of days, it usually normalizes. He also has a good shot at getting jaundice, which I'm worried will hinder him learning how to nurse. I'm kind of a nipple nazi, and if he has to be on a bottle of formula to deal with the jaundice, I'm nervous as to what will happen, not to mention the cons of having jaundice. Anyway, there are other risks beforehand, that my placenta will get so worn out from the crazy levels of blood sugar going back and forth, that it'll give up before it's supposed to, resulting in a stillborn. Trying not to dwell on that. But my doctor said yesterday that my placenta is looking ok, so lets hope. Another risk is that he'll be so huge that he could trick my body into thinking its time when it really isn't, and therefore having underdeveloped lungs, etc. One thing I don't have to worry about is the risk of breaking one of his shoulders or something during childbirth because of his huge size. Yeah for C-Sections!
My risks are basically that I have a 50% chance of developing Type 2 diabetes sometime in life. If that means I have to eat like this for the rest of my life, I'm going to try REALLY hard to avoid this! And if I exercise everyday for the rest of my life, those risks go down dramatically. So here goes.
This is how I have to eat, in a nutshell:
2 carbs and 2 proteins for breakfast with an optional non-starchy veggie, (so that means no cereal- my fave)
1 carb and 1 protein and that optional non-starchy veggie for each of 3 snacks in between meals,
and up to 4 carbs and 4 proteins for lunch and dinner, with up to 2 non-starchy veggies.
You'd be surprised by what a carb is. Yogurt, milk, fruit, many veggies, legumes and beans are all considered carbs, along with grains and starches. So the only proteins I can choose from are meats, cheese, and nuts basically. I LOVE cheese, but not so much the meats and nuts. And each portion is smaller than you'd think, hence the hunger. I so miss being able to have a chocolate or sweet any time I wanted! Now if I want something like that, I have to wait until meal or snack time and pair it with a protein. And the more scheduled I am with eating, the better.
Anyway, stress is one of the things that screws with your insulin levels, so we've been trying to calm life down a bit around here (although sometimes that bugs me because I want to get so much done before the baby comes!) Much of that has to do with a lot taken off my plate in my calling in YW, and help from friends and family. And Jeromy has been amazing. He comes home right at 5 (usually) to help with that crazy hour before dinner (you moms know what I'm talking about;). He's been such a huge help with the chores and such since now I'm really huge and never know when a sugar low might attack and render me energy-less. And he's been an amazing help with trying to get me to throw stuff away and organize the house before the baby comes. Nesting is in full swing at our house! And it's not just me! We organized ALL toys in our home on Saturday (it took the whole day) and took a van full of toys and games to DI. Now all of our toys actually fit into the cubbies in our toy room, and the kids can easily put things away by themselves. Yeah! The next project is to organize our bedroom and the basement.
So sorry for the novel! I just thought I'd update you on how things are going around here. It's crazy but getting easier, and we are all very anxious to meet this big little guy.
The other risks for baby is that he'll most likely have to be on a sugar solution for the first few days of life because of a drop in sugar levels. After a couple of days, it usually normalizes. He also has a good shot at getting jaundice, which I'm worried will hinder him learning how to nurse. I'm kind of a nipple nazi, and if he has to be on a bottle of formula to deal with the jaundice, I'm nervous as to what will happen, not to mention the cons of having jaundice. Anyway, there are other risks beforehand, that my placenta will get so worn out from the crazy levels of blood sugar going back and forth, that it'll give up before it's supposed to, resulting in a stillborn. Trying not to dwell on that. But my doctor said yesterday that my placenta is looking ok, so lets hope. Another risk is that he'll be so huge that he could trick my body into thinking its time when it really isn't, and therefore having underdeveloped lungs, etc. One thing I don't have to worry about is the risk of breaking one of his shoulders or something during childbirth because of his huge size. Yeah for C-Sections!
My risks are basically that I have a 50% chance of developing Type 2 diabetes sometime in life. If that means I have to eat like this for the rest of my life, I'm going to try REALLY hard to avoid this! And if I exercise everyday for the rest of my life, those risks go down dramatically. So here goes.
This is how I have to eat, in a nutshell:
2 carbs and 2 proteins for breakfast with an optional non-starchy veggie, (so that means no cereal- my fave)
1 carb and 1 protein and that optional non-starchy veggie for each of 3 snacks in between meals,
and up to 4 carbs and 4 proteins for lunch and dinner, with up to 2 non-starchy veggies.
You'd be surprised by what a carb is. Yogurt, milk, fruit, many veggies, legumes and beans are all considered carbs, along with grains and starches. So the only proteins I can choose from are meats, cheese, and nuts basically. I LOVE cheese, but not so much the meats and nuts. And each portion is smaller than you'd think, hence the hunger. I so miss being able to have a chocolate or sweet any time I wanted! Now if I want something like that, I have to wait until meal or snack time and pair it with a protein. And the more scheduled I am with eating, the better.
Anyway, stress is one of the things that screws with your insulin levels, so we've been trying to calm life down a bit around here (although sometimes that bugs me because I want to get so much done before the baby comes!) Much of that has to do with a lot taken off my plate in my calling in YW, and help from friends and family. And Jeromy has been amazing. He comes home right at 5 (usually) to help with that crazy hour before dinner (you moms know what I'm talking about;). He's been such a huge help with the chores and such since now I'm really huge and never know when a sugar low might attack and render me energy-less. And he's been an amazing help with trying to get me to throw stuff away and organize the house before the baby comes. Nesting is in full swing at our house! And it's not just me! We organized ALL toys in our home on Saturday (it took the whole day) and took a van full of toys and games to DI. Now all of our toys actually fit into the cubbies in our toy room, and the kids can easily put things away by themselves. Yeah! The next project is to organize our bedroom and the basement.
So sorry for the novel! I just thought I'd update you on how things are going around here. It's crazy but getting easier, and we are all very anxious to meet this big little guy.
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