AUGUST 2008 ~ BUMP BUDDIES

[MBG]

Tina and Rebecca: Have fun at your showers this weekend! Can't wait to hear about all of the goodies!!!


Shari: I wouldn't beat yourself up about one high reading....sounds like you are doing a wonderful job keeping your Blood sugar under control!!!

Not a whole lot to report here....hope everyone has a great weekend!

marybeth

[tryw8]

Hi all,

I got my car back on Monday. I was scared to use it so I asked my DH after I return the rental, I wanted to use his truck for the week to go to work. He said that is fine. This way, he can get a feel of my car if it is in good working order. So he ran the car to work Tuesday through Friday. Yesterday morning, I had an 8am appointment with my OB/GYN. We left the house @ 715. About 15 minutes later on the freeway, my DH says "OH-OH..." The gas pedal is pressed and engine is revving but car is rolling from earlier momentum but NOT moving. He immediately put the hazzard lights on, got to the right shoulder lane and we got off on the nearest exit. We went home in silence to get his truck and proceeded back to town for my appointment.

I called the OB/GYN's office saying that I'll be late because we had car trouble. While still on the road, I also called Enterprise to request another car rental reservation. As my DH and I continue to drive in silence, he told me, "Honey, we're going to have to bite the bullet ... tomorrow we are going to shop for new car." We picked up the rental on the way home from town.

I called my patient who's brother is a sales associate at a Toyota Dealer.
We heard all God's screamings at us but my DH, the auto mechanic, wasn't listening. You can't punish us for trying to fix my car, though. He told me not to spend anymore $$$ on it.

My OB/GYN's appointment went well. I asked him how much longer will I be on Metformin. He told me until week 36. I have to go in for a non stress test where they listen to our baby's heartbeat for 20 minutes, do another u/s (have to remind them we don't want to know the sex), check how much amniotic fluid there is and other stuff. The office is going to
schedule it for me next week and then call me. I also asked about my second 3-hour glucose test results.
Baseline: 69
1-hour: 177
2-hour: 124
3-hour: 89

We're going to Toyota this morning. Wish me luck. Well, good thing that this happened all before baby's arrival. Everything happens for a reason. Hope everyone is well.

Karen

[sharishu]

Karen,
I went through what you did with an old car. I am glad you decided on a new one, esp. for safety reasons. I got stuck on an unknown road over here with our old clunker, and my dh had to leave work in the middle of the day to help me (it was when I first moved to Israel and I hadn't a CLUE how to handle the situation). NOT FUN. The next week, we leased a new car, and our lives became a lot less stressful. Good luck with your purchase!
Shari

[2ndtimer]

Hi Everyone,
My shower was fun & we got plenty of goodies! It was actually a really nice get together and good to see everyone. I don't know if I mentioned it, but the day before the shower my DH invited both my MIL & my FIL to stay with us for the weekend. They are divorced and I was worried that it would be a tense weekend. It really stressed me out. I didn't have groceries to feed everyone all weekend and I felt like I needed to do so much to get ready for the party. Fortunately, FIL stayed outside smoking most of the weekend and everyone got along. We got take-out food for every meal, and my MIL helped me set up for the party along with my sister. So it all worked out. It was very, very nice to have the house back to normal today after everyone left this morning.
I'm also settling in to my new job, thank goodness. I started to think maybe I had bit off more than I could chew last Friday. It was the first day that I had my new assignment all to myself & also a big deadline day & also I needed to get the house cleaned for the party, etc. I was a little overwhelmed -feeling much better now. Now all I have to to do is turn in my FMLA paperwork and just maintain things with my job & my house.
My blood sugars are still a little all over the place. It seems like it doesn't even matter what I eat in the morning, it's going to be on the high side. But during the rest of the day I'm starving and my BS is anywhere from 90 to 120 after meals. I'm eating all the time. And I'm still not gaining weight like I should be. It's getting discouraging. I'll be so glad when I don't have to keep up with it anymore.
The other thing is that I feel like this pregnancy has finally caught up with me. My back is hurting most of the time, my feet hurt, I have heartburn & constipation, I don't sleep well.... I'm glad I'm coming into the last 6 weeks. I'm also getting really anxious to meet the little guy. I already love him so much. I can't wait to see him.
I hope everyone else is doing well.
Take care,
Rebecca

[2ndtimer]

Check it out -I finally put a photo on the photobucket site!
Rebecca

[MBG]

Rebecca: Your pic is sooooo cute!! You are so tiny! I can feel your pain as far as pain!! I wake every morning to back pain and i get up to empty my bladder about 10 times a night....I am not exagerating either!!! Not too much longer!!! I too am having some difficulty keeping my BS evened out.....I will do well for a day or two and then all of the sudden there is this big spike, but I am not eating much diffent than the other days...ugh!!!

Glad to hear you had a nice weekend with friends and family!! What kind of goodies did you get? Is your nursery all set?


Tina: Just saw your most recent belly shot! You also look great!!! I think you are managing your weight very nicely!!! How was your party weekend?

Again not much new going on here! Just hanging in there!!

Marybeth

[sharishu]

Hello Ladies,
GD update: Well, my BS numbers have started to raise a little bit, and it's stressing me out. Even cutting out packaged (low carb) snacks, and following the diet completely, I sometimes have a bit of an elevated result after dinner, and sometimes at lunch (today was 141 an hour after dinner). It just seemed like it was so under control. Harumph! Ah well, tomorrow is another day.

Rebecca,
I am glad you enjoyed your shower, and that everything worked out with your in-laws! Good luck as you continue to settle into your new job. Sounds like it's going smoothly so far. Back onto the GD topic- what I am most concerned about is potentially having to go on insulin. How many BS numbers have to be raised, and by how much? In 5 days of testing, I have had 4 elevated/borderline results. (4 out of 19). Is that still 'within normal limits'? Well, as you stated earlier, I also can't WAIT for this GD nonsense to be over with! Sheesh!

Be well, ladies.
Shari

[2ndtimer]

Hi Marybeth,
I'm really starting to realize just how different GD is from regular diabetes. My theory is that on days that BS is high despite what you eat/exercise, you must just have more of the baby hormones running through you. Maybe your babies go through a little growth spurt or something. I guess the important thing is to just try to keep BS's as normal as possible but not stress too much about it. I think Shari also mentioned having a high BS one time & not being able to figure out what she did differently.
I get up on average 5 times a night -so I completely believe you that with twice the amt of babies you get up 10 times a night to pee.
My nursery is now all set. The only thing left to buy is our car seat & the extra frame-thing to set the car seat in DH's car. It's a big relief. I also want to go ahead & get a new washer/dryer. Our old ones are about 20 yrs old & we've been talking about getting new ones for the whole time we've been together -about 10 years. I've budgeted for them, so it seems wise to just go ahead & get them before the baby gets here and I have more laundry to do.
anyway, that's about it,
Rebecca

[LostGirl]

Hi ladies,
I post most often in the Sept 2008 moms to be thread, but lurk here to see what's to come! I got my glucose test today, and will get results on Thursday. I wondered how much exercise the ladies with gestational diabetes are getting weekly, and what effect it has on their BS levels?

Lostgirl

[MBG]

Lostgirl: I have been very cautious about excercise due to the fact that I am carrying twins....I walk around all day for work, so I consider that excercise enough. However, after talking to my dietician....she said that if my bs continues to be high after dinner, to take a walk or do some sort of light excercise to get the levels back down. Before I became pregnant I was very active....plan to begin full on excecise regime as soon as I am allowed postpartum!!!

Good luck on your test!


Rebecca: Thanks for the advice on the Gd.....never really thought about the boys growth spurts creating issues, but it makes sense!! Do you already know what car seat you are going to get? We got the graco snugride...need to get DH to put them in the car! I was hoping to get a new car pre-baby, but did the math and decided to hang on to my paid for car until after I return to work. There is nothing wrong with my car, it has actually been a really good car, the only thing is that it has black leather interior and it gets REALLY hot during the summer and there are no air vents in the back..I don't want to over the heat the boys! Will the worries ever end!!!!

Shari: have you shared your concern with your doctor, or is your doctor concerned? My doctor was pretty relaxed about the whole thing...he told me a few elevated levels are ok...however, it is pretty frustrating!!! I think rebecca's comment about growth spurts and extra hormones is right on! Maybe your wee one is packing on the lbs and spreading some extra hormones around your body! I know you are on modified bedrest...does that mean that small walks are out of the question? If not, you may try going on a 10-15 min walk after dinner before testing your bs.

[2ndtimer]

Hi Shari,
I posted my reply before I saw yours or else I would have responded sooner. I have no idea what the parameters are before they put you on medication. It's something I worry about too. I know that for myself, I think I would refuse unless I was really seeing it trending upwards & getting some over 200's. It will be harder for you with the modified bedrest. If you aren't already, try to eat way more proteins with an itty-bitty amt of carbs especially earlier in the day and see if that helps.
Lostgirl, before pregnancy I was pretty active and 5'6" 130 lbs. I still go for 30 to 45 min walks several evenings a week and go swimming maybe 2 or 3 times a week -not seriously swimming laps, but I make sure I'm moving and burning calories. When it's too hot I get on my elliptical machine for about 5-10 min. It really seems to help out lowering my BS except in the morning when not much helps. If I'm having a really tired feeling day(which is happening more & more these days) then I just take it easy. Up until a few weeks ago I could do pretty much whatever I wanted -I did give up running when I went thru my IVF cycle. Now, I'm really feeling the pregnancy.
Rebecca

[sharishu]

Rebecca and Marybeth,
Thanks to both of you sooo much for responding to my GD questions. Rebecca, what you said about the baby growing and thus perhaps using more insulin sounds right to me. I guess my BS levels are not too bad, considering that the raised number comes out to 140 or 141. Marybeth, I am seeing a high risk doctor tomorrow who is doing a special u/s to check on the baby. I will definitely ask him, and if I run into a GD dietitian or nurse I will ask them too. As far as exercise, I do chair exercises to get my heartrate up, including arm lifts/rolls (circles?) and leg lifts with ankle rolls. When I do get out at night with DH, I feel like I'm getting a workout even just walking around the mall. So I'm not completely still, but that is definitely a good idea to do walking even around the apartment after dinner to try to better control my BS at that time. Going for a little walk outside is an ordeal, since I live in a 3rd floor walk up, and climbing the stairs in the heat has become difficult for me. I do it, of course, when I have to, taking a few breaks on my way up. Amen to starting full blown exercise once I can postpartum! I have never wanted to work out so badly. Also, Rebecca, I will cut down more on carbs (less than the prescribed amount) at dinner time which seems to be my 'problem time', and see if that helps. I'll let you know.

As far as back pains and such, I can totally relate! For me, the biggest and most uncomfortable challenge is turning over in bed and also sitting up from a lying down position.

Oh, BTW Rebecca, what a cute pic! Nice to meet you . I suppose I should post a pic sometime before I give birth. Perhaps this week.

Be well, everyone.
Shari

[2ndtimer]

Marybeth, Im getting the graco snug ride car seat too. We got the stroller frame for the car seat on Sunday & I love it -very light weight & easy to manuever. I made sure that the car seat is easy to snap into it at BabiesRus, too, and it is very easy. I think they make the stroller frame for twins too. Costs a lot less than the big heavy travel systems, too.
Rebecca

[tinaO]

Hi! Sorry I have been slow to post lately - so crazy busy!! We jusy have so much going on at the same time and in the middle of it all, we just started construction on our pool which will be done in mid-Aug. So, between that, my work, my husband's school, my mom, and then the shower this weekend - I have been just going nuts! Noah's shower was quite the party - we ended up withabout 50 people and I was unbelievably touched that everyone came and the wonderful gifts we got. I think we are all set now - I have the bassinet, stroller, bouncer, swing...and someone ordered the car seat, but it hasn't shown up yet. Noah has a closet full of clothes, his room is ready, I have diapers and wipes, stuff to bathe him with, diaper creams...what else could there be??? This is one expensive kid between the costs of IVF and all this stuff! I am sure you all feel the same way!!!

Shari - 3rd floor?? Oh Lord! It is just an effort for me to go up the stairs at our house! Bless your heart!! And I hear ya with he back pain - it is the one thing for me that has made this pregnancy difficult.

Rebecca - Well, well, well - you look fantastic! Makes me look like an oinker compared to you! I posted a pic from the shower this weekend. I look huge in my little dress. I bought a dress that is not maternity and I swear it just looked like it was a tent on me! But you look so GREAT!! I feel bad for all of you dealing with the GD. At least we don't have much longer!!

Marybeth - how are you?? I am one lucky gal because I typically do not get up at all to go to the bathroom during the night. My hand still falls asleep a lot, but I just turn over and it goes away. I feel very lucky. I am sure with twins, everything gets magnified!! When do they expect you will deliver?

Karen - Good luck with your car purchase! You will feel so much better knowing you are safe and don't have to worry about any car problems going forward!!

Ok ladies, I am still recovering from the weekend with all the house guests we had. I need to finish cleaning and get to bed. Take care!!

Tina

[sharishu]

Hello Ladies,

Well, we have everything ordered, but the tradition is to have it all delivered right after the birth, while we are still in the hospital. In Israel all the store owners have that understanding. They come and set up the furniture, supplies, etc. in the room. I'll just move it around the way I like after. The one thing I didn't order yet is a swing, but I guess he can't use that right away anyway. So, it's just a bit nerve-wracking since we don't yet live in the new apartment (and the old owners are there until moving day) so it's hard to know for sure how to best use the space. I am normally someone who likes to have everything organized and just so, so this lack of control is HARD for me. Plus we don't even know yet if we'll need to buy an oven and dishwasher (they're not sure yet what they are taking). We are shopping for a fridge this week, which I'm excited about, as I have been using an ancient fridge for the past 3 years. Oh, and the new building is a nice new elevator building, plus we will be living on the FIRST floor, not the third. Yes, Tina, the stairs are a KILLER in this heat. I dread the trek upstairs each time. If I have this baby before moving day, I'd be nervous taking him up and down the stairs.

Tina,
Sounds like you had a great shower! Glad it worked out well. Wow, you sound all ready for little Noah. BTW, the new pool sounds GREAT, I'm jealous! You'll have to get tiny water wings for the little guy . I am also sooo happy for you not having to get up for the bathroom at night, and glad your pregnancy is going so well (except for the arm sleepiness).

Marybeth,
I understand about the peeing. Sometimes I do get up about 10 times at night, since I'm have an overactive bladder flare-up. It's getting a little better, last night I only got up 3 times, but it is VERY hard for me to go, especially after a few hours of sleep. I can't imagine what it would be like with twins. Bless you!

Have a great day, all.
Shari