Happy Halloween!

Emily celebrated Halloween at daycare with a special party. Then we got her dressed in her costume (she was a lion this year) and headed to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa March's house. After a quick stop there, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Sipe's house where she helped hand out candy.

It's officially fall now!

Now it feels officially like fall! The leaves are changing, the weather is getting cooler, and today we went to the York Parade. We took Emily last year, but being only 5 months old, she fell asleep halfway through the parade. This year, she had so much fun. My mom and grandma came with us, and Emily had a blast sitting on everyone's laps and watching the parade go by. Her favorite seemed to be the baton groups (probably she knows instinctively that her mommy was a twirler), and she loved dancing and waving to everyone going past. She also had her first taste of Bricker's french fries, which anyone in this area knows is the best french fry ever!

And update on my situation...sugars are mostly controlled during the day, but I'm still having problems with my fasting numbers and breakfast numbers. I email my first week's results to my case manager tomorrow morning, so we'll see what they suggest.

Appointments, appointments

Yesterday was my day of appointments. First, I had a meeting with my diabetes counselor and dietician. The counselor went over everything I remembered from last time - how to use my meter, how to code it, how to check it every week, etc. She also reinforced all the terrible things that may befall both me and Baby Bilodeau if I don't get a handle on my blood sugars. The dietician was more positive, and she helped me set up an eating plan that limits my carbs and sugars. I left feeling pretty good about using diet to control my numbers (rather than insulin or other medication). However, after three high readings today, I'm not so positive. Actually, I'm rather annoyed. I followed my food plan. I wrote in my food diary. I'm not ingesting more carbs than my allowance. So why the high numbers? Guess we'll find out when I email numbers and food diaries to my counselor Monday morning.

After that appointment, I went to my regular baby doctor appointment. I got to have both my favorite nurse and my favorite doctor (okay, technically she's a certified midwife), so that perked up my day. We discussed labor. As in, did I want to try for a normal, vaginal labor, or did I want to go straight to another c-section. Um, another c-section, please! I know not everyone will understand this decision, but after the horrific time I had with Emily and the relatively easy recovery I had from the c-section, it was a no brainer for me. Plus, the gestational diabetes complicates things even more, making my chance of actually being sucessful at delivering a baby vaginally unlikely. The c-section will be scheduled no sooner than April 3rd, unless Maternal Fetal Medicine thinks there's an issue, and I need to deliver early. My only goal? Not going into labor before that. She took my weight (down about 11 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight thanks to all the "morning" sickness) and my blood pressure (excellent). Then my favorite part: the heartbeat. Baby's heart was beating nice and strong, the rate was somewhere in the 150's (which I happily noted was right about where Emily's was when she was in there).

My next appointments don't happen until mid-November. An ultrasound is scheduled for 11/18 where I'm hoping I'll find out if Baby Bilodeau is a boy or a girl. Then, I go back to my regular doctor on 11/20.

Update

Yesterday I was innundated by phone calls from my doctor's. My o/b called to tell me I failed my glucose test; I am officially diagnosed, again, with gestational diabetes. Next, Diabetes Self Management called to set up my two hour meeting with their office. Next Tuesday I get to go in and get reaquainted with my good friend, Mr. Blood Glucose Monitor. I'll also get my dietary restrictions, which, I will be honest, I'm dreading. After that appointment, I'll go straight back to the o/b for follow-up, although I should be able to hear the heatbeat now on the dopplar machine. I also got a phone call from Maternal Fetal Medicine telling me I am now on an extensive ultrasound schedule. The next one is November 18, and the upside of this is that I should find out the gender at that ultrasound. So...it's now a game of trying to get off work, make it to my many appointments, and begging for the latest appointment times possible (never late enough, though).

Land of Little Horses

On October 4th, we took Emily (along with my mom and Ron) to the Land of the Little Horses. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as you would assume, there were little horses everywhere :) I didn't realize they'd be just walking around, but they were. Here are some pictures of our time there.

We also took a hayride to a pumpkin patch, which was fun, but by that time, Emily was ready for a nap.

Wish Me Luck

I go tomorrow morning at 7:00 for my 3 hour glucose screening. I feel like such a baby complaining about it and dreading it so much, but I really remember being in total misery last time. Maybe something miraculous will happen, and I won't feel bad at all.

Sugar, Sugar Everywhere (But Not a Drop for Me)

After having gestational diabetes with Emily, I knew the chances of me getting it again were good. What I didn't count on was having issues this early in pregnancy. My sugars were tested this summer since it was recommended that I do a follow-up test one year after having Emily. They came back high. My family doctor was running more tests to determine if I'd developed Type II diabetes when I found out I was pregnant again. The tests were now invalid. However, my OB wanted me to keep a record of my blood sugars for a few days. Once again, I carted my handy little device with me everywhere and endured four needle sticks a day. The result? I had high numbers almost every time.

Yesterday I had an NT scan, which was new to me this time around. But, since it was an excuse to see the baby in there, I happily took the day off work and headed into Maternal Fetal Medicine. My grin was quickly wiped away, however, when they let it slip that my OB had already contacted them about suspected diabetes...I was now being labled as a "high risk" pregnancy. While it could mean ultrasounds every four weeks (which is a good thing, since I love seeing a baby in there moving, kicking, punching), it also means some not pleasant things. The first is a three hour glucose tolerance test scheduled for October 11th. I had to take this the first time around after I failed my one hour test, and it is torture. Because I don't process the sugars in the orange drink correctly, it ends up making me feel terrible. Last time I swung from extreme nausea (and if you throw up, you have to do it over again) to extreme fatigue. I also alternated between excessive sweating and chills; it basically felt like I was going to die for those few hours. Thankfully, the good people at Westgate Lab set me up in a private room with a cot so I could suffer without the stares of all the elderly waiting to get their weekly labwork.

Anyway, the gestational diabetes is usually diagnosed after week 28 in a pregnancy. That means I had to cut out carbs and sugars (two of my most favorite things) for only about 10 weeks last time. It was still tough, don't get me wrong, but I knew there was an end in sight. Now it is looking like I'll have to say goodbye to plates teeming with pasta, bread, and cake for an indefinite amount of time, and that is making me very nervous and sad. While I know I shouldn't, I am secretly having a goodbye party for the next week and a half, where I bake and cook everything I already have that I won't be able to resist after the test results come in. Tonight's guest of honor: Pillsbury FunFetti cake...highly recommended!