I had my 34 week doctor’s appt first thing this morning and have this to report back:

Urine: Fine: slight protein (only because I hadn’t had very much water to drink yet since it was so early in the morning), no sugar (yea!)
Weight: lost 3 lb since last appt (bringing me to 3 lbs total gain)
Blood Pressure: Nice and low
Baby’s Heartbeat: Normal, in the 160s
Measuring: right where I am suppose to be!

I was floored by the fact that I continue to lose weight, but my doctor assures me that as long as the baby is still growing, things are perfect. We just attribute the weight loss to the healthier diet and added exercise, so it is not an area of concern. Go figure. I was under the impression that people gain weight during pregnancy.

Another interesting bit of information for ya: my due date has moved again. My doctor mentioned my due date in passing and said it was set for December 19th. I said the last time someone told me the date, they said it was December 14th. She laughed at this and said not to listen to anyone else but her. So we are now due on the 19th. This doesn’t bother me, other than the fact that I could now possibly be pregnant until December 26th (since they will only let me go over my due date by a week). So no longer a guarantee that we will not have a Christmas baby. *sigh*

Then my appt took a turn for the worse less-positive. My doctor wanted to look over my glucose log book to see how my blood sugar has been and needless to say, she was not as impressed as last week. I am still on my super-strict diet, but for some reason my body is not always responding to the lower carb/sugar. I can eat the same breakfast two days in a row and have a 2-hour glucose level of 85 one day and 138 the next (I am suppose to keep it between 60-120). Since my activity level isn’t really changing (especially first thing in the morning!) we can either attribute it to stress (sounds about right, what with all the changes in my life) or just the hormonal imbalances screwing with my insulin levels. Either of these factors are not things I can control, so my doctor thinks it would be best for me and the baby to go on insulin.

At this point, I just want to do what is best for the baby, and if that means taking medication, then so be it. My doctor thinks it will be easier for me to take a new pill form of insulin, rather than the shot, which was just fine by me! However, she isn’t very familiar with this new drug, so she is having me meet with another doctor in the office (appt set for tomorrow morning) who regularly prescribes this specific medication. That way if I have any questions or concerns, he will be able to address them. Then I will meet with her as scheduled next week and she can check to see how the meds are working. Also at that time we are having an ultrasound to check on the growth of the baby. So it is going to be a pretty eventful week…medically speaking anyway.

As most of you know, Simeon and I attended our childbirth preparation class over the weekend. We initially signed up for the four-week class (two hour class, one night a week) but because Simeon has been trying to get all of his traveling out of the way before the baby comes, he would have missed half of the classes. So I called the hospital to see if we could attend the “Weekend Childbirth Seminar” (6:30-9:30pm on Friday evening and 9:00am-4:00pm on Saturday) instead. It cost about $30 more, but I figured since the main reason we were taking the class was to better prepare Simeon, it was worth the extra money for him to be able to attend the entire thing.

I had heard a lot of women never make it through the entire class because they end up going into labor within the four week period. I thought for sure this wouldn’t be the case with the weekend class, but sure enough, Saturday morning we lost two couples in our group because they were in labor. Go figure. I guess if you are destined to miss the class it will happen no matter what.

Simeon and I actually had a great time in the class. I admit there were a few things I had never heard before and I actually learned a thing or two. Simeon came out very well informed and with a new outlook on a few different things. I was very happy that they didn’t scare the crap out of him by showing any horrific bloody labors with screaming women and fainting husbands or something that would further scare him about the whole process. We did watch a couple birth videos, but they were all very tasteful and not really any more graphic than TLC’s A Baby Story (which I totally admit to having a TiVo Season Pass to record all the episodes during the day and Simeon has watched more than a couple of them with me). In fact, I swear the video they showed us in 8th grade health class was more graphic…but then again I think they were trying to terrify us about sex back then anyway.

Overall the class was very helpful. Sure we touched on basic anatomy and fetal development, which was all review for us, but they also went into great depth about medical intervention, relaxation techniques, and my personal favorite, massage. In fact, there were large portions of the class where I got to lay on my blanket, curled up with a pillow and they actually taught Simeon how to give me a massage. Sure I was focusing on my breathing and pretending to be in pain at the time, but it was still pretty darn nice.

This video just about sums it all up.

Thank God my wonderful friend, Megan, gave me a gift certificate for a pedicure at Dosha that I have been saving for just the right time….and I am thinking that time has come.

There is a butt (or possibly a head–is it bad that I can’t tell the difference?) poking out of my stomach just under my right rib. I can push on it and it goes away…and then pops right out again. This is all well and good, but I gotta say it makes my stomach look (and feel!) quite lop-sided.

Just thought you ought to know…

I had my 32 week doctor’s appt this morning and have this to report back:

Urine: Normal: no protein, no sugar (yea!)
Weight: lost 1 lb since last appt (back to 6 lbs total gain)
Blood Pressure: Nice and low
Baby’s Heartbeat: Normal, in the 180s
Measuring: right where I am suppose to be

I was worried once I got on the scale and realized I lost a pound, but my doctor says that at this point it is fine. She thinks it is because of the new diet and added exercise, not that there is something wrong. We are going to watch my weight and make sure I don’t lose too much or she will recommend I bump up my caloric intake a little more.

I showed her my blood test results and she was very impressed. I have a few that are a little high, but I can usually contribute that to something I ate (Damn you Beaterville strawberry jam, you are going to do me in!) or less exercise on a certain day. Overall, she gave me a pat on the back and said she understands how hard it is and said I am making the transition wonderfully.

I have a regular appt set for two weeks from now and she thinks that will be sufficient. But we did schedule an ultrasound appointment for about three weeks away just to check on baby Ana’s growth. We want to make sure she isn’t getting too big in there, even if Mama isn’t here on the outside.

I met with a dietician again last night to follow-up from my first class. She wanted to check on my food journal and glucose levels and compare them to see if I needed to change anything. She said I was doing really well and thought I really understood the program….however she wanted to make an adjustment by introducing Diaetostat. She wanted to add more food (just like I thought she would) but wanted to add it in another meal (not at all like I thought). My current feeding schedule (look at me already sounding like I have a baby!) is this:

7:30am Breakfast
10:30am Morning Snack
1:00pm Lunch
3:30pm Afternoon Snack
6:30pm Dinner
9:30pm Bedtime Snack

You tell me where I am gonna fit in another meal! So then she says, “I imagine you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom…could you just have another meal then?” I am sure the look on my face said surely you must be joking. She then pointed out that it was just one thing we could try to keep my blood sugar level through the night, since ten hours is a long time to go without food. I explained that I was already struggling with having to eat so close to bed, but I would give it a try if it would help.

So this morning I stumbled out of bed around 2am to use the bathroom and managed to navigate all the animals sleeping on the floor around me without hardly opening my eyes. Then I remembered (how, I have no idea) that I was suppose to have a snack so I walked down to the kitchen. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and opened the fridge. I could not remember a time when that light was more bright! I grabbed the milk and managed to fill my (8 oz) glass and not even spill. Then I closed the fridge, leaned against the counter and downed my glass. I went with the milk for my first middle of the night snack because that sounded WAY easier than the bean burrito or cheese sandwich the dietician suggested as other options. Feeling like I was doing pretty good I rinsed out my glass and went back to bed….where I was totally awake for the next hour and a half. Apparently my body does not like to do more than pee in the middle of the night or I am totally awake. Then just as I was starting to drift off again, my daughter finally got the snack and was kicking the heck out of me, which kept me awake longer.

All I can say is that I am really glad this is only a temporary condition. I cannot wait to pop this kid out so I eat like a normal person again. Oh and look-out Christmas dinner! I cannot wait for things like rolls, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie. Oh dear Lord the pie! Mmmmmmm…