25 weeks - Glucose a "little high"

Hi there friends! I've been Miss Early Bird this week at work so I finished today's workday a little early and decided to come write to you all. Today is 25 weeks, gimme a YAY!!! Glucose is a "little high", gimme a BOO!!!!

Yes, I checked in with my doctor to make sure that he got my results from last week's glucose screening and he did. But he said the results were a "little high" so I've got some new rules to follow. I've been told to do the following:

• Keep my calories spread evenly throughout the day.


• No big meals and no skipping meals.


• Stay away from sweets. (Oh, shit!)


• No more than 40% of my calories should come from carbs. (Oh, double shit!!)


• And we'll discuss it all in more detail at my next appointment in a few weeks.

Oh, this is breaking my heart as I've become a carb addict the last couple of months (which of course is probably WHY my results are high in the first place.) I think I've leaned on carbs so much because so many foods are just not appealing during this pregnancy. Meat for instance has not been appealing whatsoever. I normally love steaks, chicken, ground turkey, etc, but I'm not feeling the love for any of these the last few months. Yesterday I made turkey burgers (one of my faves) for lunch and could only stomach half of it. I did find this week that I can tolerate cold chicken - like a chicken salad sandwich, so I guess I'll be stocking up on cans of white meat chicken. I can tolerate some fish - a bit of salmon, a little tilapia, and perhaps a tuna fish sandwich but that would be rarely. I still don't care for cooked vegetables nor do I enjoy a salad like I used to. I don't mind snacking on raw celery with peanut butter or raw cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes but that's pretty much the extent of my vegetable tolerance right now. So without meats and veggies, I've been turning to breads, pastas, and fruits. Oh yeah, I am soooo screwed!!

Guess I'll be spending my evening looking for meal ideas before Saturday's trip to the grocery store. Oh freaking joy! Poor DH feels so helpless too. Earlier he was like "Hun, I'm so sorry you've had to go through so much for this." What? Like multiple surgeries, IVF, the TAC surgery, eczema & hives with little that I can take for them, edema, carpal tunnel, and now glucose that's a "little high"? Yes, it hasn't been "all fun all the time", but I know we're really quite lucky in comparison to some and it's all for a good cause. When Maribel's here all of this won't matter in the least. I am a bit grumpy over today's news but I also feel bad for him because he's going to be eating whatever crappy items I can stomach as a meal for the next few months.

There are some silver linings here though. 1) my level must not have been really high or I think I'd be moving onto the 3-hour test pronto instead of waiting to discuss things in more detail at my next appointment. 2) I'm not at the point where I have to use insulin like my SIL is (poor thing) so I can thank my lucky stars for that. 3) I should be delivering in 12-13 weeks so by then my aversions should be gone and I'll be back to eating like a normal person again. Just got to keep on telling myself - this is a short term problem!

So with that, I hope you have a nice evening and I'll let you know how my menu planning goes. So far my shopping list has peanut butter, stuff for chicken salad sandwiches, and stuff to make caprese salad. I'd love suggestions on "lower" carb meals/foods so if you have any for me, just leave them in the comments and I'll be forever thankful. :-)

24w4d - Hiccups and an unusual challenge

I'd say Happy Monday, but I don't know if that statement is really possible so I'll say Decent Monday! One great thing about today is that DH & I got to feel Maribel hiccupping! At first I thought she was just kicking, so I grabbed his hand and put it where she was kicking. Then it was coming on such a regular pattern we realized it was the hiccups. It was sooooo cool! Then DH decided to do a little shopping tonight and surprised me with a bunch of stuff. He got me a Boppy with a beautiful slip cover that matches our color scheme, a toy with a bunch of things for Maribel to play with/chew/etc. (and let me just say our dog had his eye on that item), a jumper (one of the doorway ones), and a video monitor. I LOVE the new stuff so thanks DH!!! Add those things to the clothes I got her on Saturday and her room is starting to look like a baby will be moving in soon. YAY!!!

The unusual challenge I experienced is a bit personal and a lot embarrassing. If you've been pregnant you know how difficult it is to clip your own toenails or tie your own shoelaces when you have a basketball-sized belly in the way. Therefore, you also may remember then how difficult it is to shave, shall we say - south of the border? (And no, I'm not talking about my legs.) DH was in stitches laughing as I explained how difficult it was to strategically place a mirror to be able to "see" what I was doing down there; to stand at a million different angles in the hopes that somehow I could see around my basketball belly. What normally would have taken 5 minutes tops turned into a 25 minute challenge. But with a little creativity and a lot of luck, I succeeded in my challenge and gave DH a good hearty laugh at the same time.

So I leave you tonight with that chuckle and I hope you all have a good week!

24 weeks - A big milestone!

We've made it to 24 weeks, WOO-HOO!!! This is often considered the time when a baby could survive if born now. Granted he/she may have a number of problems like I mentioned last week, but 24 weeks has been a huge goal for us to reach. And every week from here on out is wonderful icing on the cake. I personally can breathe a bit easier now that we've reached this mileston and that's a wonderful feeling.

Yesterday I went for my 1-hour glucose screening at Labcorp and it was not bad at all. In fact, I must say they've improved that glucose drink immensely in the last 19 years. When I last drank that stuff, back in 1992, it was an orange drink that was really thick, like the consistency of cough syrup...YUCK!!! This time it was just a small bottle of what I'd consider an overly sweetened fruit punch. Not terrible in the least (though I wouldn't by any means go buying bottles of it to drink on a regular basis.) I had 5 minutes to drink it down so once that was done, Labcorp had a nice little comfort room with two giant rocker recliners and a TV. I settled into one of those uber-comfy chairs with my timer in hand set for 60 minutes. I'd planned on reading my magazines but ended up spending the hour talking to another pregnant woman who came in shortly after me for the same test. It was so nice to chat with another prego woman in person, instead of online. Then it was time for the blood draw and I was on my way back home. Easy peasy! Hopefully the results will come back great too.

Lastly, since it's been another two weeks since the last belly shot, we're due for another one. So here is the 24 week bump.



Hope everyone has a great weekend ahead! I'll be doing my usual Saturday stuff - cleaning, shopping, etc. I think shopping will include some baby goods though so that's always fun!

23w5d - Great prenatal visit...nice & boring

Today I had my 24 week prenatal visit and all went well. I LOVE being a boring patient...it's about damn time after all we've been through. B/P was fabulous (I can't remember the number but it was lower than any of my visits so far) so that was a relief. I had many people tell me to watch my b/p with the edema I've been having so it was really nice to see it good and low. Urine tested fine, another YAY! And my weight...well, not so great. I was not happy to see a 6 pound gain since I was last there 4 weeks ago, UGH!!! That puts my total gain at 16 pounds. Add that to the 25 pounds I was overweight to begin with and I've got a lot to lose when this is over. I forsee a LOT of walks with Maribel and our dog to work off these pounds. But hey, that's a worry for July. For now I'm just going to work really hard to keep my gains on the low side for the last few months I have. Wish me luck!!

No u/s today - I love that Dr D is confident that my cervix is doing well without having to check it with a trans-vaginal u/s at every visit. This is what I wanted - a normal pregnancy - without weekly or bi-weekly cervix checks, without bedrest, without pelvic rest (aka no sex.) I'm so happy to have the opportunity for a normal pregnancy after successfully making it through the TAC. Dr D checked my uterus which felt right on track for 24 weeks and we listened to the heartbeat...ahhh, that sound never gets old. And we talked about any questions/issues I had - my continued edema (just keep doing what I'm doing and watch what I'm eating) and my lump above my bump. What??? Yes, I have an odd soft lump above my belly button. I've had it for years but now it's more pronounced as my baby bump grows. Shouldn't cause any major issues though so that was good to hear.

Tomorrow I go to Labcorp for my 1-hour glucose screening. Should be soooo much fun, NOT! But it's necessary to check for gestational diabetes so I'll bring a couple of magazines I haven't had time to read and hope for good results. Then I go back to see Dr D for another prenatal visit in 4 weeks.

My Bum Genius cloth diapers came in and I had I promised a pic of those. I got a dozen and picked a bunch of different colors. Man, I love these things - they're so cute!!! And now between these and the Sunbaby ones I got, we've got 2 dozen dipes to start with.



And lastly, I wanted to share some pics of my kids and grandbabies from this past weekend's visit. It was such a great visit and I cherish every moment I get to spend with them. This first picture is my DS with his daughter Lily. I tell you she is hilarious!! She had us in stitches with her expressions and mannerisms. Soooo darn cute!!!



And this picture is my DD with her daughter Madison. I could snuggle with this little one for days. She's just so precious!!



Well, I hope you have a great evening and I'll post again soon. Hopefully with awesome results from my glucose screening. :-)

23w4d - Happy Spring!!

Happy Spring to everyone! Though sitting here at my parents' house it's snowing so it doesn't feel too Spring-like here. I certainly miss my family up here in upstate NY but I do NOT miss the weather, yuck!! Had a great weekend up here though. Got to spend time with my kids and granddaughters - oh what a wonderful visit that was on Saturday. Then yesterday I spent a nice quiet day here with my parents - went to a pancake breakfast (yum), did a puzzle and crossword with my mom, and took the dog out (a lot) to sniff around outside. Now I'm just waiting for the snow to let up a little so pup and I can head home.

So health-wise, the eczema and hives are soooo much better! Still getting a few painful hives a day and minor itching from the eczema but really this new ointment has improved things greatly in that department. My sore, swollen hands are another story. Yesterday at the pancake breakfast I had stabbing pain just holding my fork. And sweeping the floor today I had to come up with a new grip to hold the broom. I think my wrist supports are going to be a 24/7 accessory really soon, UGH!!

Other than that, I'm feeling terrific! Maribel is kicking more and more now. Last week she'd be quiet all day and start kicking in the evening. But the last few days she's been pretty active all day long. YIPPEE, because she was making me nervous being all quiet during the day.

Well, tomorrow afternoon I have my next prenatal visit so I'll let you know how that goes. Have a great first full day of spring today!! (And hopefully it's snow-free where you are.)

23 weeks!! (Roughly 15 weeks to go)

23 weeks today!! We're another week closer to ensuring a safe, timely delivery for little Maribel. I'll be so happy when we're out of the super-scary time here when viability of a baby born this early would be completely questionable. And even if viable, a baby born this early could face a number of hardships - respiratory issues, bleeds on the brain, etc. So every week, no, actually every day, buys us a little more comfort in knowing she's still where she needs to be...all snuggled up in my uterus.


Can you believe though that we're roughly 14-15 weeks away from meeting our little girl? I can't! This pregnancy is going soooo fast! But I'm trying to savor every minute of it, knowing that this really will be the last time I'm pregnant. I thought that almost 19 years ago but back then I never knew I'd meet my wonderful DH. Now that we know we'd have to go through IVF again to add to the family, I think we'll be happy with my two wonderful kids and our one little girl together.


Yesterday, DH pulled out a gift I gave him a long time ago. Back in August 2009, when we had our first positive pregnancy test - 1 year and 1 day after my tubal reversal surgery - I wrapped up the positive test in the bib shown below to tell DH that we were pregnant.

Wow, I never imagined on that day what we would still have to go through to have our baby. I never would have guessed that that pregnancy would be a chemical pregnancy. Or that the next two pregnancies would be ectopic. Or that I'd lose both of my tubes and one ovary because of those ectopics. Or that we'd need to go through an IVF cycle to conceive. Seeing the gift I gave him was bittersweet. On the one hand I felt happy that soon, he'll be able to put that bib on his daughter and be the most amazing dad. On the other hand I felt sadness over the 3 angels we lost over the last year and a half (actually, I guess it's 4 angels if we consider the twin that didn't develop along with Maribel.) But, I'm pretty sure those 4 angels are watching over Maribel right now and are keeping her safe. Angels - we love you!

In less bittersweet but cool news, my first shipment of cloth diapers came in. Yippee!! I love them!! They're so cute, I can't stand it! This order was for a dozen Sunbaby diapers with 2 dozen inserts. Then I have a dozen Bum Genius 4.0 on the way from another company. So we'll be stocked up with a couple dozen cloth diapers and it cost roughly $270 when I include the diapers, inserts, and the Fuzzibunzhanging diaper pail/bag. Not bad when you compare that to the cost of disposables. They're all one size which is great because we won't keep having to buy new ones as she grows (well, until she grows out of them that is. Most one-size go up to 28 or 35 lbs depending on the brand.) Here's a pic to show you the cute ones that came in today - I just love the pattern ones (apples, elephants, teddy bears, hearts - all hard to see in the pics, I know.)

I'll be sure to take a pic of the Bum Genius ones I ordered when they come in. They had so many colors to choose from. Maribel's bum will be like a rainbow...well on the OUTSIDE of the diaper that is. :-)

22w4d - My poor wedding band (and finger)

Well my poor swollen ring finger just couldn't take anymore swelling. After spending last night trying every possible thing we could find online to get my wedding band off my super-swollen hand, DH and I decided the wise thing to do would be to get the ring cut off. (DH was such a sweetheart too - he even ran out for Windex last night after we read so many success stories online for Windex working to remove rings stuck on fingers...no such luck in our case though. But we'll have lots of clean glass around the house.)

This morning the swelling was starting to hurt so I sadly drove to our neighborhood jeweler this morning. My heart was heavy as the jeweler used their handy little saw like tool to saw through my ring and then used pliers to stretch it out far enough to slip my finger out. I was so sad, but ahhhh...it was immediate relief once that fat finger was freed!! I don't think I even realized how uncomfortable it had been until the ring was off. In the lovely picture attached you can see my super fat hand, including the ridiculous indentation on my ring finger, and my now broken wedding band.

The good news is, once I've had the baby I'll be able to get the ring repaired. Another reason why I'm looking forward to Maribel arriving! In the meantime, DH brought home a ring for me to wear for now. It's a giant man's ring - so giant it's currently residing on the middle finger of my right hand - but I loved the sentiment. He knew how upset I was to have to give up my wedding band temporarily and watch it get sliced apart. So my heart melted a little more when he slipped that giant ring on my finger. God I love this man of mine.

22w3d - More progress in the nursery

Howdy friends! Hope you're all having a great weekend! Today I'm lounging because yesterday I was doing things non-stop. I put together my new glider/rocker (sooo comfy), cleaned the house (sooo needed it), made some mango salsa & fruit salad (sooo yummy), did 3 loads of laundry (blech), etc, etc. And the other project I worked on that you're seeing in the above picture, is the wall decor I put up yesterday in the nursery. I love these vinyl stickies because when it's time to leave this apartment, they peel right off. Awesome! And now when I look in that room, it's really starting to look like a nursery instead of the office/guest room it was prior to pregnancy. Once the nursery is done, I'll post more pictures. It's still pretty naked right now. We're still waiting on the bedding (someone bought it off our registry YAY) and I want to get a few more things on the other walls that will keep the animal theme going. I can't wait to see how it's all going to look once we're ready for Miss Maribel to move in!

22 weeks!

Another milestone today - 22 weeks! This would typically be the super scary time for pre-term labor, but thankfully with this TAC in place I'm getting through this 2nd trimester just fine. On one of the message boards I participate on, one lady just had her baby at 24w5d...sooooo scary! So far the baby is doing ok but the little one is only 1lb 5oz and 15 inches long. The mom's cervix started shortening at 19 weeks and at 24w5d she went to the hospital because she was having contractions. By the time she was checked, she was 4cm dilated. Within a couple of hours, despite meds and positioning to try to stop labor she was fully dilated and the baby's feet (breech) were coming through. The baby is going to have a long stay in the NICU (probably until June.) Poor little sweetheart! Stories like this just make DH & me even more thankful we decided to have the TAC surgery.



In some good news, my skin is looking much better! I still get a few hives per day but NOTHING like I had earlier in the week. And some of my patches of eczema seem to be getting better too. I've barely had to take any Benadryl which is wonderful and I've been sleeping better the last few nights. Oh, I'm not talking sleeping through the night - ha, ha, I don't think I'll be doing that for a few more years. BUT, to not wake up itching is wonderful!


Using my wedge pillow along with my wrist supports when I sleep is really helping with my hand edema/carpal tunnel. It's amazing to not wake up with painful, tingly hands. Because man, when they fall asleep with this carpal tunnel, holy shit does that hurt!!


So I'm just going to keep on using my ointment for my skin, using my wedge pillow and wrist supports for my carpal tunnel and enjoy the rest of my second trimester. Here's today's baby bump picture. It's funny because it actually looks smaller than my 20 week pic from 2 weeks ago but I guess it's becoming more of a defined bump now? Or maybe because it's moving higher up it looks different? I don't know, but I love my bump!

21w4d - Here's hoping!

The dermatologist's reaction when he saw my skin: "What happened to you?" That's what I'd like to know! So, it turns out the hives are just hives. Could be caused by anything including pregnancy hormones. Prednisone would be an option, but we'd all like to hold off on that as long as possible since I'm pregnant. And the eczema just doesn't seem to be responding well to the topical originally prescribed. So they switched me to something a little stronger, Topicort ointment 2x a day for both the hives and eczema and we'll see if that helps. I've got a follow-up appointment in one month with instructions to come in sooner if it gets worse. So I'm hoping and praying (and praying and hoping) that this change in meds does the trick.

I have a funny pregnancy brain story for you from this evening too. I decided after work that I wanted to make brownies (and once the idea of brownies is planted in this pregnant woman's brain there's no saying "no" to this idea.) So, I put the mix and the other ingredients in a bowl and start stirring. Well, I stir and I stir and stir and there's still lots of lumps. I pound on the lumps with my whisk and yet the lumps remain. I finally just give up and pour the batter into the baking pan. I swipe a taste of the batter (including one of the lumps) and realize the lumps are walnuts. Idiot me forgot that I'd bought "Walnut Brownie Mix". Oh, what a dork I am!! :-)

21w3d - Can my dermatologist appt just get here already??

Hi my friends. I'm sorry, I am just soooo miserable right now. I started getting a sore throat on Friday and that's still lingering. Hoping it doesn't turn into something more but that's really the least of my problems. I was up so many times last night with my skin troubles, I wish I could just sleep until tomorrow morning when I see the dermagologist.

To give you peek at my pain, yesterday evening the hives (who had left me alone all day long) came on with a fury. I had a good 30-40 on each arm, some on my right knee, and a couple on the soles of my feet. If you've ever had hives you know that when they first come on they itch unbearably (which they did.) I thought I was going to rip my arms off. Then if you've ever had hives you know that the welts that remain (mine usually go away the next day) hurt. Needless to say, by the time I was ready for bed last night mine were hurting like hell and made it so difficult to sleep (since I need to sleep on my side.) Here's a picture of my left arm from this morning. The hives have spread out and flattened which means they're on their way out, until the next batch arrives tonight, but damn my arms are in so much pain today.



And to give you a glimpse of my eczema, this originally started as a couple little patches. I now have patches on my neck, upper back, chest, above my navel, lower back, both sides of my torso, hips, chins. Each patch is incredibly itchy and like sand paper. I'm getting little blood spots all over my clothes from these damn patches. A new patch just starts as incredibly itchy red skin - then the rash sets in afterwared. Here's one of the patches on my shoulder/neck that I've been fighting off for the last 3-4 weeks.



So all of this has really got me down. I'm sorry for my depressing post, I'm just literally exhausted from scratching and itching 24/7 for the last few months.

In good news, my Prenatal Cradle Mini-Cradle is awesome. I was able to spend all day cleaning out the nursery and had no pain or pressure in my lower abdomen. AWESOME!! Really glad Dr D suggested that thing! And now that the nursery is cleaned out, next weekend I should be able to get the wall decor up (vinyl sticky things of jungle animals) and move the furniture into place.

Until then, I'll let you know how the dermatologist appointment goes tomorrow. Please, please, please, let them know something else that can help me.

21 weeks!

Today marks 21 weeks!! That means we've got approximately 17 weeks to go!! WOW, I still can't believe we're already this far along. It's just moving, moving, moving. This week has been an interesting one. Some good, some bad.

Bad has been my skin. Oh my heavens I am SO SICK of scratching my itchy skin. A couple nights ago I was full-on-sobbing I was itching so bad. DH was packing ice packs around my body to try to help stop the itching. After another shower, slathering on tons of Aveeno eczema lotion, and taking another Benadryl I was finally able to get some sleep. I think the crying wore me out too. It was horrible! DH went out and bought me a bunch of men's t-shirts to wear so I could wear only cotton on my itchiest areas (of course it really hasn't been helping much. Instead I'm just leaving blood spots all over my new t-shirts. UGH!!)

On top of the many patches of eczema I'm now sporting, my lovely hives are back. What the fuck?!?!?! Arms, hands, wrists, even had one behind the knee and one on each leg where my foot meets my shin. I had a GIANT one under my armpit the night of my meltdown and wow, not only was that one itchy, it was so painful that I couldn't lay on that side for hours. Needless to say, I will be visiting my dermatologist again on Monday morning to see if there is something else I could try. The stuff they gave me just isn't working. Worst case (and I have a feeling this will be my destiny) is that I just need to suffer through this until I have the baby and can use some kind of steroid cream. God help me get through 17 more weeks of dawn to dusk itching!!!

In other news, I found out my company is not too keen on part-time work so I had a decision to make - work full-time or leave the company. The decision was easy, there's no way I'm working full-time and missing out on everything. I missed so much with DD & DS, I just don't want to miss it all again. So I'll be leaving my job in a few months to become a stay-at-home mom. I'm nervous and excited all at once! Now I just need to decide when my last day will be - thinking early June and I want to decide soon so my boss can work on who my backfill will be and we can get them up to speed before I leave. But wow, I really am excited to have this new countdown underway! I'm pretty sure at some point I'll grab a small part-time job a couple evenings a week, perhaps a cashier job at a grocery store like I did a few years ago. We'll just have to see what plays out in that arena.

DH & I decided a few weeks ago that we're going to go the cloth diaper route and I was so excited to place my first order for some on Tuesday. When I cloth diapered DD 22 years ago, you tri-folded a cotton diaper, put on the safety pins and rubber pants and dealt with plenty of leaks. Cloth diapers today come in so many different varieties (AIO-all in ones, Pockets, Pre-folds, Hybrids, etc.) that I literally spent weeks reading up on different kinds, reading reviews, comparing brands, polling CD'ing friends on what types they like. After gathering all of my info I decided to start with pockets. They come in so many colors and patterns, have snaps so they're super easy to put on, and have a pocket to add microfiber or hemp inserts for absorption. I'll probably grab a couple other kinds (maybe a couple of AIO's) just to see which baby and I like best once she's in them. While I've estimated that it will be a few hundred dollars to get started, it will save us SOOO much money in the long run compared to using disposables. (And that will be extra important now that we'll be down to one income.)

Other than that, Maribel has been kicking up a storm and I'm loving ever jab. She's been a little shy the last couple of nights when we've tried to get her to kick for daddy but I'm going to try a little OJ tonight with dinner to see if that gets those long legs moving in there. :-) Hope you're all having a great week and I'll post again soon.